Methanation reactor and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021046441-A1
Application number	US-201916968626-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 8, 2019
Priority date	Feb 9, 2018
Publication date	Feb 18, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present relates to a chemical reactor comprising a catalyst bed enclosed in a reactor vessel and at least one cooling tube placed in the reactor vessel and passing through the catalyst bed, characterized in that the cooling tubes are disposed within the reactor so as to generate thermal gradients of at least 20° C./cm thereby generating hot spots throughout the reactor upon carrying out a reaction. The invention further relates to a methanation process.

First claim

1 - 21 . (canceled)

22 . A chemical reactor comprising a catalyst bed enclosed in a reactor vessel and at least one cooling tube placed in the reactor vessel and passing through the catalyst bed, characterized in that the cooling tubes are disposed within the reactor so as to generate thermal gradients of at least 20° C./cm thereby generating hot spots throughout the reactor upon carrying out a reaction.

23 . The chemical reactor according to claim 22 , characterized in that the catalysts comprises at least one of nickel, cobalt and ruthenium based catalysts.

24 . The chemical reactor according to claim 22 , characterized in that the catalysts comprises 20% wt. Ni/Al 2 O 3 or 3% wt. Ru/Al 2 O 3 .

25 . The chemical reactor according to claim 22 , characterized in that it comprises at least two cooling tubes.

26 . The chemical reactor according to claim 22 , characterized in that the minimal distance between the tubes is not less than 1.5 times the tube diameter.

27 . The chemical reactor according to claim 22 , characterized in that the minimal distance between the tubes is not less than 2 times the tube diameter.

28 . The chemical reactor according to claim 22 , characterized in that the temperature of the cooling medium is different in the different tubes.

29 . The chemical reactor according to claim 22 , characterized in that the tubes are fed with a cooling medium.

30 . The chemical reactor according to claim 22 , characterized in that the thermal gradients are at least 100° C./cm.

31 . The chemical reactor according to claim 22 , characterized in that the temperature gradients are controlled by controlling either the space velocity of the inlet reactant gases and/or the flow rate of the cooling medium.

32 . The chemical reactor according to claim 31 , characterized in that it further comprises a thermal management system adapted to remove the heat from the reaction zone and to control the temperature of the chemical reactor.

33 . The chemical reactor according to claim 22 , characterized in that the reactor is adapted for exothermic chemical reaction.

34 . The chemical reactor according to claim 31 , characterized in that it is a methanation reactor.

35 . A methanation reactor system including a reactor vessel comprising a housing defining a reaction chamber comprising a gas loading zone and a catalyzed reaction zone; a cooling system; a gas flow system; a heating element in the vicinity of the reaction chamber; a temperature sensing system and a temperature management system, the catalyzed reaction zone of the reaction chamber comprises a catalyst bed, the cooling system comprises a plurality of coolant circulation lines within the catalyst bed, the gas flow system comprises a reaction gas feeding system configured to load reaction gases into the loading zone of the reaction chamber and a reaction gas exhaust system to exhaust reacted gases through the catalyst bed which is thermo-regulated by the heating element and the cooling system under the control of the temperature management system.

36 . The methanation reactor according to claim 35 , wherein the cooling system comprises a cooling inlet for the coolant flow, a coolant circulation line, a coolant outlet and a coolant flow controlling means.

37 . The methanation reactor according to claim 35 , wherein the cooling system further comprises a coolant exhaust system to allow controlling the cooling line pressure and maintaining its pressure lower than 5 bar or lower than 1.5 bar.

38 . The methanation reactor according to claim 35 , wherein the gas flow system allows loading the reaction gases within the gas loading zone of the reaction chamber through a reaction gas feeding system comprising pressure regulating elements and exhausting the reacted gases from the catalyzed reaction zone of the reaction chamber through a reaction gas exhaust system comprising pressure regulating elements.

39 . The methanation reactor according to claim 35 , further comprising a condenser system on or after the reaction gas exhaust system to eliminate water by condensation from the reacted gases.

40 . A method of production of methane from hydrogen and carbon dioxide comprising the steps of:
a) providing a chemical reactor comprising a reaction chamber which comprises a gas loading zone and a catalyzed reaction zone comprising a catalyst bed; b) loading a reaction gas mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the gas loading zone of the reaction chamber, such that the gas pressure in the reaction chamber is between 1 and 20 bar; c) heating the catalyst bed at a temperature between about 220 and about 260° C. such that the Sabatier reaction and a gas flow through the catalyst bed starts; d) creating a temperature gradient of about 100° C. within the catalyst bed by cooling the catalyst bed with a cooling system directly integrated in said catalyst bed; e) collecting the resulting gas mixture flowing through the catalyst bed.

41 . The method according to claim 40 , wherein the chemical reactor comprises a catalyst bed enclosed in a reactor vessel and at least one cooling tube placed in the reactor vessel and passing through the catalyst bed, characterized in that the cooling tubes are disposed within the reactor so as to generate thermal gradients of at least 20° C./cm thereby generating hot spots throughout the reactor upon carrying out a reaction.

42 . The method according to claim 40 , wherein the chemical reactor is a methanation reactor system comprises a reactor vessel comprising a housing defining a reaction chamber comprising a gas loading zone and a catalyzed reaction zone; a cooling system; a gas flow system; a heating element in the vicinity of the reaction chamber; a temperature sensing system and a temperature management system, the catalyzed reaction zone of the reaction chamber comprises a catalyst bed, the cooling system comprises a plurality of coolant circulation lines within the catalyst bed, the gas flow system comprises a reaction gas feeding system configured to load reaction gases into the loading zone of the reaction chamber and a reaction gas exhaust system to exhaust reacted gases through the catalyst bed which is thermo-regulated by the heating element and the cooling system under the control of the temperature management system.

Assignees

• Ecole Polytechnique Fed Lausanne Epfl
• Gaznat Sa

Inventors

• Züttel Andreas
• Gallandat Noris

Classifications

• B01J23/462

  Ruthenium · CPC title

• B01J8/001 Primary

  Controlling catalytic processes (B01J8/1809 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B01J2208/00407

  outside the reactor bed · CPC title

• B01J2208/00557

  controlling the residence time inside the reactor vessel · CPC title

• B01J23/755

  Nickel · CPC title