Fixed-bed tubular reactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023330612-A1
Application number	US-202118245469-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 22, 2021
Priority date	Sep 29, 2020
Publication date	Oct 19, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A tubular reactor comprises a powder bed in an annular space delimited by a first wall, of a hollow tube and a second wall, of a hollow insert, the hollow insert comprises a distribution chamber and a collection chamber, separated by at least one partition wall, the distribution chamber is provided with a plurality of distributing openings whereas the collection chamber is provided with a collecting opening, the plurality of distributing openings and the collecting opening are formed at the second wall, the distributing openings enabling the distribution of a gas capable of being admitted through the intake opening from the distribution chamber—towards the annular space, and the collecting opening enabling the collection of the gas distributed in the annular space by the collection chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A fixed-bed tubular reactor which extends, according to a longitudinal axis, between a first end and a second end, said reactor comprises a catalytic powder bed confined in an annular space delimited by an inner wall, called first wall, of a hollow tube and an outer wall, called second wall, of a hollow insert disposed coaxially in the hollow tube,
the hollow insert comprises at least one distribution chamber and at least one collection chamber, separated from each other by at least one partition wall, and comprising, respectively, a gas intake opening at the first end and a gas discharge opening at the second end, the at least one distribution chamber is provided with a plurality of distributing openings whereas the at least one collection chamber is provided with a collecting opening, the plurality of distributing openings and the collecting opening of each collection chamber are formed at the second wall and extend parallel to the longitudinal axis, the distributing openings of a distribution chamber enabling the distribution of a gas capable of being admitted through the intake opening from said distribution chamber towards the annular space and the collecting opening enabling the collection of the gas distributed in the annular space by the collection chamber.

2 . The reactor according to claim 1 , wherein each distributing opening of the plurality of distributing openings of the at least one distribution chamber is shaped so as to impose a pressure drop on the gas likely to be admitted into the distribution chamber so that the flow rate of said gas depends on the path, called reactive path, of said gas in the annular space between the considered distributing opening and the collecting opening.

3 . The reactor according to claim 2 , wherein the pressure drop increases when the reactive path decreases.

4 . The reactor according to claim 3 , wherein the pressure drop associated with a given distributing opening is adjusted by its section and/or its length.

5 . The reactor according to claim 3 , wherein a porous element is accommodated within the distributing opening, the porous element having a porosity allowing imposing the pressure drop.

6 . The reactor according to claim 5 , wherein the porous element may comprise at least materials selected from among: a fibrous material, in particular wool, a braid or a metal or ceramic fabric.

7 . The reactor according to claim 3 , wherein said reactor is provided with a porous film covering the second wall, and arranged so as to prevent the passage of powder from the catalytic powder bed through the distributing openings or the collecting opening.

8 . The reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one distribution chamber is sealed at the second end, and the at least one collection chamber is sealed at the first end.

9 . The reactor according to claim 1 , wherein said reactor comprises, at the first end and at the second end, respectively, a distributing space and a collecting space between which the insert is disposed.

10 . The reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the catalytic powder is retained in the annular space by a seal made of fibrous material at each of the ends of the annular space, the seal made of fibrous material is held in compression against the catalytic powder by a spring, the spring abutting against a mechanically-linked holding plate of the tube.

11 . The reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the second wall has no opening on a first section and a second section which extend from, respectively, the first end and the second end, the first section and the second section overlapping with the powder bed over a height, the height being comprised between 0.2 times and 10 times the distance separating a distributing opening from an immediately adjacent collecting opening, and measured along the outer surface of the outer wall.

12 . The reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow insert is provided with centring means holding the latter in a position coaxial with the hollow tube, advantageously, the centring means comprise bosses formed on the second wall.

13 . The reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the collecting opening and the distributing openings have a width comprised between 1/100 and ½of the diameter of the hollow tube.

14 . The reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the hollow insert forms a single-piece part.

Assignees

• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Chaise Albin
• Bengaouer Alain
• Ducros Frédéric

Classifications

• B01J8/065 Primary

  Feeding reactive fluids · CPC title

• B01J8/009

  Membranes, e.g. feeding or removing reactants or products to or from the catalyst bed through a membrane · CPC title

• B01J8/0214 Primary

  in a cylindrical annular shaped bed · CPC title

• B01J2208/0092

  Perforated plates · CPC title

• B01J2208/00938

  Flow distribution elements · CPC title