Reactor System for the Production of High Value Chemical Products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025186963-A1
Application number	US-202519062844-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 25, 2025
Priority date	Jul 6, 2020
Publication date	Jun 12, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

The invention is directed to a chemical reactor (100) having (a) two or more gas reactor elements (12) with each gas reactor element (12) having (i) a first reaction chamber (38), and (ii) a feed assembly unit (36), (b) a second reaction chamber (20) coupled with each of the two or more gas reactor elements (12) and configured to independently receive two or more product streams from the two or more gas reactor elements (12); and optionally, (c) a gas converging section (40) located downstream to the second reaction chamber (20). The invention is further directed to a method of producing chemical products using the chemical reactor (100) of the present invention.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for producing high value chemical products comprising:
A) a chemical reactor, comprising: two or more reactor elements, wherein each of the reactor elements comprises:
i. a first reaction chamber comprising an upstream end and a downstream end, wherein the first reaction chamber is defined by a first reactor wall defining the first reaction chamber and the first reaction chamber has an opening located at the downstream end of the first reaction chamber;
ii. a feed assembly unit operably connected with the first reaction chamber, wherein the feed assembly unit, comprises: 1) a mixing chamber defined by one or more feed assembly walls, wherein the mixing chamber is operably connected to the upstream end of the first reaction chamber and at least one feed assembly wall is operably connected with the first reactor wall; 2) at least a first feed inlet flow space in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and operable to receive a first feed stream and inject the first feed stream into the mixing chamber; and 3) at least a second feed inlet flow space in fluid communication with the mixing chamber and operable to receive a second feed stream and inject the second feed stream into the mixing chamber;
a second reaction chamber coupled with each of the two or more reactor elements and configured to independently receive two or more product streams from the two or more reactor elements, wherein the second reaction chamber comprises a downstream end and an upstream end and the second reaction chamber is defined by a second reactor wall extending from the upstream end of the second reaction chamber to the downstream end of the second reaction chamber; and wherein the opening at the downstream end of the first reaction chamber forms a second reaction chamber inlet located at the upstream end of the second reaction chamber so that the first reaction chamber is in fluid communication with the second reaction chamber; B) a quenching unit having an inlet in fluid communication with the downstream end of the second reaction chamber and an outlet, the quenching unit operable to receive the two or more product streams and cool the product streams; and C) a separation unit having an inlet in fluid communication with the outlet of the quenching unit operable to receive the cooled product streams, the separation unit operable to separate product gases from the cooled product stream to form the high value chemical products.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the chemical reactor further comprises a gas converging section located downstream to the second reaction chamber having (i) a downstream end in fluid communication with one or more product outlets, and (ii) an upstream end in fluid communication with the downstream end of the second reaction chamber, and (iii) a central axis substantially co-axial to the second central longitudinal axis, wherein the gas converging section is defined by a wall surrounding the central axis, wherein the wall of the gas converging section, is joined perimetrically with the second reactor wall at the downstream end of the second reaction chamber.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein a distance between any two adjacent reactor elements ranges from 0.025 meter to 100 meters.

4 . The system of claim 1 , the first feed inlet flow space is coupled to a first manifold and the second feed inlet flow space is coupled to a second manifold wherein the first manifold and the second manifold are each coupled to a feed source comprising either a hydrocarbon feed source or a non-hydrocarbon feed source.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein during operation the first feed stream and the second feed stream are introduced independently from the other into the first feed inlet flow space and the second feed inlet flow space respectively of the reactor element.

6 . The chemical reactor of claim 1 , wherein each reactor element further comprises a reactor inlet assembly located between the first reaction chamber and the feed assembly unit, wherein the reactor inlet assembly comprises a conduit defined by a circumferential wall surrounding a first central longitudinal axis and extending from an upstream end to an opposite downstream end of the conduit, wherein, i) the downstream end of the conduit is in fluid communication with the upstream end of the first reaction chamber, and ii) the upstream end of the conduit is in fluid communication with the mixing chamber, further wherein, the downstream feed assembly wall joins the circumferential wall of the conduit at the upstream end of the conduit and the first reactor wall perimetrically joins the circumferential wall of the conduit at the downstream end of the conduit.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein, the feed assembly unit comprises three gas partition walls positioned axially between the upstream feed assembly wall and the downstream feed assembly wall and each gas partition wall having a central opening.

8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the three gas partition walls together with the feed assembly walls, define four feed inlet spaces configured to inject at least one hydrocarbon feed, at least one non-hydrocarbon feed and at least one hydrogen-rich fuel stream and steam, into the feed assembly unit.

9 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising an air separation unit operably connected to at least one of the two more reactor elements.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the separation unit comprises a recycle line operably connected to the chemical reactor and configured to convey the product gases to the chemical reactor.

11 . A method of producing high value chemical products using the system of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises:
a. introducing two or more feed streams independently in at least two feed inlet flow spaces located in each of the two or more reactor elements; b. mixing the two or more feed streams in the mixing chamber of each reactor element, and forming a swirling gas mixture; c. combusting a portion of the swirling gas mixture and forming a first product stream comprising a mixture of a combustion product stream and a portion of the swirling gas mixture that is not combusted; d. introducing a portion of the first product stream into the first reaction chamber; e. subjecting the first product stream present in the first reaction chamber, to a first reaction condition and forming a second product stream; f. introducing a portion of the second product stream through a second reaction chamber inlet into the second reaction chamber; g. subjecting two or more second product streams obtained independently from each reactor element, to a second reaction condition, and forming a third product stream; h. removing a portion of the third product stream through one or more product outlets; i. introducing the third product stream into the quenching unit to cool the third product stream; and j. introducing the cooled third product stream into the separation unit to separate product gases from the cooled third product stream to form the high value chemical products.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the high chemical products comprise olefins.

13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the first feed stream comprises a hydrocarbon and the second feed stream comprises a non-hydrocarbon.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the hydrocarbon feed stream is a liquid.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the hydrocarbon feed stream is a vaporized gas.

16 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the non-hydrocarbon feed stream, is selected from oxygen, hydrogen, steam, carbon

Assignees

• Sabic Global Technologies Bv

Inventors

• Chen Lei
• Pannala Sreekanth
• West David

Classifications

• C07C5/327

  Formation of non-aromatic carbon-to-carbon double bonds only · CPC title

• B01J2204/002

  the feeding side being of particular interest · CPC title

• B01J19/2445

  placed in parallel · CPC title

• B01J6/008

  Pyrolysis reactions (of hydrocarbons C10G9/00) · CPC title

• B01J4/001

  Feed or outlet devices as such, e.g. feeding tubes · CPC title