A catalyzing reactor comprising a reactor entrance and a reactor exit and an internal structure arranged for flowing a reacting medium through the reactor from the reactor entrance to the reactor exit. The reactor structure comprising at least one thin walled reactor channel arranged between the entrance and the exit of the reactor. The channel having a channel wall that includes a catalyst and that defines a flow path, in which channel in use, a catalyzed exothermic reaction takes place in the medium as it flows along the flow path. The at least one channel is looped to have a portion of its flow path that is downstream with respect to the reactor entrance in heat exchanging contact with a portion of a flow path that is that is more upstream with respect to the reactor entrance, so as to transfer heat between a downstream portion of the reacting medium to an upstream portion thereof.

A process and apparatus for converting an alkane to an olefin. In one embodiment, the process involves oxidative coupling of an alkane, e.g., methane, with an oxidant, such as air, to produce an olefin having twice the number of carbon atoms as the alkane, e.g., ethylene. In another embodiment, the process involves oxidative dehydrogenation of an alkane, e.g., ethane, with an oxidant to form an olefin having the same number of carbon atoms as the alkane, e.g., ethylene. The process involves passing a flow of the oxidant from a first flow passage through a porous medium; diffusing a flow of the alkane from a second flow passage into the porous medium; and contacting the reactant alkane and the oxidant in the presence of a catalyst within the porous medium to produce the olefin.

A process and apparatus for converting an alkane to an olefin. In one embodiment, the process involves oxidative coupling of an alkane, e.g., methane, with an oxidant, such as air, to produce an olefin having twice the number of carbon atoms as the alkane, e.g., ethylene. In another embodiment, the process involves oxidative dehydrogenation of an alkane, e.g., ethane, with an oxidant to form an olefin having the same number of carbon atoms as the alkane, e.g., ethylene. The process involves passing a flow of the oxidant from a first flow passage through a porous medium; diffusing a flow of the alkane from a second flow passage into the porous medium; and contacting the reactant alkane and the oxidant in the presence of a catalyst within the porous medium to produce the olefin.

A propulsion element including a catalyzing reactor is disclosed. The catalyzing reactor comprises a reactor entrance and a reactor exit and an internal structure arranged for flowing a reacting medium through the reactor from the reactor entrance to the reactor exit. The reactor structure comprising at least one thin walled reactor channel arranged between the entrance and the exit of the reactor. The channel having a channel wall that includes a catalyst and that defines a flow path, in which channel in use, a catalyzed exothermic reaction takes place in the medium as it flows along the flow path. The at least one channel is looped to have a portion of its flow path that is downstream with respect to the reactor entrance in heat exchanging contact with a portion of a flow path that is that is more upstream with respect to the reactor entrance, so as to transfer heat between a downstream portion of the reacting medium to an upstream portion thereof.

A process and apparatus for converting an alkane to an olefin. In one embodiment, the process involves oxidative coupling of an alkane, e.g., methane, with an oxidant, such as air, to produce an olefin having twice the number of carbon atoms as the alkane, e.g., ethylene. In another embodiment, the process involves oxidative dehydrogenation of an alkane, e.g., ethane, with an oxidant to form an olefin having the same number of carbon atoms as the alkane, e.g., ethylene. The process involves passing a flow of the oxidant from a first flow passage through a porous medium; diffusing a flow of the alkane from a second flow passage into the porous medium; and contacting the reactant alkane and the oxidant in the presence of a catalyst within the porous medium to produce the olefin.

A device for the through-flow of a fluid may include a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. A porous structure with interconnected pores is arranged between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, and the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet define an overall flow direction. The porous structure is coupled to a wall to provide for heat conduction between the porous structure and the wall. The porous structure has a porosity gradient along a first direction, which is cross to the overall flow direction. The porosity gradient develops along the first direction between a first porosity at a first location proximal to the wall and a second porosity larger than the first porosity at a second location remote from the wall. The difference between the second porosity and the first porosity may be at least 4%.

A propulsion element including a catalyzing reactor is disclosed. The catalyzing reactor comprises a reactor entrance and a reactor exit and an internal structure arranged for flowing a reacting medium through the reactor from the reactor entrance to the reactor exit. The reactor structure comprising at least one thin walled reactor channel arranged between the entrance and the exit of the reactor. The channel having a channel wall that includes a catalyst and that defines a flow path, in which channel in use, a catalyzed exothermic reaction takes place in the medium as it flows along the flow path. The at least one channel is looped to have a portion of its flow path that is downstream with respect to the reactor entrance in heat exchanging contact with a portion of a flow path that is that is more upstream with respect to the reactor entrance, so as to transfer heat between a downstream portion of the reacting medium to an upstream portion thereof.

A device for the through-flow of a fluid may include a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet. A porous structure with interconnected pores is arranged between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet, and the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet define an overall flow direction. The porous structure is coupled to a wall to provide for heat conduction between the porous structure and the wall. The porous structure has a porosity gradient along a first direction, which is cross to the overall flow direction. The porosity gradient develops along the first direction between a first porosity at a first location proximal to the wall and a second porosity larger than the first porosity at a second location remote from the wall. The difference between the second porosity and the first porosity may be at least 4%.

A vertical ammonia converter with radial flow catalyst beds includes a recipient having an outer shell equipped with a dual duct inner tubular wall to route effluents in upward and downward directions, the tubular wall made of vertical tubes with gastight walls arranged in a circle on an outer periphery of an inner wall of the shell, open at their ends to route effluent to be treated in the upward direction from an injection chamber in a lower part of the shell to a distribution chamber in an upper part of the shell, which tubes are contiguous to a filtering media over a height of a catalyst bed, the filtering media open at an upper end to pass a downward-flowing effluent and closed at a lower end to route and distribute the effluent through their effluent-permeable face towards the catalyst bed retained on an outer face by the filtering media.

This monolithic reactor is an adaptable and scalable, flow-through reaction containment apparatus embodied as a one-piece monolithic block of material that retains re-configurability to improve reaction processing. This apparatus increases operational flexibility, adaptable design, and vastly simplifies construction of tubular reaction-containment configurations. Internally, the monolithic block comprises one or more closely spaced, functional voids which operate as fluid channels that can be configured in various geometric arrangements. The apparatus is widely scalable, provides high thermodynamic efficiency, manufacturing simplicity, and affordability for varied operations through additive manufacturing, and has a compact physical footprint.