An installation is for the destruction of radioactive metallic sodium and includes a reaction vessel containing an aqueous solution, the reaction vessel having an aqueous solution outlet; a sodium feed circuit configured for feeding liquid metallic sodium into the reaction vessel; a liquid effluent treatment unit, comprising a drain tank and a drain line fluidically connecting the aqueous solution outlet to the drain tank; a gas treatment unit configured for diluting the gases and releasing the diluted gases into the atmosphere, the drain tank having a gas outlet fluidically connected to the gas treatment unit; an inert gas feed unit configured for feeding the drain tank.

A reactor for carrying out a chemical reaction has a reactor vessel, one or more reaction tubes and means for the electrical heating of the one or more reaction tubes. The reactor vessel has one or more discharge orifices which are permanently open or are set up to open above a preset pressure level, and gas feed means are provided, which are set up to feed an inerting gas into an interior of the reactor vessel.

A system for reducing dioxygen (O.sub.2) present in vapors from oil storage tanks. The system may include an inlet that receives vapors from the tanks; a heating device coupled with the inlet that heats vapors to a first temperature to form heated vapor; and a vessel coupled receiving heated vapor and containing at least one catalyst to reduce dioxygen from the heated vapor. The catalyst may include palladium, and the vessel may include zinc oxide to remove sulfur from the heated vapor. A compressor may be used to compress the vapors. A controller may be provided to monitor O.sub.2 concentration in heated vapor, and the controller directs flow of heated vapor to a gas pipeline if the O.sub.2 concentration is below a predetermined level; or if the O.sub.2 concentration is unacceptably high, the controller directs flow of vapor to be re-circulated within the system to further reduce O.sub.2 concentration therein.

Method of processing and handling solids and mixtures capable of deflagration, in particular of processing materials capable of deflagration in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, wherein the processing and handling is carried out in an environment under a reduced pressure of ≦500 mbara and the processing and/or handling comprises one or more process steps selected from the group consisting of filtration, milling, sieving, mixing, homogenization, granulation, compacting, packaging, drying, storage and transport in a transport container and other steps in apparatuses having mechanical internals.

A reaction/mixing/heat exchange tube, including an outer tube, an inner tube disposed in the outer tube; and a fluid channel formed between the outer tube and the inner tube. The outer tube includes a wall including a plurality of first flat segments, and a plurality of first communication holes formed between every two adjacent first flat segments.

A device for carrying out a chemical reaction by a continuous method has a reactor with at least two reactor sections which define a direction of flow. The reactor has plug flow properties along the direction of flow. A recirculation line is present to withdraw a partial flow from the reactor at a first point and return it to the reactor at a second point located above the first point in the direction of flow. Means are provided which prevent a temperature increase in the reactor over a predetermined temperature range, for example change of more than approximately 50 K.

The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of an alkanesulfonic acid by oxidation of a sulfur containing starting compound with an oxygen containing fluid, wherein the sulfur containing starting compound is provided in a reaction system, comprising a reaction vessel (1) with an expansion vessel (2) on its top, wherein the reaction vessel and the expansion vessel are connected to allow a flow of a fluid stream from the reaction vessel into the expansion vessel.

The present invention relates to a reactor (201) for preparing hydrogen cyanide by the Andrussow process, to an equipment (200) comprising said reactor and to a process for preparing hydrogen cyanide by the Andrussow process. The reactor (201) comprising at least one gas inlet (I) for reactant gases mixture, a catalyst (203), a porous support for the catalyst (204), a porous sub support (205, 206) and at least one outlet (P8) for the reaction products. According to the invention, said reactor has a cone frustum shaped metallic casing (210) and comprises inside the metallic casing, a gas distributor (202) located between the gas inlet and the catalyst, said distributor comprising at least one cone frustum element (D1, . . . Dn) having an upper base directed towards the gas inlet (I).

Described herein are improved chemical reactors for carrying out partial oxidation reactions. The chemical reactor permits the use of levels of oxygen above the lower explosion limit (LEL) typically used in partial oxidation reactions, which increases both volumetric reactivity and conversion per pass, resulting in reduced separation and reactant recycle costs. Also described are methods of using the reactors.

The invention relates to a method for processing and/or handling solids and/or mixtures capable of deflagration, in particular for processing materials capable of deflagration in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry, wherein the processing and/or handling is carried out in an environment under a reduced pressure of <500 mbara and, when a deflagration cannot be ruled out measures for extinguishing the deflagration are commenced, where the processing and/or handling comprises one or more process steps selected from a group consisting of filtration, milling, sieving, mixing, homogenization, granulation, compacting, dispensing, drying, storage and transport in a transport vessel and also other steps in apparatuses having mechanical internals.