SHELL-AND-MULTI-DOUBLE CONCENTRIC-TUBE REACTOR AND HEAT EXCHANGER

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor and a shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube heat exchanger, and to a shell- and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor and a shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube heat exchanger which provide a new type of reactor and a heat exchanger, thereby maximizing catalyst performance and improving performance of the reactor by optimizing heat exchange efficiency and a heat flow, uniformly distributing a reactant, and increasing a flow rate of the reactant, and accordingly making the reactor and the heat exchanger compact.

Claims

1. A shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor comprising: a shell side heating medium flow zone in which a shell side heating medium flows along a route formed by a baffle in a shell; a catalytic reaction zone in which a reactant is distributed to respective catalytic reaction flow paths by a reactant distributing unit, and the reactant performs a catalytic reaction with a catalyst positioned in the catalytic reaction flow paths, the catalytic reaction zone including a product capturing unit which captures a product produced by a heat exchange between the shell side heating medium and an inner heating medium and an unreacted material which is not reacted; and an inner heating medium flow zone in which the inner heating medium is distributed to inner heating medium flow paths inserted into the catalytic reaction flow paths by an inner heating medium distributing unit, and the inner heating medium, which exchanges heat with the catalytic reaction flow path, is discharged through an inner heating medium capturing unit, wherein the shell side heating medium flow zone and the catalytic reaction zone are separated by a first sealing barrier through which the catalytic reaction flow paths pass, and the catalytic reaction zone and the inner heating medium flow zone are separated by a second sealing barrier through which the inner heating medium flow paths pass so as to prevent the inner heating medium, the reactant, and the product from being in contact with one another.

2. The shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor of claim 1, wherein in the shell side heating medium flow zone, the shell side heating medium is supplied to a shell side heating medium supply port, passes through a shell side heating medium flow path, and exchanges heat with the catalytic reaction flow path, and then the shell side heating medium is discharged through a shell side heating medium discharge port.

3. The shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor of claim 1, wherein in the catalytic reaction zone, the reactant is supplied through a reactant supply port, is distributed to the catalytic reaction flow paths filled with the catalyst by the reactant distributing unit, and then passes through the catalytic reaction flow paths such that a catalytic reaction between the reactant and the catalyst occurs, and the unreacted material and the product produced by the reaction are captured by the product capturing unit, and then discharged through an unreacted material and product discharge port.

4. The shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor of claim 1, wherein in the inner heating medium flow zone, the inner heating medium is supplied through an inner heating medium supply port, and distributed to the inner heating medium flow paths by the inner heating medium distributing unit, such that the inner heating medium exchanges heat with the catalytic reaction flow path, and then is discharged through an inner heating medium discharge port via the inner heating medium capturing unit.

5. The shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor of claim 3, wherein an interior of the catalytic reaction flow path is filled with a reaction catalyst in the form of an extruded pellet, a sphere, and powder.

6. The shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor of claim 1, wherein the catalytic reaction flow path is configured by sequentially stacking at least one catalyst in a longitudinal direction.

7. The shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor of claim 1, wherein the shell side heating medium and the inner heating medium are configured by the same heating medium or different heating media, and one or more heating media selected from water, working fluid, and solvent is used as the heating media.

8. The shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor of claim 1, wherein a counter flow method and a co-current flow method are applicable depending on a supply method of the reactor, and the supply method is not limited thereto.

9. The shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor of claim 1, wherein, the reactor is the type of a fixed-bed reactor or a slurry bubble column reactor which is provided depending on a method to fill the catalytic reaction flow paths with the catalyst and a method to provide reactant gas, and the type of a reactor is not limited thereto.

10. A shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube heat exchanger comprising: a shell side heating medium flow zone in which a shell side heating medium flows along a route formed by a baffle in a shell; a heat exchange zone in which a heat exchange target material is distributed to respective heat exchange flow paths by a heat exchange material distributing unit, and a completely heat exchanged material capturing unit capturing a completely heat exchanged material produced by heat exchange between the heat exchange target material and the shell side heating medium and an inner heating medium, is included; and an inner heating medium flow zone in which the inner heating medium is distributed to inner heating medium flow paths inserted into the heat exchange flow paths by an inner heating medium distributing unit, and the inner heating medium, which exchanges heat with the heat exchange flow paths, is discharged through an inner heating medium capturing unit, wherein the shell side heating medium flow zone and the heat exchange zone are separated by a third sealing barrier through which the heat exchange flow paths pass, and the heat exchange zone and the inner heating medium flow zone are separated by a fourth sealing barrier through which the inner heating medium flow paths pass so as to prevent the inner heating medium and the heat exchange material from being in contact with each other.

11. The shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein in the shell side heating medium flow zone, the shell side heating medium is supplied to a shell side heating medium supply port, passes through a shell side heating medium flow path, and exchanges heat with the heat exchange flow paths, and then the shell side heating medium is discharged through a shell side heating medium discharge port.

12. The shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein in the heat exchange zone, the heat exchange material is supplied through a heat exchange material supply port, is distributed to the heat exchange flow paths by the heat exchange material distributing unit, and then passes through the heat exchange flow paths, such that the completely heat exchanged material produced by a heat exchange is captured by the completely heat exchanged material capturing unit, and then discharged through a completely heat exchanged material discharge port.

13. The shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein in the inner heating medium flow zone, the inner heating medium is supplied through an inner heating medium supply port, and distributed to the inner heating medium flow paths by the inner heating medium distributing unit, such that the inner heating medium exchanges heat with the heat exchange flow paths, and then is discharged through an inner heating medium discharge port via the inner heating medium capturing unit.

14. The shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube heat exchanger of claim 10, wherein the shell side heating medium and the inner heating medium are configured by the same heating medium.

15. The shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube heat exchanger of claim 10, a counter flow method and a co-current flow method are applicable depending on a supply method of the heat exchanger, and the heat exchanger is not limited to the supply methods.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] The above and other features of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings which are given hereinbelow by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the present invention, and wherein:

[0052] FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a shell-and-tube reactor in the related art;

[0053] FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a configuration of a shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] FIG. 3 illustrates a transverse cross-sectional view of the shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a single flow path of the shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] FIG. 5A illustrates a graph illustrating a temperature difference of a catalytic reaction flow path in longitudinal direction in the related art, which is a Comparative Example with respect to the present invention;

[0057] FIG. 5B illustrates a graph illustrating a temperature difference of a catalytic reaction flow path in a longitudinal direction of the shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

[0058] FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of a shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube heat exchanger according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

[0059] FIG. 7 illustrates a perspective view of a configuration of a single flow path of the shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube heat exchanger according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] Reference numerals set forth in the Drawings include reference to the following elements as further discussed below:

[0061] 10: reactor

[0062] 20: shell side heating medium supply port

[0063] 21: shell side heating medium discharge port

[0064] 24: shell side heating medium flow path

[0065] 25: baffle

[0066] 30: reactant supply port

[0067] 31: product discharge port

[0068] 32: reactant distributing unit

[0069] 33: product capturing unit

[0070] 34: catalytic reaction flow path

[0071] 40: inner heating medium supply port

[0072] 41: inner heating medium discharge port

[0073] 42: inner heating medium distributing unit

[0074] 43: inner heating medium capturing unit

[0075] 44: inner heating medium flow path

[0076] 50: upper first sealing barrier

[0077] 51: uppermost second sealing barrier

[0078] 60: lower first sealing barrier

[0079] 61: lowermost second sealing barrier

[0080] 100: heat exchanger

[0081] 120: shell side heating medium supply port

[0082] 121: shell side heating medium discharge port

[0083] 124: shell side heating medium flow path

[0084] 125: baffle

[0085] 130: heat exchange material supply port

[0086] 131: completely heat exchanged material discharge port

[0087] 132: heat exchange material distributing unit

[0088] 133: completely heat exchanged material capturing unit

[0089] 134: heat exchange flow path

[0090] 140: inner heating medium supply port

[0091] 141: inner heating medium discharge port

[0092] 142: inner heating medium distributing unit

[0093] 143: inner heating medium capturing unit

[0094] 144: inner heating medium flow path

[0095] 150: upper third sealing barrier

[0096] 151: uppermost fourth sealing barrier

[0097] 160: lower third sealing barrier

[0098] 161: lowermost fourth sealing barrier

[0099] It should be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various preferred features illustrative of the basic principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention as disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particular intended application and use environment.

[0100] In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0101] Hereinafter, reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the invention will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the invention to those exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0102] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be modified in various forms, and the scope of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the following exemplary embodiments. The present exemplary embodiments are provided to more completely explain the present invention to a person with ordinary skill in the art.

[0103] The term “unit”, “port”, or the like, which is described in the specification, means a unit that performs at least one function or operation.

[0104] In the present specification, names of constituent elements are classified as a first. . . , a second . . . , and the like so as to discriminate the constituent elements having the same name, and the names are not essentially limited to the order in the description below.

[0105] The present invention relates to a compact reactor 10 and a compact heat exchanger 100 to which a concept of a shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube is applied to solve the aforementioned problems in the related art. The present invention relates to the compact reactor 10 and the heat exchanger 100 which may be usefully applied to XTL (GTL, CTL, BTL, etc.) fields such as clean synthetic fuel producing processes, chemical reaction fields required for petrochemical industries, environmental equipment fields, offshore plant fields such as a GTL-FPSO, MeOH-FPSO, DME-FPSO, and cooling and heating systems to which the heat exchanger 100 is applied.

[0106] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a configuration of the shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor 10 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the reactor 10 according to the present invention includes heating medium flow paths through which a heating medium flows to a shell side, catalytic reaction unit flow paths which are filled with a catalyst and through which a reactant flows, and flow paths through which an inner heating medium flows, and in this case, the respective flow paths are configured such that the heating medium, the reactant, and the catalyst are not in contact with one another, and the respective flow paths may be made of metal so as to ensure a sufficient heat exchange. Catalytic reaction flow paths 34, through which the reactant flows, and inner heating medium flow paths 44 may be made of metal, and more particularly, include all materials that do not perform a chemical reaction with a shell side heating medium.

[0107] In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, aluminum or copper which has excellent thermal conductivity and machinability, or stainless steel, or nickel or cobalt based alloys (inconel, monel, etc.), which has excellent heat resistance and corrosion resistance, may be used as materials of the flow paths that constitute the reactor 10, in order to ensure excellent heat exchange performance and durability and easily form the flow paths through which a fluid may flow, but the material of the flow paths is not limited to the aforementioned materials.

[0108] Since the present invention provides the shell-and-tube reactor 10 that maintains a vertical shape, the reactor 10 includes a configuration in which the shell side heating medium flows in from a shell side heating medium supply port 20 to the shell side of the reactor 10, and the shell side heating medium, which has exchanged heat, is discharged through the shell side heating medium discharge port 21. More particularly, in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the shell side heating medium supply port 20 may be positioned at a lower end of the reactor 10, and the shell side heating medium discharge port 21 may be positioned at an upper end of the reactor 10, and the reactor 10 further includes baffles 25 which are positioned on a shell inner surface and constitute the routes of the shell side heating medium movement.

[0109] As described above, the shell side heating medium according to the present invention flows in through the shell side heating medium supply port 20 and is discharged through the shell side heating medium discharge port 21 via flow routes formed by the baffles 25 positioned on the shell inner surface, and as a result, it is possible to form shell side heating medium flow paths 24 including a maximum cross-sectional area of catalytic reaction flow paths 34 positioned in the shell.

[0110] As described above, the shell side heating medium, which flows in through the shell side heating medium supply port 20, exchanges heat in a shell side heating medium flow zone which circulates in the shell. The shell side heating medium flow zone, which is configured as described above, is separated by first sealing barriers 50 and 60 respectively positioned at the upper and lower ends of the reactor 10, and with the first sealing barriers 50 and 60, the shell side heating medium discharge port 21 and a reactant distributing unit 32 are separated from the shell side heating medium supply port 20 and a product capturing unit 33. As described above, the reactor 10 includes the shell side heating medium flow zone positioned in an interior where the first sealing barriers 50 and 60, which are respectively positioned at the upper and lower ends of the reactor 10, face each other.

[0111] The reactor 10 according to the present invention includes a plurality of catalytic reaction flow paths 34 which is positioned in the shell and through which the reactant gas passes. The catalytic reaction flow paths 34 may be filled with a catalyst in a longitudinal direction of the flow paths. More particularly, the catalysts, which perform different functions, may be configured to be sequentially stacked in the longitudinal direction of the catalytic reaction flow paths 34, and the amount of catalyst and the number of a single reactor may vary depending on an aspect or the purpose of the reactor 10 used by a user. In addition, the interior of the catalytic reaction flow paths 34 may be filled with at least one reaction catalyst in the form of an extruded pellet, a sphere, and powder.

[0112] In addition, instead of a fixed-bed reactor, a slurry bubble column reactor may be provided. In the slurry bubble column reactor, liquid in which a catalyst in the form of powder is mixed with a liquid-state solvent, and reactant gas are simultaneously supplied.

[0113] In the case of the catalytic reaction flow paths 34, the reactant is distributed through the reactant distributing unit 32 to the catalytic reaction flow paths 34 filled with the catalyst. The reactant distributing unit 32 is fluidly connected with the reactant supply port 30 positioned on the shell side surface, such that a heat exchange target reactant flows into the reactant distributing unit 32. The distributed reactant passes through the catalytic reaction flow paths 34 in the longitudinal direction, and performs a contact reaction with at least one catalyst accommodated in the catalytic reaction flow paths 34. A product produced by the reactant, which performs the catalytic reaction as described above, and an unreacted material, which does not perform a reaction, are captured by the product capturing unit 33 positioned at the lower end of the reactor 10. The captured product or unreacted material may be discharged to the outside of the shell through a product discharge port 31 connected with the product capturing unit 33.

[0114] The product capturing unit 33, which is configured as described above, is positioned at the lower end of the reactor 10, and sealed and separated between a lower first sealing barrier 60 and a lowermost second sealing barrier 61 which are positioned at the lower end of the reactor 10. Furthermore, the reactant distributing unit 32 is positioned, sealed and separated between an uppermost second sealing barrier 51, and an upper first sealing barrier 50, thereby forming a single catalytic reaction zone positioned between upper and lower portions of the reactor 10 including the catalytic reaction flow paths 34. The catalytic reaction zone includes the catalytic reaction flow paths 34 and is configured in the interior where the first sealing barriers 50 and 60 and the second sealing barriers 51 and 61, which are respectively positioned at the upper and lower ends, face each other, and the catalytic reaction zone may be positioned at a middle portion of the reactor 10 according to the present invention.

[0115] The catalytic reaction flow path 34 is configured to have an annular shape, and include the inner heating medium flow paths 44 positioned in the catalytic reaction flow paths 34. The exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes the catalytic reaction flow path 34 having an annular shape, and the inner heating medium flow path 44 has a smaller diameter than the catalytic reaction flow path 34. The inner heating medium flow path 44, which is configured as described above, has the same center as the catalytic reaction flow path 34, and includes portions which protrude from the upper and lower ends of the catalytic reaction flow path 34 and are connected to an upper end of the reactant distributing unit 32 and a lower end of the product capturing unit 33, respectively.

[0116] The inner heating medium flow path 44 is supplied with the heating medium from an inner heating medium supply port 40, and the heating medium, which has exchanged heat in the catalytic reaction flow paths 34, is discharged through an inner heating medium discharge unit while penetrating the catalytic reaction flow paths 34. More particularly, the heating medium, which is supplied through the inner heating medium supply port 40, flows into the inner heating medium distributing unit 42 positioned at a lowermost end of the reactor 10, and the heating medium positioned in the inner heating medium distributing unit 42 flows into the respective inner heating medium flow paths 44. The heating medium, which flows into the respective inner heating medium flow paths 44 as described above, may be captured by the inner heating medium capturing unit 43 positioned at an uppermost end of the reactor 10, and then may be discharged through an inner heating medium discharge port 41 positioned at a shell side end.

[0117] The shell side heating medium may be configured by the same heating medium as the inner heating medium, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0118] As described above, the heating medium, which flows in through the inner heating medium flow paths 44 positioned in the catalytic reaction flow paths, exchanges heat with the catalytic reaction flow path, and the inner heating medium distributing unit 42, which is positioned at one opened end of the inner heating medium flow path 44 and configured at the lowermost end of the reactor 10, and the inner heating medium capturing unit 43, which is positioned at the uppermost end of the reactor 10, are sealed by the second sealing barriers 51 and 61 and both upper and lower ends of the reactor 10, respectively. As described above, the present invention forms the inner heating medium flow zone that includes all of the configurations for allowing a flow of the inner heating medium, and the inner heating medium flow zone is sealed by the inner heating medium distributing unit 42, the inner heating medium capturing unit 43, and the second sealing barriers 51 and 61 respectively positioned at the upper and lower ends of the reactor 10. The uppermost second sealing barrier 51 is positioned between the inner heating medium capturing unit 43 and the reactant distributing unit 32 so as to prevent the reactant and the inner heating medium from being mixed together, and the lowermost second sealing barrier 61 is positioned between the inner heating medium distributing unit 42 and the product capturing unit 33 so as to prevent the product and the inner heating medium from being mixed together. As described above, the heating medium, which flows inside the inner heating medium flow zone, is separated from the reactant, the product and the like not to contact the reactant, the product and the like.

[0119] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of the shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor 10 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0120] The cross-sectional view illustrates a cross section taken along line A-A′ in FIG. 2, and illustrates the catalytic reaction flow path 34, the inner heating medium flow path 44, and the shell side heating medium flow path 24.

[0121] The annular catalytic reaction flow path 34 according to the present invention further includes the inner heating medium flow path 44 which is positioned in the catalytic reaction flow path 34 having a circular shape and has the same center as the catalytic reaction flow path 34. The inner heating medium flow path 44 exchanges heat with the reactant close to a central portion of the catalytic reaction flow path 34, and may cool the reactant gas positioned on an inner wall surface of the catalytic reaction flow path 34.

[0122] In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, inner diameters of the catalytic reaction flow path 34 and the inner heating medium flow path 44 of the reactor 10 may be 10.0 to 150.0 mm, and 10.0 to 50.0 mm, respectively, and more particularly, may be 5.0 to 50.0 mm, and 5.0 to 25.0 mm, respectively.

[0123] The reactor 10 according to the present invention may be generally applied to a configuration that performs an exothermic reaction or an endothermic reaction, and more particularly, the reactor 10 according to the present invention may be applied to a reactor of GTL, GTL-FPSO (floating production storage and offloading), DME-FPSO, and MeOH-FPSO for producing clean fuel such as GTL (gas-to-liquid), CTL (coal-to-liquid), BTL (biomass-to-liquid), DME (dimethyl ether), and MeOH (methanol), a fuel reforming device for a fuel cell, a hydrogen station, a petrochemical process, a fine chemical process, and environmental and energy processes.

[0124] FIG. 4 illustrates a single flow path of the shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube reactor 10 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0125] The reactor 10 includes the catalytic reaction zone positioned between the second sealing barriers 51 and 61 and the first sealing barriers 50 and 60 which are positioned between upper and lower sides of the catalytic reaction flow path 34 and the reactor 10, such that the reactant may flow into the respective catalytic reaction flow paths 34 through the reactant distributing unit 32 positioned at the upper end of the reactor 10. Furthermore, the product, which is produced by the catalytic reaction caused by contact with the catalyst in the catalytic reaction flow paths 34, or the unreacted reactant is captured by the product capturing unit 33 positioned at the lower end of the reactor, such that the catalytic reaction zone may be configured to be sealed.

[0126] The reactor may include a shell side heating medium flow zone including a sealed zone in an interior where the first sealing barriers 50 and 60 face each other. The shell side heating medium flow zone includes the shell side heating medium supply port 20 and the shell side heating medium discharge port 21 which are positioned inside the first sealing barriers 50 and 60, and includes at least one baffle 25 positioned on the shell inner surface.

[0127] The exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a configuration in which the shell side heating medium flows in through the shell side heating medium supply port 20 positioned at an upper end of the lower end first sealing barrier 60, and the introduced shell side heating medium is discharged through the shell side heating medium discharge port 21 positioned at a lower end of the upper end first sealing barrier 50. The reactor includes the shell side heating medium flow zone as described above, such that the heating medium flow route of the heating medium is configured depending on the number and the shape of the baffle 25 positioned in the shell side heating medium flow zone.

[0128] The reactor 10 according to the present invention further includes the inner heating medium capturing unit 43 positioned at the upper end of the uppermost second sealing barrier 51, and the inner heating medium distributing unit 42 positioned at the lower end of the lowermost second sealing barrier 61. The inner heating medium flows into the inner heating medium distributing unit 42, which is positioned at the lower end of the lowermost second sealing barrier 61, through the inner heating medium supply port 40, and the introduced inner heating medium may flow into the inner heating medium capturing unit 43, which is positioned at the uppermost end of the reactor 10, through the inner heating medium flow path 44. The inner heating medium, which is captured by the inner heating medium capturing unit 43 as described above, may be discharged to the outside of the shell reactor 10 through the inner heating medium discharge port 41 connected with the inner heating medium capturing unit 43. The inner heating medium flow zone is configured as described above, such that the inner heating medium is supplied into the inner heating medium flow path 44 positioned in the catalytic reaction flow path 34, and exchanges heat with the central portion of the catalytic reaction flow path 34.

[0129] As a result, the reactor 10 according to the present invention is provided as a reactor 10 with a shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube concept, in which the heating medium flow paths, through which the shell side heating medium flows, are formed by the baffle 25 in the shell, the catalytic reaction flow paths 34 which are filled with the catalyst and through which the heat exchange reactant flows are configured in the reactor 10, and the inner heating medium flow paths 44 through which the inner heating medium passes are inserted into the catalytic reaction flow paths 34, thereby improving heat exchange performance by exchanging heat using a dual structure in addition to a simple shell-and-tube concept in the related art.

[0130] FIG. 5A illustrates a graph illustrating a difference in temperature of the reactant gas in the longitudinal direction of the catalytic reaction flow path 34 of the shell-and-tube reactor 10 in the related art.

[0131] That is, FIG. 5A illustrates a difference in temperature, ΔT=9K, of the reactant gas in the longitudinal direction of the catalytic reaction flow path 34 in a case in which a GTL-FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) exothermic reaction is carried out by the shell-and-tube reactor 10 including the catalytic reaction flow path 34 having an inner diameter of 20 mm in the related art.

[0132] In comparison with FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B illustrates a graph according to measurement of a temperature of the reactant gas in the longitudinal direction of the reactor 10 including the annular catalytic reaction flow path 34 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0133] In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the reactor 10 is configured according to a GTL-FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) exothermic reaction, in which inner diameters of the catalytic reaction flow path 34 and the inner heating medium flow path 44 are 20 mm and 10 mm, respectively.

[0134] The reactor 10 according to the present invention, which is configured as described above, includes the catalytic reaction flow path 34 which is configured in the longitudinal direction in the shell, such that the reactant gas flows in through the reactant distributing unit 32 at the upper end of the reactor 10, and then flows into the catalytic reaction flow path 34. As described above, the reactant gas comes into contact with the catalyst in the catalytic reaction flow path 34, and moves in the longitudinal direction such that an exothermic reaction of the reactant gas is carried out.

[0135] In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention which is configured as described above, a difference in temperature, which occurs in the longitudinal direction of the catalytic reaction flow path 34 by an FTS reaction, which is an exothermic reaction during a GTL-FPSO (floating production storage and offloading) process, is ΔT=5.4K, and it could be seen that it is very easy to control a temperature in the longitudinal direction of the reactor 10, and it is also easy to adjust selectivity of reaction products in accordance with the adjustment of the temperature in comparison with a difference in temperature in the longitudinal direction of the catalytic reaction flow path 34 in the related art.

[0136] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view illustrating a configuration of the shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube heat exchanger 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, the heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention includes heating medium flow paths through which a heating medium flows to a shell side, heat exchange flow paths 134, and flow paths through which an inner heating medium flows, and in this case, the heating media in the respective flow paths and the heat exchange flow paths 134 are not exchanged, and the respective flow paths may be made of metal so as to ensure a sufficient heat exchange. Furthermore, the heat exchange flow paths 134 may be made of metal, and more particularly, include all materials that do not perform a chemical reaction with a shell side heating medium.

[0137] In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, aluminum or copper which has excellent thermal conductivity and machinability, or stainless steel, nickel or cobalt based alloys (inconel, monel, etc.), which has excellent heat resistance and corrosion resistance, may be used as materials of the flow paths that constitute the heat exchanger 100, in order to ensure excellent heat exchange performance and durability and easily form the flow path through which a fluid may flow, but the material of the flow path is not limited to the aforementioned materials.

[0138] Since the present invention provides the shell-and-tube heat exchanger 100 that maintains a vertical shape, the heat exchanger includes a configuration in which the shell side heating medium flows from a shell side heating medium supply port 120 into the shell of the heat exchanger 100, and the shell side heating medium, which has exchanged heat, is discharged through a shell side heating medium discharge port 121. More particularly, in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the shell side heating medium supply port 120 may be positioned at a lower end of the heat exchanger 100, and the shell side heating medium discharge port 121 may be positioned at an upper end of the heat exchanger 100, and the heat exchanger 100 further includes baffles 125 which are positioned on a shell inner surface and constitute the routes of the shell side heating medium movement. As described above, the shell side heating medium flow path 124 is configured with the baffles 125.

[0139] As described above, the shell side heating medium according to the present invention flows in through the shell side heating medium supply port 120 and is discharged through the shell side heating medium discharge port 121 via flow routes formed by the baffles 125 positioned on the shell inner surface, and as a result, the shell side heating medium may pass through the entire region of the area of the heat exchange flow paths 134 positioned in the shell.

[0140] As described above, the shell side heating medium, which flows in through the shell side supply port, exchanges heat in a shell side heating medium flow zone which circulates in the shell. The shell side heating medium flow zone, which is configured as described above, is separated by third sealing barriers 150 and 160 respectively positioned at upper and lower ends of the heat exchanger 100, such that the upper end third sealing barrier 150 is positioned between the shell side heating medium discharge port 121 and a heat exchange material distributing unit 132, and the lower end third sealing barrier 160 is positioned between the shell side heating medium supply port 120 and a completely heat exchanged material capturing unit 133. As described above, the heat exchanger includes the shell side heating medium flow zone positioned in an interior where the third sealing barriers 150 and 160 respectively positioned at the upper and lower ends face each other.

[0141] The heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention includes the heat exchange flow paths 134 positioned in the shell. The heat exchange flow paths 134 are connected with the heat exchange material distributing unit 132 such that the heat exchange target material flows into the heat exchange flow paths 134, and the heat exchange flow paths 134 are connected with the completely heat exchanged material capturing unit 133 and capture a completely heat exchanged material. Furthermore, the heat exchange material distributing unit 132 may be connected with a heat exchange material supply port 130 positioned outside the heat exchanger 100, and the completely heat exchanged material capturing unit 133 may be connected with a completely heat exchanged material discharge port 131 positioned outside the heat exchanger 100.

[0142] The completely heat exchanged material capturing unit 133, which is configured as described above, is positioned at the lower end of the heat exchanger 100, and sealed with and separated from an inner heating medium distributing unit 142 by a lowermost fourth sealing barrier 161. Furthermore, an inner heating medium capturing unit 143 positioned at an upper end of the heat exchange material distributing unit 132 is sealed with and separated from the heat exchange material distributing unit 132 by an uppermost fourth sealing barrier 151, thereby forming a single heat exchange zone positioned between upper and lower sides of the heat exchange flow path 134 and the heat exchanger 100. The heat exchange zone is configured in the interior where the third sealing barriers 150 and 160 and the fourth sealing barriers 151 and 161, which are positioned at the upper and lower ends of the heat exchanger 100, face each other, and thus the heat exchange zone may be positioned at a middle portion of the heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention.

[0143] The heat exchange flow path 134 is configured to have an annular shape, and includes an inner heating medium flow path 144 positioned in the heat exchange flow path 134. The exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes the heat exchange flow path 134 having an annular shape, and the inner heating medium flow path 144 has a smaller diameter than the heat exchange flow path 134. The inner heating medium flow path 144, which is configured as described above, has the same central portion as the heat exchange flow path 134, and includes portions which protrude at upper and lower ends thereof, and penetrate an upper end of the heat exchange material distributing unit 132 and a lower end of the completely heat exchanged material capturing unit 133.

[0144] The inner heating medium flow path 144 is supplied with the heating medium from the inner heating medium supply port (heat exchange flow path 134), and the heating medium, which has exchanged heat in the heat exchange flow paths 134, is discharged through an inner heating medium discharge unit while penetrating the heat exchange flow paths 134. More particularly, the heating medium, which is supplied through the inner heating medium supply port (heat exchange flow paths 134), flows into the inner heating medium distributing unit 142 positioned at a lowermost end of the heat exchanger 100, and the heating medium positioned in the inner heating medium distributing unit 142 flows into the respective inner heating medium flow paths 144. The heating medium, which flows into the respective inner heating medium flow paths 144 as described above, may be captured by the inner heating medium capturing unit 143 positioned at an uppermost end of the heat exchanger 100, and then may be discharged through an inner heating medium discharge port 141 positioned at a shell side end.

[0145] As described above, the heating medium, which flows in through the inner heating medium flow paths 144 positioned in the heat exchange flow paths 134, exchanges heat with the heat exchange flow paths 134, and the inner heating medium distributing unit 142, which is positioned at one opened end of the inner heating medium flow path 144 and positioned at the lowermost end of the heat exchanger 100, and the inner heating medium capturing unit 143, which is positioned at the uppermost end of the heat exchanger 100, are sealed by the fourth sealing barriers 151 and 161 and both upper and lower ends of the heat exchanger 100, respectively. As described above, the present invention forms the inner heating medium flow zone that includes all of the configurations for allowing a flow of the inner heating medium, and the inner heating medium flow zone is sealed by the fourth sealing barriers 151 and 161 which are positioned at the inner heating medium capturing unit 143 and the inner heating medium distributing unit 142 , respectively. As described above, the heating medium, which flows inside the inner heating medium flow zone, is separated not to contact the heat exchange material, the completely heat exchanged material and the like.

[0146] The annular heat exchange flow path 134 according to the present invention further includes the inner heating medium flow path 144 which is positioned in the heat exchange flow path 134 having a circular shape and has the same center as the heat exchange flow path 134. The inner heating medium flow path 144 exchanges heat with the heat exchange material close to the central portion of the heat exchange flow path 134, and may cool the heat exchange material that is difficult to exchange heat with an inner wall surface of the heat exchange flow path 134 which abuts the shell side heating medium.

[0147] In the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, inner diameters of the heat exchange flow path 134 and the inner heating medium flow path 144 of the heat exchanger 100 may be 10.0 to 150.0 mm, and 10.0 to 50.0 mm, respectively, and more particularly, may be 5.0 to 50.0 mm, and 5.0 to 25.0 mm, respectively.

[0148] FIG. 7 illustrates a configuration of a single heat exchange flow path 134 of the shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube heat exchanger 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0149] The heat exchanger 100 includes the heat exchange zone positioned between the third sealing barriers 150 and 160 and the fourth sealing barriers 151 and 161 which are positioned at the upper and lower sides of the heat exchanger 100 , such that the heat exchange material may flow into the respective heat exchange flow paths 134 through the heat exchange material distributing unit 132 positioned at the upper end of the heat exchanger 100. Furthermore, the heat exchange material, which has completely exchanged heat in the heat exchange flow paths 134, is captured by the completely heat exchanged material capturing unit 133 positioned at the lower end of the heat exchanger 100, and a space in which the heat exchange material is captured may be configured to be sealed.

[0150] The heat exchanger 100 may include a shell side heating medium flow zone as a sealed zone in an interior where the third sealing barriers 150 and 160 face each other at the upper and lower sides of the heat exchanger 100. The shell side heating medium flow zone includes the shell side heating medium supply port 120 and the shell side heating medium discharge port 121 which are positioned inside the third sealing barriers 150 and 160, and includes at least one baffle 125 positioned on the shell inner surface.

[0151] The exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a configuration in which the shell side heating medium flows in through the shell side heating medium supply port 120 positioned at an upper end of the lower end third sealing barrier 160, and the introduced shell side heating medium is discharged through the shell side heating medium discharge port 121 positioned at a lower end of the upper end third sealing barrier 150. The heat exchanger includes the shell side heating medium flow zone as described above, such that the heating medium flow route of the heating medium is configured depending on the number and the shape of the baffle 125 positioned in the shell side heating medium flow zone.

[0152] The heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention further includes the inner heating medium capturing unit 143 positioned at the upper end of the uppermost fourth sealing barrier 151, and the inner heating medium distributing unit 142 positioned at the lower end of the lowermost fourth sealing barrier 161. The inner heating medium flows into the inner heating medium distributing unit 142, which is positioned at the lower end of the lowermost fourth sealing barrier 161, through the inner heating medium supply port (heat exchange flow paths 134), and the introduced inner heating medium may flow into the inner heating medium capturing unit 143, which is positioned at the uppermost end of the heat exchanger 100, through the inner heating medium flow path 144. The inner heating medium, which is captured by the inner heating medium capturing unit 143 as described above, may be discharged to the outside of the shell heat exchanger 100 through the inner heating medium discharge port 141 connected with the inner heating medium capturing unit 143. The inner heating medium flow zone is configured as described above, such that the inner heating medium is supplied into the inner heating medium flow path 144 positioned in the heat exchange flow path 134, and exchanges heat with the central portion of the heat exchange target material.

[0153] As a result, the heat exchanger 100 according to the present invention is provided as a heat exchanger 100 with a shell-and-multi-double concentric-tube concept, in which the heating medium flow paths, through which the shell side heating medium flows, are formed by the baffle 125 in the shell, and the inner heating medium flow paths 144 through which the inner heating medium passes are inserted into the heat exchange flow paths 134, thereby improving heat exchange performance by exchanging heat using a dual structure instead of a simple shell-and-tube concept in the related art.

[0154] The invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments thereof. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.