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 packing element for use in a heat exchange or mass transfer tower includes a barrel and a plurality of fins spaced around a circumference of the barrel, each fin having a height approximately equal to a height of the barrel and a length extending radially from the barrel, a proximate end of each fin attached perpendicularly to the barrel. A protrusion extends outward from the distal end or each fin along its height. A method for mass transfer includes passing fluids through a vessel packed with randomly arranged packing elements.

The invention relates to a catalyst filling, comprising a first layer of a planar catalyst material and a second layer of a planar catalyst material lying over said first layer, wherein the catalyst material of the first layer comprises at least two plates, which butt against each other to form an abutment edge in each case, wherein the catalyst material of the second layer comprises at least two plates, which butt against each other to form an abutment edge in each case, and wherein the plates of the second layer are designed and/or arranged relative to the plates of the first layer in such a way that the abutment edge or abutment edges of the second layer are not aligned with the abutment edge or abutment edges of the first layer.

A method for isomerising dehydration in the presence of a specific catalyst, to produce at least one alkene, carried out on a feedstock containing a non-linear primary monoalcohol, where the catalyst includes a zeolite having a series of 8MR channels and a binder having certain pore volume, which catalyst is multilobe-shaped and has characteristics including certain average mesopore volume Vm, and mesopores having a certain diameter, an average certain macropore volume VM, the macropores having a certain diameter, and certain average micropore volume Vμ, the micropores having a certain diameter, and the catalyst has a certain exposed geometric area.

A method of carrying out the dehydrogenation of lower alkanes in a fixed-bed reactor containing a catalyst bed, the catalyst bed comprising (i) catalyst particles supporting a catalyst effective to promote said dehydrogenation and (ii) engineered inert diluent particles, where the method comprises passing the lower alkane in gaseous form through the catalyst bed, wherein the engineered inert diluent particles have a cross-sectional shape having two opposing convex edges joined by and intersecting two opposing concave edges, and a plurality of holes between said edges penetrating through the particle.

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.

An expandable center arrangement for a reactor is disclosed. The arrangement comprises an expansion tube; a center support inside the expansion tube and three or more spring elements. The spring elements are fastened to the center support and arc out to the expansion tube. A reactor is also disclosed.

A catalytic system is provided which comprises a tubular reactor and at least one catalyst particle located within the tubular reactor. The catalyst particles have a particular geometric form which promotes heat transfer with the tubular reactor. Certain specific catalyst particles are also provided.

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 bayonet reactor including a catalytic reactor in the form of an annular structured packing is provided with increased surface area for the transfer of heat between annulus gas and return gas, an increased coefficient of heat transfer between the annulus and return gases, and a reduced overall pressure drop relative to conventional reactors. The reactors of the present technology can enable intensified catalytic processing.