CATALYTIC REACTOR

Abstract

A catalytic reactor may have at least one reactor module and a shell that extends about a reactor center axis. The reactor module may include a gas distribution chamber, a gas collection chamber, and a catalyst. The gas distribution chamber may be connected to a shell-side gas feed. The gas collection chamber may be connected to a shell-side gas discharge. A catalyst bed between the distribution and collection chambers may extend transversely to the reactor center axis. The gas distribution and collection chambers are bounded by the catalyst bed and reactor walls. The gas feed either opens into the gas distribution chamber on the shell side or is connected to a pipe length that extends towards the reactor center axis and opens into the gas distribution chamber in the region of the reactor center axis. A height parallel to the reactor center axis of the gas distribution chamber reduces towards the reactor center axis starting from a mouth of the gas feed in the case of a shell-side connection.

Claims

1.-10. (canceled)

11. A catalytic reactor comprising: a shell that extends about a reactor center axis; and at least one reactor module that includes a gas distribution chamber connected to a shell-side gas feed, wherein the shell-side gas feed either opens into the gas distribution chamber on a shell side, wherein a height of the gas distribution chamber, which is parallel to the reactor center axis, reduces towards the reactor center axis starting from a mouth of the shell-side gas feed, or is connected to a pipe length that extends towards the reactor center axis and opens into the gas distribution chamber in a region of the reactor center axis, wherein the height of the gas distribution chamber reduces towards the shell starting from the pipe length that extends towards the reactor center axis and opens into the gas distribution chamber in the region of the reactor center axis, a gas collection chamber connected to a shell-side gas discharge, wherein the shell-side gas discharge either opens into the gas collection chamber on a shell side, wherein a height of the gas collection chamber, which is parallel to the reactor center axis, reduces towards the reactor center axis starting from a mouth of the shell-side gas discharge, or is connected to a pipe length that extends towards the reactor center axis and open into the gas collection chamber in the region of the reactor center axis, wherein the height of the gas collection chamber reduces towards the shell starting from the pipe length that extends towards the reactor center axis and opens into the gas collection chamber in the region of the reactor center axis, and a catalyst bed that is disposed between the gas distribution chamber and the gas collection chamber and extends transversely to the reactor center axis, wherein the gas distribution chamber and the gas collection chamber are bounded by the catalyst bed and reactor walls.

12. The catalytic reactor of claim 11 wherein the shell-side gas feed opens into the gas distribution chamber on the shell side, wherein the at least one reactor module is configured such that the heights of the gas distribution chamber and of the gas collection chamber, as determined parallel to the reactor center axis, reduce towards the reactor center axis starting from the shell.

13. The catalytic reactor of claim 12 wherein the reactor walls are disposed on both sides of the catalyst bed and have a concave shape, starting from the reactor center axis, relative to the catalyst bed.

14. The catalytic reactor of claim 12 comprising a gas guide means that extends parallel to the reactor center axis and is disposed in the gas distribution chamber in front of the mouth of the shell-side gas feed.

15. The catalytic reactor of claim 11 wherein the shell-side gas feed is connected to the pipe length that extends towards the reactor center axis and opens into the gas distribution chamber in the region of the reactor center axis and the shell-side gas discharge is connected to the pipe length that extends towards the reactor center axis and open into the gas collection chamber in the region of the reactor center axis, wherein the heights of the gas distribution chamber and of the gas collection chamber, as determined parallel to the reactor center axis, reduce towards the shell starting from the reactor center axis.

16. The catalytic reactor of claim 15 wherein the reactor walls are disposed on both sides of the catalyst bed and have a convex shape, starting from the reactor center axis, relative to the catalyst bed.

17. The catalytic reactor of claim 15 wherein the pipe lengths are disposed within the catalyst bed.

18. The catalytic reactor of claim 15 wherein the pipe lengths are comprised of portions of a through-pipe that is interrupted by a partition plate.

19. The catalytic reactor of claim 11 wherein the at least one reactor module comprises a first reactor module and a second reactor module that adjoins the first reactor module, wherein the shell-side gas feed of the first reactor module opens into the gas distribution chamber on the shell side, wherein the shell-side gas discharge of the second reactor module is connected to the pipe length that extends towards the reactor center axis and open into the gas collection chamber in the region of the reactor center axis.

20. The catalytic reactor of claim 20 wherein the at least one reactor module comprises a third reactor module and a fourth reactor module, wherein the shell-side gas feed of the third reactor module opens into the gas distribution chamber on the shell side, wherein the shell-side gas discharge of the fourth reactor module is connected to the pipe length that extends towards the reactor center axis and open into the gas collection chamber in the region of the reactor center axis, wherein the first and third reactor modules are disposed in alternating succession with the second and fourth reactor modules.

21. The catalytic reactor of claim 11 wherein the at least one reactor module comprises a first reactor module and a second reactor module, wherein the shell-side gas feed of the first and second reactor modules are connected to the pipe lengths that extend towards the reactor center axis and open into the gas distribution chamber in the region of the reactor center axis.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

[0031] The invention is explained below on the basis of drawings which show just one exemplary embodiment. In the figures:

[0032] FIG. 1 shows a partially cutaway section through a reactor module of a catalytic reactor,

[0033] FIG. 2 shows an alternative development of the reactor module in a view according to FIG. 1,

[0034] FIG. 3 to FIG. 6 show a schematic sectional view of alternative developments of the catalytic reactor having a plurality of reactor modules which succeed one another in a vertical direction.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0035] FIG. 1 shows an example of a catalytic reactor module A which receives inflow on the shell side.

[0036] The module A which receives inflow on the shell side is connected to a shell-side gas feed 1 and a shell-side gas discharge 2. In the module A which receives inflow on the shell side according to FIG. 1, the gas feed 1 opens directly into a gas distribution chamber 3, while the gas discharge 2 is connected on the shell side to a gas collection chamber 4. A catalyst bed 5, through which flow proceeds vertically, is located between the gas distribution chamber 3 and the gas collection chamber 4. Arrows in the figures indicate through-flow of the process gas.

[0037] In order to distribute the process gas flowing in through the gas feed 1 initially uniformly around the circumference of the gas distribution chamber 3, a gas guide means 6, which is formed of two baffles arranged obliquely to one another, is arranged at a suitable distance in front of the mouth of the gas feed 1. Starting from an approximately uniform distribution of the process gas around the circumference of the gas distribution chamber 3, it must be borne in mind that the volumetric flow rate decreases towards a reactor center axis M due to some of the process gas entering the catalyst bed 5. In order to achieve optimum flow characteristics, a height h, determined parallel to the reactor center axis M, between the catalyst bed 5 and an associated reactor wall 8a reduces starting from the shell-side mouth of the gas feed 1 on the shell 7 of the catalytic reactor, such that, in the sectional representation according to FIG. 1, the flow cross-section reduces towards the reactor center axis M.

[0038] To this end, the upper reactor wall 8a shown in FIG. 1 has a conical shape with a downwardly pointing vertex. The reactor wall 8a can be straightforwardly assembled from a plurality of, optionally also planar, pieces of sheet metal.

[0039] The gas collection chamber 4 having the shell-side connection of the gas discharge 2 has a complementary shape. The lower reactor wall 8b in FIG. 1 likewise has a conical shape, but with an upwardly pointing vertex.

[0040] Thanks to the described arrangement of the reactor walls 8a, 8b, it is possible to achieve a particularly uniform flow distribution and thus also a particularly efficient catalytic conversion. The catalytic reactor shown in the figures in particular takes the form of a multistage contact tower for converting sulfur dioxide into sulfur trioxide in the production of sulfuric acid.

[0041] FIG. 2 shows a module B which receives central inflow. A shell-side gas feed 1 and a shell-side gas discharge 2 are also provided according to FIG. 2, wherein however the gas feed 1 and the gas discharge 2 are in each case firstly connected to a pipe length 9a, 9b which extends in the catalyst bed 5. The upper reactor wall 8b in FIG. 2 has a conical shape with an upwardly pointing vertex and the lower reactor wall 8a has a conical shape with a downwardly pointing vertex. The flow cross-sections are correspondingly also adapted thereto according to FIG. 2 in that, starting from the mouths of the pipe lengths 9a, 9b, flow decreases in the radial direction by the process gas not only being distributed in the radial direction but also flowing through the catalyst bed 5 in the vertical direction.

[0042] FIG. 2 shows a particularly simple development of the pipe lengths 9a, 9b which are formed by portions of a through-pipe 10, wherein the through-pipe 10 is divided by an obliquely arranged partition plate 11 into pipe lengths 9a and 9b. Thanks to the oblique arrangement of the partition plate 11, the mutually opposing mouths of the pipe lengths 9a, 9b can be arranged coaxially on the reactor center axis M.

[0043] It is already apparent from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the module A which receives inflow on the shell side according to FIG. 1 and the module B which receives central inflow of FIG. 2 may then adjoin one another via a common reactor wall 8b.

[0044] On that basis, FIG. 3 shows a catalytic reactor, namely a multistage contact tower for converting sulfur dioxide into sulfur trioxide in the production of sulfuric acid in which modules B which receive central inflow modules and modules A which receive inflow on the shell side are arranged in immediate succession in a sequence B/A/B/A/B, wherein the successive modules A, B are in each case separated by common reactor walls 8a, 8b.

[0045] According to FIG. 3, the gas feeds 1 and the gas discharges 2 are shown in a section plane. It will, however, be understood that the gas feeds 1 and the gas discharges 2 are conventionally distributed around the entire circumference of the shell 7 in a suitable configuration in accordance with the applicable requirements.

[0046] It may be inferred from a comparison of FIG. 3 with FIGS. 1 and 2 that the pipe 10 in the module B which receives central inflow has a circular cross-section, while the gas feed 1 and the gas discharge 2 in a module A which receives inflow on the shell side may also have a shape extended in the horizontal direction to increase the flow cross-section.

[0047] It is apparent from FIG. 3 that the entire multistage contact tower can be constructed particularly easily because the catalyst bed 5 and the reactor walls 8a, 8b are disk- or cone-shaped and can thus be stacked one on top of the other in the shell 7. Supports 12 may be provided to support the individual elements, wherein these supports 12 preferably do not extend over the entire height of the catalytic reactor but instead merely connect the successive elements to one another.

[0048] In FIG. 3, the two modules A which receive inflow on the shell side and the three modules B which receive central inflow are of substantially matching construction. The modules B which receive central inflow merely differ in that the uppermost and lowermost modules are in each case bounded not by an internal partition, but instead respectively by a top 13 and a bottom 14 of the reactor.

[0049] FIGS. 4 and 5 show an alternative development of the catalytic reactor with a total of just four modules, wherein in each case three modules are constructed exactly as explained in the development according to FIG. 3.

[0050] On that basis, the uppermost module C of FIG. 4 shows another development comprised by the invention, in which inflow proceeds centrally, but the process gas is discharged on the shell side. Said module C thus combines the previously described features of the module A which receives inflow on the shell side and of the module B which receives central inflow, wherein, in contrast with the shell-side modules A and the modules B which receive central inflow, the two partitions of the corresponding module C are bent or curved in the same direction. The module C question is thus bounded on the one hand by the upwardly curved top 13 and on the other hand by a conical reactor wall 8b with an upwardly pointing vertex.

[0051] FIG. 5 shows a development in which, as an alternative to FIG. 4, the lowermost module C receives radial inflow, while the process gas is centrally discharged via a corresponding pipe length 9b. Said module C is bounded by the downwardly curved bottom 14 and a conical reactor wall 8a with a downwardly pointing vertex.

[0052] Finally, FIG. 6 shows that correspondingly combined modules C, B may be provided not only at the upper and the lower ends of the catalytic reactor.