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.

Heat exchanger-reformer for use in a hydrogen production plant for producing syngas, for instance by means of a steam methane reforming method, wherein the reformer comprises vessel with a first inlet for supplying feed and a second inlet for supplying hot reformer effluent, preferably coming from a main steam methane reformer, wherein the heat exchanger-reformer further comprises a heat exchanging section that is arranged in fluid connection with the first and second inlets for exchanging heat between the feed and reformer effluent to effectuate steam reforming of hydrocarbon to produce syngas, wherein the heat exchanging section comprises a plate heat exchanger assembly for heat exchange between said feed and said reformer effluent.

Embodiments of the disclosure pertain to a chemical reactor comprising a mixing zone comprising first static mixer and a second static mixer both arranged in shell of the reactor, wherein the second static mixer is positioned further from said first inlet than said first static mixer, wherein the second static mixer is adapted for more intimate mixing of fluids in the reaction mixture than the first static mixer.

A fuel cell system comprising a fuel cell stack, an evaporator for evaporating a mixture of methanol and water to be forwarded through a catalytic reformer for producing portions of free hydrogen. The fuel cell stack being composed of a number of proton exchange membrane fuel cells each featuring electrodes in form of an anode and a cathode for delivering an electric current. The system provides an enhanced catalytic reformer for a fuel cell system, which enables a compact design of the reformer for integration into a flat, rack mountable system.

Systems and methods are provided for improving the flow distribution in the high temperature zone of a cyclic flow reactor, such as a reverse flow reactor. The systems can include a plurality of mixing plates that can facilitate mixing of flows that have been maintained separately until a mixing location. Based in part on the use of a plurality of mixing plates, methods are provided for operating a reverse flow reactor with a temperature profile that has improved uniformity across the cross-section of the reactor. In some aspects, a flame diffuser can be included downstream from the plurality of mixing plates to further improve the uniformity of the temperature distribution.

A reactor has a heat exchanging body including therein a heat medium flow channel in which heat medium flows, and a reaction flow channel in which a reaction fluid flows, to exchange heat between the heat medium and the reaction fluid. A heat transfer promoter is provided in the heat medium flow channel and comes in close contact with the heat exchanging body to promote heat transfer between the heat medium and the heat exchanging body. The heat transfer promoter is an assembly of partial heat transfer promoters of a plurality of types. Replacing the partial heat transfer promoter with another type one, temperature distribution in the heat exchanging body is adjusted.

A chemical reactor is implemented on a substrate. The chemical reactor has multiple ducts for transporting a fluid and/or gas during use of the chemical reactor, in which the ducts optionally include pillar structures and at least one connection duct connected between two of the multiple ducts for transporting the fluid and/or gas from one duct to another. In the connection duct, a series of individual pillar structures are positioned behind each other in the longitudinal direction of the connection duct.

A combined heat exchanging and fluid mixing apparatus including a first conduit (44) for guiding a cool fluid through the first conduit and a second conduit (55) for guiding a hot gas through the second conduit. A heat conductive element (2) is arranged between the first conduit (44) and the second conduit (55) for transferring heat from the hot gas to the cool fluid. The apparatus further includes a third conduit (45) for guiding an exhaust fluid. The third conduit (45) comprises an exhaust fluid inlet (46) for introducing an exhaust fluid into the apparatus for mixing of the exhaust fluid with the hot gas and for a chemical reaction of the so formed exhaust fluid/hot gas mixture in the second conduit (55).

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for producing fine particles, the apparatus comprising: a particle formation mechanism and a particle-outlet micro-channel. The particle formation mechanism may include a unit-structure, wherein the unit-structure includes: first and second portions adjacent to each other; a first inlet defined in the first portion at a first height, wherein a continuous phase solution is injected into the first inlet; a second inlet defined in the first portion at a second height different from the second height, wherein a dispersed phase solution is injected into the second inlet; a merging volume defined in the second portion adjacent to the first portion, wherein the merging volume is defined at third height, wherein the third height is equal to either the first height and the second height, or has a value between the first height and the second height, wherein the continuous phase solution and the dispersed phase solution are merged in the merging volume, wherein fine particles are formed via the merging between the continuous phase solution and the dispersed phase solution in the merging volume; and a first micro-channel and a second micro-channel branching from the merging volume so as to be in communication with the first inlet and the second inlet, respectively.

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.