A method for facilitating the distribution of the flow of one or more streams within a bed vessel is provided. Disposed within the bed vessel are internal materials and structures including multiple operating zones. One type of operating zone can be a processing zone composed of one or more beds of solid processing material. Another type of operating zone can be a treating zone. Treating zones can facilitate the distribution of the one or more streams fed to processing zones. The distribution can facilitate contact between the feed streams and the processing materials contained in the processing zones.

A method for controlling temperature of a chemical reaction without measuring a temperature of the chemical reaction. Changes in mass of a chemical reaction are monitored and are used to calculate the temperature of the system. The reaction can be maintained at a desired temperature (T) without measuring the temperature. The disclosed method is useful for reactions that occur at non-equilibrium conditions where any measured temperature would presume steady-state conditions.

Mechanical stirred bed reactors that incorporate a screen are described. Methods of using such reactors to process perfluoropolymers to form perfluorinated olefin monomers are also described. The reactors and methods may be used to upcycle filled perfluorinated materials.

Steam-hydrocarbon reforming reactor with a reformer tube containing ceramic-supported catalyst pellets and metal foam particles. The ceramic-supported catalyst pellets have a porous support comprising one or more of alumina, calcium aluminate, and magnesium aluminate. The metal foam particles comprise Fe and/or Ni. The ceramic-supported catalyst pellets and metal foam particles may be layered or interspersed.

A method for facilitating the distribution of the flow of one or more streams within a bed vessel is provided. Disposed within the bed vessel are internal materials and structures including multiple operating zones. One type of operating zone can be a processing zone composed of one or more beds of solid processing material. Another type of operating zone can be a treating zone. Treating zones can facilitate the distribution of the one or more streams fed to processing zones. The distribution can facilitate contact between the feed streams and the processing materials contained in the processing zones.

A method for facilitating the distribution of the flow of one or more streams within a bed vessel is provided. Disposed within the bed vessel are internal materials and structures including multiple operating zones. One type of operating zone can be a processing zone composed of one or more beds of solid processing material. Another type of operating zone can be a treating zone. Treating zones can facilitate the distribution of the one or more streams fed to processing zones. The distribution can facilitate contact between the feed streams and the processing materials contained in the processing zones.

An improved reactor comprising a shell and at least one reactor internal component. The reactor internal component includes a tube bundle comprising a plurality of tubes attached by at least one tube support plate comprising at least one radial strut and at least one bracket configured to secure to at least one tube of the tube bundle. The tubes are arranged in concentric bands about a longitudinal axis of the reactor. The reactor comprises a gas inlet plate, a catalyst support plate, and a top plate.

An improved reactor comprising a shell and at least one reactor internal component. The reactor internal component includes a tube bundle comprising a plurality of tubes attached by at least one tube support plate comprising at least one radial strut and at least one bracket configured to secure to at least one tube of the tube bundle. The tubes are arranged in concentric bands about a longitudinal axis of the reactor. The reactor comprises a gas inlet plate, a catalyst support plate, and a top plate.

A method for enabling gas exchange and chemical reactions with one or more liquid streams contained in a reactive process vessel are provided. One or more exchange layers within the process vessel can be composed of both collector media and releaser media. The exchange layers allow elements to facilitate increased performance of vessel operations by promoting gas component mixing and diffusion. Improved rates of gas component exchange mean less coking and more gas components available for reaction.

It has been discovered that the efficiency of asphalt blow stills (reactor columns) can be improved by filling the blow still with various types of packing material, such as metal or glass spheres (or other rigid materials). The packing material acts to reduce air bubble size and improve the dispersion of the air bubbles throughout the asphalt. This increases the total surface area per unit volume of the air bubbles and promotes a faster processing time. The packing material also increases the contact time between the air bubbles and the asphalt which further results in improved efficiency and reduced blow times. This is beneficial because faster processing times can be achieved resulting in more efficient use of equipment, higher levels of productivity, lower energy requirements, cost savings, reduced blow loss, and reduced thermal history to which the asphalt is exposed.