Fixed-bed tubular reactor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023356164-A1
Application number	US-202118246233-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 22, 2021
Priority date	Sep 29, 2020
Publication date	Nov 9, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

A tubular reactor comprises a catalytic powder bed confined in an annular space delimited by an inner wall and an outer wall, the insert comprises a distribution chamber and a collection chamber, separated by at least one first partition wall, the distribution chamber comprising distribution compartments separated from one another by second partition walls, each distribution compartment and the collection chamber comprising, respectively, an intake opening and a discharge opening, the inner wall comprises distributing openings and a collecting opening, each distributing opening enabling the distribution of a gas 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 of a hollow tube and an outer 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 one another by at least one first partition wall, the at least one distribution chamber comprising a plurality of distribution compartments separated from one another by one or more second partition wall(s), each distribution compartment and the at least one collection chamber comprising, respectively, a gas intake opening at the first end and a gas discharge opening at the second end, the inner wall comprises distributing openings and at least one collecting opening, which extend over a length, each distributing opening enabling the distribution of a gas capable of being admitted through an intake opening into a distribution compartment 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 said reactor comprises, at the first end and at the second end, respectively, a distributing space and a collecting space between which the hollow insert is disposed.

3 . The reactor according to claim 2 , wherein the distribution chambers are sealed at the second end, and the at least one collection chamber is sealed at the first end.

4 . The reactor according to claim 2 , wherein each distribution compartment is separated from the distributing space by a wall, called intake wall, in which the intake opening is formed.

5 . The reactor according to claim 4 , wherein each intake opening is shaped so as to impose a pressure drop on the gas capable of being admitted into the distribution compartment that is associated thereto.

6 . The reactor according to claim 5 , wherein the pressure drop imposed by an intake opening is adjusted according to a distance, called reactive distance, measured in the annular space, between the distributing opening of the considered distribution compartment and the collecting opening the closest to said distributing opening.

7 . The reactor according to claim 6 , wherein the pressure drop imposed by an intake opening is even higher as the reactive distance is short.

8 . The reactor according to claim 7 , wherein the pressure drop associated to a given intake opening is adjusted by the size of said intake opening.

9 . The reactor according to claim 7 , wherein a porous element is accommodated within the intake opening, the porous element having a porosity allowing imposing the pressure drop.

10 . The reactor according to claim 9 , wherein the porous element may comprise at least one of the materials selected from among: a fibrous material, in particular wool, a braid or a metal or ceramic fabric.

11 . The reactor according to claim 2 , wherein the distributing space comprises a volumetric section into which the intake openings open, said volumetric section being connected to a gas supply duct.

12 . The reactor according to claim 2 , wherein the distributing space comprises volumetric subsections at least one intake opening opens into each of which.

13 . The reactor according to claim 12 , wherein the volumetric subsections form annular intake spaces disposed concentrically and separated by tight annular walls.

14 . The reactor according to claim 13 , wherein several intake openings open into at least one of the volumetric subsections.

15 . The reactor according to claim 14 , wherein each of the volumetric subsections is connected to a different gas intake duct.

16 . The reactor according to claim 1 , wherein said reactor is provided with a porous film covering the inner wall, and arranged so as to prevent the passage of powder from the catalytic powder bed through the distributing openings and/or the collecting opening.

17 . 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.

18 . The reactor according to claim 1 , wherein the inner 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.

19 . 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, the centring means comprise bosses formed on the second wall.

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

21 . 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

• B01J8/0085 Primary

  promoting uninterrupted fluid flow, e.g. by filtering out particles in front of the catalyst layer · CPC title

• B01J2208/0092

  Perforated plates · CPC title

• B01J8/0214

  in a cylindrical annular shaped bed · CPC title