Cooled axial flow converter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2021170353-A1
Application number	US-201816763862-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 19, 2018
Priority date	Dec 20, 2017
Publication date	Jun 10, 2021
Grant date	—

Abstract

In a cooled axial flow converter, in which process gas passes from an outer annulus via a catalyst bed, wherein the process gas is converted to a product, to an inner centre tube, the catalyst bed comprises at least one module comprising at least one catalyst layer. Feed means are arranged to provide a flow of process gas from the outer annulus to an inlet part of one or more modules, and collector means are arranged to provide a flow of product stream of converted process gas, which has passed axially down the catalyst bed of one or more of the modules to the centre tube. At least one of the one or more modules comprises one or more cooling plates arranged to be cooled by a cooling fluid.

First claim

1 . A cooled axial flow converter, in which process gas passes from an outer annulus via a catalyst bed wherein the process gas is converted to a product, to an inner centre tube, wherein
the catalyst bed comprises at least one module comprising at least one catalyst layer, feed means are arranged to provide a flow of process gas from the outer annulus to an inlet part of one or more modules, collector means are arranged to provide a flow of product stream of converted process gas which has passes axially down the catalyst bed of one or more of the modules to the centre tube, and at least one of the one or more modules comprises one or more cooling plates arranged to be cooled by a cooling fluid.

2 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the feed means are at least partly contained in the cooling plates, and wherein said cooling plates and feed means are arranged to allow the process gas to be pre-heated while passing through said feed means, while at the same time the reaction heat is at least partly removed from the one or more catalyst layers in the module.

3 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , comprising two or more modules.

4 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more cooling plates of each module divides the module into two or more cooled catalyst channels having a total catalyst cross sectional area Acat.

5 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling plates comprises at least one cooling channel having a width W and a height H and wherein the module comprises a cooled catalyst layer with height H.

6 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the total cross sectional area of the cooling plates of a module is Acool.

7 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the distance between adjacent cooling plates deviates by maximum ±15% from constant.

8 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the converter is arranged for two or more modules to be operated in parallel and/or in series.

9 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure drop Dp is the same within +5% across modules operated in parallel.

10 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the height H of cooling channel and catalyst layer of modules operated in parallel are the same within ±5%.

11 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio between total cross sectional area of the cooling plates Acool and the total catalyst cross sectional area Acat are the same within ±10% of modules operated in parallel.

12 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the module comprises an adiabatic layer above and/or below the one or more cooled catalyst layer, said adiabatic layer having a diameter dadi, a cross sectional area Aadi and a height Hadi.

13 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 5 , wherein the height Hadi of the adiabatic catalyst layer/layers in modules operated in parallel are identical plus minus five percent

14 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the flow in the cooling channels is either counter-current or co-current to the flow in the catalyst channel.

15 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the reactor is arranged with two or more module sections, each module section containing one or more modules.

16 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 15 , comprising a quenching zone arranged to quench the product gas from at least one module section thereby obtaining a quench product stream.

17 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 15 , comprising means to provide at least part of the quench product stream a feed for one or more subsequent sections.

18 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 15 , wherein fresh process gas and/or partly converted, optionally cooled process gas is used as quench gas.

19 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 15 , wherein the modules in different sections may be different from each other, contain different catalyst and differently arranged.

20 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 15 , wherein at least two or more sections are arranged to operate in parallel.

21 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 15 , wherein two or more sections are arranged to operate in series.

22 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , which is used as ammonia reactor, methanol reactor, methanization reactor, shift reactor and other exothermic reaction processes.

23 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the modules have identical cooling channel and catalyst channel height within plus/minus five percent, identical ratio between cooling channel and catalyst channel width within plus minus ten percent, identical ratio between cooling channel and catalyst channel cross sectional area within plus minus five percent and contains identical type of catalyst.

24 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the converter contains additional means for supply of preheated process gas.

25 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 24 , wherein the means for supply of preheated process gas is arranged to bypass the outer annulus and the cooling plates.

26 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 1 , wherein the converter contains means for supply of fresh process gas.

27 . Cooled axial flow converter according to claim 26 , wherein the means for supply of fresh process gas is connected to the at least one module comprising at least one catalyst layer.

Assignees

• Haldor Topsoe As

Inventors

• Speth Christian Henrik
• Dahl Per Juul

Classifications

• C01B3/16

  using catalysts · CPC title

• B01J8/008

  Details of the reactor or of the particulate material; Processes to increase or to retard the rate of reaction (B01J8/0285, B01J8/067, B01J8/087, B01J8/1836 take precedence) · CPC title

• B01J8/0496 Primary

  Heating or cooling the reactor · CPC title

• C01B2203/0883

  by indirect heat exchange · CPC title

• B01J8/0469 Primary

  the beds being superimposed one above the other · CPC title