BRPI0710435A2 - apparatus for the manufacture of at least one oxygenated alkyl by the alkaline pacing oxidation reaction of an alkane-containing gas feed stream and oxygen of an oxygen-containing gas feed stream - Google Patents

Abstract

APPLIANCE FOR MANUFACTURING AT LEAST ONE OXYGENED ALKYLAL THROUGH THE ALCANE PARTIAL OXIDATION REACTION FROM A GAS FEEDING CHAIN ALKANE AND THE OXYGEN FROM A GAS CHAIN CONTAINING OXYGEN. It is an apparatus for the manufacture of oxygenated alkyls (for example, methanol, through partial oxidation of the alkane (methane), which has an injection retromix reaction chamber in fluid communication with a tubular flow reactor. injection retromix reaction chamber induces alkyl free radicals prior to entry into the tubular flow reactor. Mixing by injecting the feed currents shakes the retromix reaction chamber. commensurately modify the volumes of the retromix reaction chamber and the tubular flow reactor In another embodiment, the tubular flow reactor has a variable position blast cooling inlet. the turbulent injection mixture of the feed currents from the inlet to the injection retromix reaction chamber. A condensation scrubber is also used for the treatment of the output current of the reaction system.

Description

APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING AT LEAST ALKYL-AXYGENIZED THROUGH THE PARTIAL OXIDATION REACTION OF ALCANE OF A GAS POWER CURRENT CONTAINING ALCAN AND DOOXYGEN A CURRENT GAS POWER CURRENT

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for blasting natural gas and oxidizer under conditions to optimize the formation of desired alkyl oxygenates (especially methanol). More specifically, the embodiments are for sandblasting a C1-C4 alkane (methane, ethane, propane and butane) into an alkylate oxygenate, and more particularly in a focal application, for direct oxidation conversion (partial oxidation conditions) of methane. in methanol.

Current industrial practice for ethanol production is a two-stage Fischer-Tropsch type chemical process. The first step is the endothermic methane reforming from natural gas to carbon monoxide and hydrogen, followed by a second step consisting of a solid catalyzed reaction between carbon monoxide and hydrogen to form methanol. This technology requires intensive energy, and the process economy is unfavorable for all but large-scale methanol plants.

Various methods and apparatus for converting domethane to methanol are known. Performing a vapor phase conversion of methane in a synthesis gas (mixture of CO and H2) with its subsequent catalytic conversion to methanol is known, as described, for example, in Karavaev MM, Leonov BE, et al "Technologyof Synthetic Methanol ", Moscow, Chemistry 1984, pages 72-125. However, in order to practice this process, the provision of complicated equipment, the fulfillment of high gas purity requirements, the use of high amounts of energy to obtain the desynthesis gas and its purification, and a significant number of intermittent stages is required. of the process. Also, for medium and small businesses with a capacity of less than 2,000 tonnes / day, this is not economically viable.

Russian Patent No. No. 2,162,460 includes a hydrocarbon-containing gas source, a compressor and heater for gas compression and heating, and an oxygen-containing gas source with a compressor. It additionally includes successively arranged reactors with alternate mixing and dropping zones and a device for supplying hydrocarbon-containing gas in a first reactor mixing zone and oxygen-containing gas in each mixing zone, a recovery decal exchanger for cooling the reaction mixture through a wall by a cold hydrocarbon-containing gas stream from the heated hydrocarbon-containing gas to a heater, a refrigerant-condenser, a partial condenser for the separation of waste gases and liquid products with a subsequent separation of methanol,

a pipeline for the supply of residual gas to the initial hydrocarbon-containing gas and a pipeline for the supply of products containing residual oxygen in the first reactor mixing zone.

In this apparatus, however, rapid heat removal from the highly exothermic oxidation reaction of the hydrocarbon-containing gas is not achievable because of the inherent limitations of the heat exchanger. This leads to the need for a reduction in the amount of hydrocarbon-containing gas provided and further reduces the degree of conversion of the hydrocarbon-containing gas. Moreover, even with the use of oxygen as an oxidant, it is not possible to provide efficient recirculation of the hydrocarbon-containing gas due to the rapid increase in carbon oxide concentration. A significant part of the oxygen supplied is wasted for the oxidation of CO to CO2 and thereby further reduces the degree of conversion of the initial hydrocarbon containing gas to useful products and provides additional overheating of the reaction mixture. The apparatus also requires the burning of an additional amount of the initial hydrocarbon-containing gas in order to provide the utility needs of a liquid product rectification. Since it is necessary to cool the gas-liquid mixture after each reactor for the separation of liquid products and subsequent heating before a subsequent reactor, the apparatus is substantially complicated and the number of units is increased.

Another method and apparatus for producing methanol is described in patent document RU 2,200,731, wherein the heated and compressed hydrocarbon-containing gas and the compressed oxygen-containing gas are introduced into successively arranged reactor mixing zones, and the reaction is performed with a controlled heat collection by cooling the reaction mixture with water condensate, so that steam is obtained, and a degree of cooling of the reaction mixture is regulated by slow exhaust parameters, which is used in the grinding stage of the liquid product.

Other patent documents such as U.S. Pat. 2,196,188, 2,722,553, 4,152,407,4,243,613, 4,530,826, 5,177,279, 5,959,168 and International Publication WO 96/06901 describe additional solutions for hydrocarbon transformation.

There is also a need for a single step process that is also suitable for small scale processing, overcoming the process scale limitations of the Fischer Tropsch method and also making "stranded gas" a valuable product. This approach employs a homogeneous partial gas phase oxidation reaction carried out on contact with natural gas and an oxidant, with the oxidant as limiting reagent. The most abundant products are methanol and formaldehyde, which come from methane, the main component of natural gas. Smaller amounts of ethanol and other oxygenated organic compounds are formed by the oxidation of higher methane, ethane, propane and hydrocarbons which are all minor constituents of natural gas. These reaction products are all liquid, and are transportable to a central location for separation and / or subsequent use as fuels or as chemical intermediates. A key feature of such processes is that process chemistry can be performed in the field at remote locations.

U.S. Patent no. 4,618,732 ("Direct Conversion of Natural Gas to Methanol by Controlled Oxidation" to Gesser, et al.) Describes a process for converting natural gas into methanol. Selectivity for omethanol is indicated as a result of careful methane and oxygen premixing together with the use of glass-lined reactors to minimize interactions with the processing equipment during the reaction. The need for mixing before entering a reactor for initiation is given in the following passage:

"Gas mixing preferably takes place in a volumelatively small premix or" crossover "chamber and then passes through a short pre-reactor section before entering the heated reaction zone. However, when mixing gases at high pressure in In a relatively small volume, laminar flow often occurs with oxygen or air, forming a narrow homogeneous stream within the general flow of natural gas. Oxygen or air has little chance of dispersing through the reaction stream before reaching the shedding zone. limited by theory, when this occurs, it is postulated that natural gas is initially oxidized to methanol, which is further oxidized, on the oxygen-current periphery, that is, in an oxygen-rich environment, to superior oxidation products. "

U.S. Patent no. 4,618,732 to Gesser also emphasizes the need to maintain the reaction from initiation until mixing is complete ("mixing of oxygen and natural gas prior to its introduction into a reactor").

U.S. Patent no. 4,982,023 ("Oxidationof methane to methanol" to Han, et al.) Establishes that a plurality of reactions is occurring in direct domethane oxygenation in methanol. In this regard, U.S. Pat. 4,982,023 indicates some consideration regarding the problems of reaction kinetics in the discussion of this patent:

"The mechanism of methanol formation is believed to involve the methylperoxy radical (CH3OO) that abstracts from methane hydrogen. Unfortunately, so far, pass yields have been limited. This limited yield has been streamlined as a result of the low reactivity of CH bonds in methane vis-à-vis "The higher reactivity of the primary oxygenate, methanol, which results in the selective formation of CO and CO 2 deep oxidation products when attempts are made to increase conversion."

U.S. Patent no. 4,982,023 also makes it clear that methane and oxygen must be mixed prior to the reaction as follows: "... natural gas and oxygen or air are kept separate until mixed immediately before they are introduced into the reactor. However, if desired, oxygen and natural gas may be pre-mixed and stored together prior to the reaction. "

Unfortunately, the laboratory results regarding methanol selectivity and single deposition yield for non-catalyzed domethane direct oxygenation in methanol have not been reliably doubled when calculating reaction technology for bespoke manufacturing systems. The need for an efficient and low cost method that allows direct non-catalyzed methane oxygenation in methanol has not yet been met.

SHORT DESCRIPTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for the manufacture of at least one alkylate oxygen (such as, without limitation, methanol, formaldehyde, and / or ethanol) through the partial alkane oxidation reaction (any of methane, oethane). , propane and butane) from an alkane and oxygen containing gas feed stream from an oxygen containing gas feed stream. The apparatus comprises a reactor system having a injectably mixed reaction-meltdown reaction chamber with a tubular flow reactor where the injectably mixed reaction-melt reaction chamber has an alkane gas inlet, an oxygen gas inlet, and a retromixture-melting chamber outlet ; the tubular flow reactor has a tubular flow reactor input in fluid communication with the outlet of the back mix reaction chamber; the alkane gas inlet receives the alkane-containing gas feed stream into the injectably mixed back reaction reaction chamber; the oxygen gas inlet receives the oxygen-containing gas feed stream into the injectable mixed-reaction reaction chamber; and the injectably mixed backmix reaction chamber has a spacetime corresponding to a combined feed rate of the alkane-containing gas feed stream and the oxygen-containing gas feed stream sufficient for the induction of alkane alkyl free radicals within the chamber. injectable mixed back-reaction reaction and to obtain at least a portion of the free-radicals for the tubular flow reactor inlet.

In one embodiment, the alkane gas inlet and oxygen gas inlet are configured to turbulently agitate the backwardly mixed reaction chamber by injectably mixing the alkane-containing gas feed stream and the oxygen-containing gas feed stream.

In another embodiment, the injectably blended back-mix reaction chamber has a back-mix reaction chamber housing, and the reactor system further comprises a sealed interface at the slidable interface to the back-mix reaction chamber housing where the injectably mixed back-reaction chamber has an internal volume of the injectably mixed back-mixing chamber defined by the back-mixing reaction chamber envelope and the bulkhead; the housing of the back mix reaction chamber has a portion of the housing arranged opposite to the bulkhead; and the bulkhead is slidably movable during actual time operation of the reactor system to progress within the injectably mixed back-mix reaction chamber enclosure to the housing portion to thereby measurably decrease the internal volume of the injectably mixed back-mix reaction chamber, and the The bulkhead is slidingly alternatively movable during the real-time operation of the reactor system within the injectable blended reaction chamber housing to retract away from the housing portion to commensurately expand the internal volume of the injectably blended reaction chamber.

In one aspect, the reactor system has a spacetime, corresponding to a combined feed rate of alkane-containing feed current and oxygen-containing feed current, of no more than 40 seconds. In another aspect, the spacetime for the injectably mixed reaction-mixing reaction chamber, corresponding to a combined feed rate of the alkane-containing feed stream and the oxygen-containing feed stream, is not greater than 1.5 seconds.

In another embodiment, the tubular flow reactor has an outlet of the tubular flow reactor, and the flowotubular reactor has at least one gas cooling inlet disposed between the tubular flow reactor inlet and the tubular flow reactor outlet to receive an output. refrigerant stream and thereby cool with quench cooling tubular flow reactor. In various aspects of this, the tubular flow reactor has a geometry axis and the refrigerant inlet is movable along the geometry axis during operation of the tubular flow reactor.

In another aspect, the tubular flow reactor discharges a reaction product stream from the tubular flow reactor outlet, and the apparatus further comprises a scrubber in fluid communication with the tubular flow reactor outlet to condense at least one alkylate oxygen (e.g. methanol and / or formaldehyde) of the reaction product stream by the current contact of the reaction product with a liquid absorbent. In another aspect, the absorbent also absorbs carbon dioxide from the reaction product stream.

In yet another embodiment, the injectably mixed backmix reaction chamber has an internal volume defined in part by a cylindrical surface which has a geometrical axis of the unmixably mixed backmix reaction chamber, and the oxygen-containing gas feed stream is fed into the internal volume from therein. of a plurality of openings arranged along the eixogeometric and in a non-parallel orientation to the eixogeometric. In another related embodiment, the injectably mixed back-mixing chamber has an internal flow diverter defined by a conical surface that has a geometrical axis, with the diverter defining a conical base at one end of the geometrical axis, the conical surface defining an apical end at the opposite end. from the geometry axis, the diverter geometry axis is aligned with the geometry axis of the injectably mixed back-mixing chamber, the diverter is arranged within the housing such that the output of the back-reaction reaction chamber is closer to the apical end than to the conical base, and the oxygen-containing feed stream is inserted into the internal flow space from a plurality of openings disposed along the geometrically axis of the retromix reaction reaction chamber and in an orientation non-parallel to the geometrical axis of the retromix reaction chamber injectably mixed.

In another aspect, the alkane-containing degass feed stream comprises the alkane of a recycle stream from the scrubber. The recycling stream provides, in preferred modes of operation, a weight percent ratio of from about 4: 5 to about 20: 21 alkane in the alkane-containing gas feed stream.

In yet another aspect, a centrifugal blower is arranged to pressurize the alkane-containing gas feed stream for introduction into the injectably mixed reaction chamber.

The novel features that are considered as features for the present invention are set out in detail in the appended claims. The invention itself, its construction and its method of operation together with the

Further objectives and advantages thereof will be better understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Figure 1 schematically shows an apparatus apparatus for producing alkyl oxygenate (e.g., without limitation, methanol) according to the present teachings;

Figures 2 and 3 are views illustrating concentrations of oxygen, formaldehyde and methanol during reactions according to the prior art and according to the present invention accordingly;

Figure 4 is a graph depicting the resulting system oxygenates as a function of the recycling ratio;

Figure 5 is a C 1 -C 4 alkane for alkyl oxygenated plant according to the teachings of the present invention;

Figure 6 represents an optional oxygen production plant shown in Figure 5;

Figure 7 depicts a processing portion of the plant shown in Figure 5;

Figure 8 represents the liquid processing portion of the plant shown in Figure 5. Figure 9 represents another alternate C1 -C4 alkane (e.g., without limitation, methane) for alkyl oxygenate (eg, without limitation, omethanol) ) According to the teachings of the present invention;

Figure 10 represents, however, another alternative C1-C4 alkane (e.g., without limitation, methane) for the alkyl oxygenate plant (e.g., without limitation, methanol) according to the teachings of the present invention;

Figure 11 represents, however, another alternative C1-C4 alkane (e.g., without limitation, methane) to the alkyl oxygenate plant (e.g., without limitation, methanol) according to the teachings of the present invention;

Figure 12 shows a simplified cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a reactor system having an injectably blended retromix reaction reaction chamber coupled to a tubular flow reactor;

Figures 13A and 13B show simplified cross-sectional views of the details in modifying the internal volume of the injectably mixed backmix reaction chamber of Figure 12;

Figure 14A shows a simplified cross-sectional view of an alternative design for the injectably mixed back-mix reaction chamber of Figure 12;

Figure 14B shows a view of the injectably mixed back-reaction reaction chamber of Figure 12 with a modified internal volume relative to that shown in Figure 12;

Figures 15A and 15B show a simplified cross-sectional view of a "hairbrush" fluid-applied flush-mount for the injectably mixed-deretromix reaction chamber of the reactor system embodiments of Figures 12 and 20;

Figure 16 shows a simplified cross-sectional view of internal fluid positions for the tapered fluid application recess for the injectably mixed backmixing chamber of the reactor system embodiments of Figures 12 and 20;

Figures 17A and 17B show a simplified cross-sectional view of deflector details and positioning at the interface between the injectably mixed back-mixing reaction chamber and the flow-reactor reactor of the embodiments of the reactor system of Figures 12 and 20;

Figures 18A and 18B present a simplified cross-sectional view of the details and positioning for a variable position rough cooling inlet of the embodiments of the reactor system of Figures 12 and 20;

Figures 19A to 19C show a series of temperature profiles for a tubular flow reactor of the reactor system embodiments of Figures 12 and 20;

Figure 20 shows a simplified cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a reactor system having an injectably blended deretromix reaction chamber coupled to a tubular flow reactor;

Figure 21 shows details of the shield / deflector for an embodiment of the interface between the injectably mixed-mix-reaction reaction chamber and the flow-tube reactor of the reactor system embodiments of Figures 12 and 20;

Figures 22A-22C show the axial-positioning details for the interface between the injectably mixed back-mixing chamber and a tubular flow reactor of the embodiment of the reactor system of Figure 20;

Figure 23 shows a further detail on the blast chilling entry for the realization of the reordering system; Figure 20;

Figures 24A and 24B show details of the axial view for carrying out the reactor system of Figure 20; Figures 25A and 25B show views of tubular flow reactor systems having injectably mixed inlet zones, multi-position blast cooling and multi-position temperature detection.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following non-limiting definitions and guidelines should be taken into account in the review of the description of the invention herein.

Titles (such as "Introduction" and "Short Description") and subtitles (such as "Amplification") used in the present invention are suitable for

general organization of topics within the description of the invention and are not intended to limit the description of the invention or some aspect thereof. In particular, the subject matter described in the "Introduction" may include technological aspects within the scope of the invention and may not constitute a prior art citation. The subject matter described in the "Brief Description" is not an exhaustive or complete description of the entire scope of the invention or any embodiments thereof.

Citation of references in the present invention does not constitute an admission that such references are of the art

above nor have any relevance to the patents of the invention described herein. All references cited in the "Description" section of this descriptive report are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

The description and specific examples, while indicating the embodiments of the invention, are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Furthermore, citation of multiple realizations that have the stated characteristics does not lend itself to excluding other realizations that have additional characteristics or other embodiments that incorporate different combinations of the stated characteristics.

As used herein, "preferred" and "preferably" words refer to embodiments of the invention which have certain benefits under certain circumstances. However, other embodiments may also be preferred under the same or other circumstances. Furthermore, the citation of one or more preferred embodiments does not imply that other embodiments are not useful and does not lend itself to excluding other embodiments from the scope of the invention.

As used in the present invention, the word 'includes' and variants thereof lends itself to being non-limiting, so that citation of items in a list does not lend itself to excluding other similar items which may also be useful in the compositions, materials, devices and in the methods of the present invention.

The examples and other embodiments described in the present invention are exemplary and are not intended to limit the description of the full scope of the compositions and methods of the present invention. Changes, modifications and equivalent variations of specific embodiments, materials, compositions and methods may be made within the scope of the present invention, with substantially similar results.

The embodiments relate to the conversion of direct oxygenation of at least one C1-C4 alkane to at least one alkyl oxygenate. The direct oxygen conversion of domethane to methanol is a goal of focal conversion technology.

An apparatus for producing methanol according to the present invention has a reactor 100 which facilitates gas phase oxidation of a hydrocarbon-containing gas as shown in Figure 1. In the overview of reactor 100, a heated hydrocarbon-containing gas stream (from valve 120 and of the heater 136) and an oxygen-containing gas from line 29 are introduced into reactor 100. As explained in the following details, the oxygen-containing gas preferably has an oxygen content of over 80% to reduce the inert gas accumulation by the recycling process.

The reactor 100 additionally and optionally receives a slow cooling hydrocarbon-containing gas stream from valve 120 and heat exchanger 121 to reduce the reaction temperature during operation of the apparatus.

The apparatus has a device 114 for cooling the reaction product stream before separation. Additionally, the partial condenser 122 incorporates a gas-liquid heat exchanger to further reduce the temperature of the products. Condenser 122 separates H 2 O and alcohols from a hydrocarbon-CO2 mixture. Partial condenser 122 is preferably isobaric, and not isothermal, to prevent pressure losses. The reaction product stream enters and a liquid stream and a stream flow out of the capacitor 122.

Block 139 represents equipment that is configured to separate contaminants and products from a hydrocarbon-containing recycle gas component. In this regard, equipment 139 is configured to remove CO2 from the reduced product stream. The equipment 139 may take the form of a relief valve, absorber, membrane separator or an adsorbent. It is envisioned that equipment 139 may be used to regulate the percentage of other non-reactive components such as N2 with, for example, a relief valve.

In the event that the system is configured to recover formaldehyde, the short flowing product stream exits the isobaric condenser 122 and is passed to purifier 134. Other potential methods that may be employed employ materials such as various known amines to remove CO2 and formaldehyde.

To meet the minimum absorption requirements, modification of the methanol flow rate or scrubber column operating temperature may be used. If operation at extremely low absorbent flow rates is desired, then a lower temperature may be used, for example 0 ° C. If operation at ambient temperatures or at temperatures achievable by cooling water is desirable, then a high flow rate may be used, for example, ten times the flow rate at 0 ° C. In both situations, the turgid methanol absorbent stream 14 is completely regenerated by the deformaldehyde distillation column 138. Optionally, the scrubber stream 144 may be passed through the condenser 122 to provide cooling of the product stream and the pre-heating of the methanol to increase metering. energy efficiency of the formaldehyde distillation column 138.

Reactor 100 is connected with a compressor 124 and heater 126 for supplying the compressed and heated oxygen-containing gas. The crude hydrocarbon-containing gas is mixed with the scrubber's clean hydrocarbon gas 134e heated when using a heater 136. In the event that the crude hydrocarbons have a high CO2 content, the crude hydrocarbons may be mixed with the reduced condenser 122 product hydrocarbon stream. scrubber inlet 134 for removal of gaseous contaminants before entering the reactor.

The apparatus further has a methanol aretifying unit including an evaporation cylinder 132, a rectifying column 128 and a container 130 of which methanol is provided for further storage or processing. This rectifying column 128 is used to separate methanol (light key component) from ethanol (heavy key component) and water (not a key component). As noted above, it is desirable for a portion of the heavy key component to enter the distilled stream (as dictated by the commercial specification for formalin). For methanol rectification, 99% or more purity is typical and 99.999% is practicable with multiple columns. Stream 4 enters the column and current distillate 5 and the bottom stream 8 flows out of the liquid phase column. Stream 8 has some amount of ethanol (and perhaps methanol if ultrapure methanol is produced) and will be used as the basis of the aqueous composition of the commercial formalin stream (stream 11 and deformalin storage 191). In this way, part of the ethanol is recovered before the remainder is disposed of in the residual liquid stream.

An evaporation cylinder 132 for the removal of formaldehyde CO2e from the liquid product stream is disposed between column 128 and condenser 122. The purpose of evaporation cylinder 134 is to drop the pressure to an appropriate level before entering the ethanol rectifying column. 12 8 and substantially remove all dissolved gases, typically CO2 and formaldehyde, from the liquid product stream. In operation, the crude hydrocarbon-containing gas stream having a content of, for example, up to 98% methane and the reduced hydrocarbon product stream they are coming from a gas preparation plant or any other supply to the heater 136, where they are heated to a temperature of 430-470 ° C. The heated hydrocarbon-containing gas is then passed to reactor 100. Pressure compressed, for example, from 7-8 Mpa, and with a ratio of 80% to 100% and preferably 90% to 95% oxygen, is also provided by compressor 124 to reactor 100. The oxidation reaction of methane in methanol and / or formaldehyde occurs in reactor 100. Between 2% and 3% O2 of the total volume of reagents are reacted with the heated hydrocarbon-containing gas stream as previously described. In order to limit the amount of N2 within the system, for example 30% -40%, or to reduce the size of the purge current required to achieve it, the O2 current is preferably substantially pure, thereby limiting the amount of N2 that enters the system.

A second optional stream of coolant (or, in other words, a coolant at a lower temperature than the gases) reactor 100 is provided to reactor 100, as previously outlined. This current is regulated by the regulating device (valve) 120, which may be formed as a known gas supply regulating device, a regulating valve, or the like. This cold stream may, for example, be composed of a crude hydrocarbon stream, a recycled stream or a portion or combination thereof. The regulator is configured to adjust the volume or pressure of the hydrocarbon-containing gas based on system parameters such as, but not limited to, the pressure, temperature, or percentages of the reaction product at an additional location downstream in the system.

The coolant, which comes from a coolant feed, works to reduce the temperature of partially oxidized methane to reduce the oxidation or continued decomposition of formaldehyde. This refrigerant may be any material that can be easily separated from the reaction product stream. For example, as best described below, the coolant may be a hydrocarbon or an unheated methane containing the gas stream.

Preferably, the coolant may be any non-oxidizing material readily separated from the reaction products. In this regard, the refrigerant may be gas, an aerosol or a misty liquid of, for example, CO2, formaldehyde, methanol, water and / or steam. It is further contemplated that the coolant may additionally be a mixture of recycled reaction products, water, steam, and / or crude hydrocarbon gases.

Depending on the desired mode of operation of the apparatus, particularly the production of methanol or demethanol and the desired formaldehyde, the reaction mixture is reacted to the reactor without introducing the cold hydrocarbon-containing gas if essential / exclusive methanol production is desired. The introduction of cold hydrocarbon-containing gas is used when methanol and formaldehyde are desired as products. By introducing cold hydrocarbon containing dogas, the reaction temperature is reduced to, for example, 30-90 ° C, in order to preserve the formaldehyde potent in the separate mixture by reducing the decomposition of formaldehyde in CO2.

The reaction mixture is provided to the heat exchanger114 for transferring heat to the current from the reactor inlet of the reaction mixture leaving the reactor, and, after additional cooling, is passed to the partial condenser 122. Separation of the mixture into low and high volatility components (dry gas and crude liquid, respectively) is run on the partial condenser 122, which can absorb at least part of the formaldehyde in the gross liquid stream, if desired. The dried gas is sent to a scrubber 134, while the crude liquids from condenser 122 are provided to evaporation cylinder 132.

The scrubber 134 works to remove CO2 and normaldehyde from the dry gas stream. In this regard, purifier 134 utilizes H 2 O and methanol at a pressure of 7-8 MPae of approximately 0 ° C and approximately 500 ° C to absorb CO2 and formaldehyde. Once the CO2 and formaldehyde are removed, the reduced hydrocarbon gas stream is recycled by mixing the reduced stream with the crude hydrocarbon containing gas stream before or within the reactor, if desired. The reduced or hydrocarbon downstream, individually or in combination, is then introduced into the reaction chamber 100 after being heated by the heat exchanger 116 and the heater 136 as previously described.

Rectifying column 138 is used to separate carbon dioxide (not a key component) and abnormaldehyde (light key component) from methanol (heavy key component) and water (not a key component). Turbulent methanol vapor, stream 14, enters the melting column 138 and is separated into the deformaldehyde distillate stream 16 and the lower stream 15. Some amount of methanol in the distillate stream is desirable since methanol is used as a stabilizer for commercial type formalin production (6-15% alcohol stabilizer, 37% formaldehyde and the rest consists of water). By leaving a portion of the heavy key component in the distilled stream, separation is more easily achieved; furthermore, process losses typically experienced during absorbent regeneration are subsequently offset as methanol within the distillate is used for formalin production. Stream 15 is supplemented by stream 31 to replace any methanol that is transferred to the distillate stream, stream 16. The combination of stream 31 and stream 15 results in stream 17, which then returns to scrubber 134 as the regenerated methanol absorber. Meanwhile, the current formaldehyde distillate 16 combines with the evaporation cylinder vapors 13, stream 7, to form a mixture of formaldehyde, methanol and carbon dioxide.

Formaldehyde, water, methanol and CO2 removed by scrubber 134 are passed to deformaldehyde rectifying column 138. Column 138 removes formaldehyde and methanol-water-flowing CO2. Small amounts of methanol are combined with the methanol produced and pusher 134 is introduced to remove additional amounts of CO2 and formaldehyde from the reduced hydrocarbon stream.

Free or non-aqueous formaldehyde may then remain in the gas phase by operating the isobaric condenser 122. The liquid methanol product stream, or crude liquids, therefore comprises methanol, ethanol and water since formaldehyde remains in the gas stream. . In this case, the liquid stream exiting the isobaric condenser 122 may bypass the formaldehyde-melting portion of the process and enter the methanol-melting column after it has optionally passed through the evaporation cylinder 132.

Figures 2 and 3 show diagrams of the concentration of oxygen, formaldehyde and methanol in reactions without and with liquid refrigerant, respectively.

As can be seen in Figure 2, approximately two seconds after the reaction time, oxygen is essential and completely reacted. At this time, the reaction temperature reaches its maximum, and methanol and normaldehyde are produced in their respective proportions within the reaction mixture. Methanol is a more stable product at the end of the reaction and its concentration remains substantially stable after reaching its maximum concentration. Formaldehyde is less stable and, therefore, with a rise in temperature (temperature increases until oxygen is essential and completely consumed), its concentration is reduced in part.

In the reaction with the coolant shown in Figure 3, by introducing cold gas when methanol and formaldehyde formation is terminated, the temperature of a final reaction period is reduced to inhibit formaldehyde decomposition.

Figure 4 is a graph illustrating the oxygenate delivery to the system as a function of linking recycling of hydrocarbon gases. A graph illustrating the use of Michigan Antrim gas which has 97% CH4 and 1% N2 is shown. Under this perspective, the graph shows a significant increase in product output using the same input stream and little increase in financial costs. Since the system efficiently controls pressure and integrates process energy use, energy requirements are minimized, thereby increasing overall system economy.

Figure 5 depicts an alternative methane for methanol 150. The plant 150 is positioned to process the gas methane being discharged from a combined oil and gas field 152 or a gas field 154. The plant 150, which is located preferably near the borehole, it is generally formed by a gas processing plant 156, a liquid processing plant 158 and an oxygen production plant 160. Wastewater and utility water treatment plants 162 and 164 are additionally associated with the plant 150

As shown in Figure 6, an optional oxygen production plant 160 may be used to assist in regulating partial oxidation of the hydrocarbon stream in reactor 100. Oxygen production plant 160 has a compressor 161 coupled to a heat exchanger 163 which functions to prepare the compressed oxygen for injection to a plurality of absorbers 165. After passing through the absorbents, the produced oxygen stream is compressed and sent directly to reactor 100.

Referring generally to Figure 7, the gas-processing portion of plant 156 generally functions as described above (see Figure 1). In this regard, gas processing plant 156 has compressors 170 and 172 to increase the pressure of a clean inlet hydrocarbon stream 174. This stream 174 is then split and reacted with oxygen in reactor 100 to partially oxidize methane as described above. .

It is anticipated that parameters such as the time of the reaction and the temperature and pressure within the reactor can be adjusted to selectively control the amount of CO2, H2O7 formaldehyde and methanol that is produced in reactor 100. Reactor reaction 176 products are then transferred to the amino acid. of liquid processing 158.

As shown in Figure 8, liquid-processing plant 158 generally functions as described above to separate methanol and flowing formaldehyde from reaction product 176. The associated distillers, mixers and evaporation cylinders that are used to separate constituent materials from the reaction are shown. reaction product stream as described in detail above. Specifically, CO2 is removed from the reaction product stream such as methanol and, if desired, formaldehyde. The scrubber 134 (see Figure 5) prevents the accumulation of CO2 and allows for the physical capture of normaldehyde. The scrubber 134 may use a mixture of methanol and water to physically absorb the formaldehyde and CO 2 from the hydrocarbon gas recycling circuit 135. The efficiency of the scrubber 134, which can operate properly in cooling, is possible due to the high operating pressure of the recycling circuit 135. This is opposite to the low cryogenic temperatures used by traditional adsorption processes. The gases enter the scrubber 134 as "dirty" gas with some amount of formaldehyde and CO2 present. These components will be present only in relatively dilute quantities, so that the methanol absorbent function is also relatively small.

As previously mentioned, it is anticipated that the reactor outlet can be selectively adjusted to minimize the amount of formaldehyde that is produced by the gas portion of the plant 156. Although CO2 may be dispersed, it is specifically anticipated that the CO2 of the reaction products may be injected. , at a predetermined distance from the well on the ground to increase dope output. In this regard, it is anticipated that CO2 may be injected at any appropriate distance from the well to allow for increased ground pressures to increase the output of the well gas or oil. Additionally, it is anticipated that CO2 can be injected into the wellbore enclosure or in the area near the wellbore to increase gas or oil output and the gas production well.

Although shown as a naterra-based plant, it is specifically envisaged that plant 150 may be associated with offshore oil rig. Under this view, plant 150 should be in shore equipment or at a predetermined short distance from the equipment, such as immediately adjacent to shore equipment on a floating platform. In the example of an offshore equipment producing natural gas, methanol converted from the hydrocarbon stream containing methane is predicted to be injected into a second stream of methane-containing hydrocarbon stream to increase the flow of hydrocarbon stream from the oil well to the outside. the land. This methanol is injected to reduce hydrate formation within the pipe. Methanol associated with natural gas should then be removed from the hydrocarbon containing stream after the stream has reached shore.

It is further envisaged that any of the other reaction products, namely CO2, water or methanol, may be injected directly into the underground hydrocarbon-containing formations surrounding the platform or an earth-based well. Specifically, it is envisaged that methanol may be injected into the hydrate structures surrounding the option in order to increase the natural gas output from a natural gas producing well.

Returning briefly to Figure 5, it is anticipated that CO 2 may be injected into one portion of the well, with methanol or other reaction products injected into other portions of the well. In situations where natural gas may be stranded or may have nitrogen contents greater than 4%, facilities may be provided to control the accumulation of nitrogen in the recycling circuit. When assaults from any particular well 152, 154 are low, it is envisaged that a single plant 100 having a truncated process may be used. In these situations, only portions of the facility related to partial oxidation of the hydrocarbon stream and associated facilities for CO2 removal will be used near the well.

The removed CO2 can be collected, dispersed or re-injected into the earth. Immediately after removal of the natural gas and associated CO2 from the scrubber, the remaining liquid products can be transported in the local liquid form from the well to another location for the separation of formaldehyde, methanol and water from the waste stream. In this regard, it is envisaged that a centralized deliquid processing plant to complete the processing of the liquid processes (158) may be located at a significant distance from the scrambled natural gas locations. This allows the use of a centralized liquid process facility 158. It is also envisaged that reactor conditions may be adjusted to produce a liquid phase containing a commercial type of formalin.

A further embodiment of process 900 is shown in Figure 9. Air 902 is introduced into compressor 934 and then cooled in heat exchanger 904 for application to a nitrogen separator 906 or to a nitrogen separator 908. Oxygen feed is stored at 962 and is compressed with compressor 910 for introduction as an oxygen-containing feed stream reactor system 914 after heating in heater 912.

The 926 alkane-containing raw feed (at least one C1-C4 alkane, mainly methane or natural gas) is compressed into compressor 92 8 and is mixed with recycle alkane recycling 92 0 for further pressurization on compressor 922 and thermal cross-exchange with the reactor. reactor product stream 936 in heat exchanger 930. The recycle stream preferably provides a weight percent ratio of from about 4: 5 to about 20:21 of the alkane in the alkane-containing feed stream to reactor 914. In one embodiment, where the 920 scrubber is pressurized to a pressure in the order of reactor system 914 (see Figures 12 to 24B and the accompanying text for additional details in reactor drawings for reactor system 914), the 922 compressor may be a blower. centrifuge (non-positive displacement compressor). After thermal cross exchange with the reactor product stream reactor 93 6 in heat exchanger 93 0, the combined crude alkane and the recycle stream are heated in heat exchanger 932 to provide an alkane containing feed stream to the reactor system 914. The embodiments of reactor system 914 are further described in Figures 12 - 24B. The scrubber 920 operates to absorb carbon dioxide and alkyl oxygenates (eg, without limitation, methanol, ethanol and formaldehyde) by providing a recycle stream for combining with fresh alkane to provide a feed stream to compressor 922. A valve bleed 924 removes the nonreactive inert components (eg, limitless, nitrogen) from the scrubber reactor process circuit to increase efficient utilization of the 914 reactor system. Sudden coolant cooling to the 914 reactor system is also optionally activated from the valve. 938. The liquid bottom of the scrubber 920 is sent to the evaporation cylinder 918 where the high steam 942 is separated from the product stream 900 (comprising, without limitation, methanol, ethanol and formaldehyde). Oven or thermal oxidizer 916 oxidizes waste gases for discharge into the atmosphere. Process 900 is useful for providing a liquid material for further processing at a local location in the purified alkane oxygenates or for providing a useful alkane oxygenate mixture for a fuel or other similar use where exact purity is not essential.

Figure 10 shows another embodiment of process 1000 with a front end process circuit essentially similar to process 900 shown in Figure 9, but incorporating an in-situ distillation system 1002 for separating methanol in steam 1004 (for the absorbent purifier), water 1006 for use in the disassembly cylinder 1012 and the generation of purified ethanol 1008 and residual current 1010. Disassembly oscillator 1012 provides for the initial initial separation of the reactor product stream prior to the introduction of the remaining reactor product stream into the scrubber. .

Figure 11 shows an embodiment of process 1100 for generating an eformaldehyde methanol product stream with an anterior end process circuit essentially similar to process 900 shown in Figure 9, but incorporating an in situ deformaldehyde distillation system 1110 and a methanol distillation system 1108 to generate the methanol product stream1102. The methanol distillation system stream 1108 cools the upper part of the deformaldehyde distillation system 1110 to separate carbon dioxide (product stream 1106) and formaldehyde (product stream 1104) in the 1116 absorbent-mixer. The scrubber is extracted from the 1108 methanol distillation system and is cooled in the cooler 1112 to provide a high efficiency scrubber to condense the reactor product stream. Furnace or thermal oxidizer 1114 oxidizes a purge to remove non-reactive inert components (eg, without limitation, nitrogen) with some alkane (methane) from the scrubber reactor process circuit and thereby to increase the efficient utilization of the reactor.

Although a traditional tubular flow reactor may be used with any of the processes described above as a reactor 100 and / or a reactor 914, preferred embodiments of the reactor are described in the discussion of Figures 12 to 24B.

Returning now to a deeper consideration of reaction kinetics and additional realizations to provide an improved reactor system to perform the full reaction for partial oxidation of natural gas in methanol, formaldehyde and other oxygenates, several compact production facilities have been described in Figures 1 to 11. , which are suitable for small and isolated natural gas (stranded gas) feeds. New reactor systems for these processes are also described starting with Figure 12 and, more specifically, as noted in Figures 12 and 20. Initial considerations in these reactor designs derive from the nature of the total direct oxygenation reaction itself.

In the general view, the reaction method comprises the passage of a mixture of natural gas and oxidant through a continuous flow reactor system and heated under conditions to optimize methanol formation and to manipulate reactor temperature, total pressure and fuel (e.g., without limitation, natural gas) stops the oxidant ratio to control the relative amounts of reaction products. The reaction is a partial oxidation of a C1-C4 fuel, such as natural gas, an oxidant, oxygen, air, or another appropriate oxygen-containing compound (preferably oxygen in the air or, more preferably, oxygen). The mixture contains an excess fuel (eg, without limitation, natural gas) to prevent complete combustion for unwanted products such as carbon dioxide and water. The reaction is a branched and exothermic chain reaction. Chain branching causes a rapid rate of reaction through the quadratic growth of chain carriers. Reactions of this type are characterized by an induction period during which the chain carrier concentrations accumulate to the point that a rather rapid rise in reaction speed and temperature occurs. The rather rapid rise in reaction speed is due to the quadratic growth rate of chain carriers, and the rapid enough rise in temperature is due to the increase in the heat generation rate that accompanies the rate of reaction. The complete consumption of oxidant, the limiting reagent, even though the fuel (eg, without limitation, natural gas) is fully consumed, which limits the increase in temperature. The relationship between oxidant and fuel (eg, without limitation, natural gas) is arranged so that selectivity for methanol formation is optimized.

Reaction conditions which favor a better selectivity for methanol and other oxygenates are as follows. The composition of the reaction mixture, after combining the alkane-containing feed stream and the oxygen-containing feed stream, should be from about 1 mole% to about 10 mole% oxidant, more preferably from about 2 mole% to about 5 mole%. oxidant and most preferably approximately 2.5 mol% oxidant. The total gas pressure in the reactor system should be in the range of about 6 MPa to about 10 MPa, more preferably from about 7.5 MPa to about 9 Mpa, and most preferably about 8 Mpa. The temperature of the reactor system wall should be in the range of approximately 600 K to approximately 900 K, and most preferably from approximately 723 K to approximately 823 K.0 The total reactor residence time should be in the range of approximately 1 second to approximately 40 seconds. more preferably from about 1 second to about 10 seconds, and most preferably from about 1 second to about 2.5 seconds.

Under these conditions, methanol selectivity is in the range of approximately 0.35 to at least 0.60 with lower selectivities for the other alkane-containing feed stream oxygenates. Domethane conversion is approximately 10% and the conversion of the other hydrocarbon components from natural gas is comparable. After reaction, separation and recycling of unreacted hydrocarbons is performed.

For continuous operation, the fuel (eg a C1 -C4 alkane or C1 -C4 alkanes such as those provided in natural gas) and the oxidizer must be well mixed. For this purpose a mixing chamber / reactor is provided for completely mixing the silvering components and also for inducing generation of free radicals (e.g., without limitation, methyl) which are then contained in the mixing chamber output stream. From this point of view, the mixing chamber thus effectively provides an injectably mixed back-mix reaction chamber ("back-mix reaction chamber") in a reactor system because it has an injectably back-mixed reaction chamber mixed in fluid communication with a reactor. flow tube to perform the total reaction. Although not interideally in a continuously stirred classic tank reactor model or in a classic tubular flow reactor model, the achievably injectable retromix reaction chamber of embodiments has a number of aspects that indicate an operational character that has more than one continuously stirred or reactive detonator. an affinity of the CSTR model (additionally denoted as a continuous feed agitated tank reactor or CFSTR; further denoted as a stationary state back mix flow reactor) rather than an affinity of the tubular or plug flow reactor model. The injectably mixed reaction-mixing reaction chamber has a spacetime, corresponding to a combined feed rate of the alkane-containing feed stream and the oxygen-containing feed stream, from approximately 0.05 seconds to approximately 1.5 seconds (a preferentially contemplated spacetime is 0.1 seconds) so that the feeds can be effectively mixed and so that an initial induction period to generate the alkyl free radicals (e.g., without limitation, the methyl free radicals) can be accommodated before the product stream injectably mixed back-reaction reaction chamber (methane, oxygen and methyl free radicals) is fed to the tubular flow reactor for an additional reaction in methanol. In a preferred embodiment, the injectably mixed back-mix reaction chamber allows the injectable mixture of C1-C4 alkane and oxygen-containing feed streams to agitate the turbulent currents and to effectively shake the injectably-mixed back-mix reaction chamber. In this respect, the generation of free radicals of methyl is perceived as the first reaction of kinetics in the reactions of the kinetic step that cause direct oxygenation of methane in methanol (an alkylated oxygenate), and the use of a back-reaction reaction chamber. Injectable mixtures of a tubular flow reactor allow a degree of deliberation for the independent optimization of this methyl free radical induction step. Other free radicals derived from C2 -C4 alkanes should generally have a shorter induction period than the methyl free radical under comparable conditions. Subsequent chain-giving kinetic sub-reactions (kinetic sub-reaction steps) then cover the methyl free radicals and other components of the reaction chamber product stream injectably mixed with methanol and other products; These later sub-reactions are best controlled in the environment of the tubular flow reactor which has traditionally received mixed (but unreacted) methane (alkane) and oxygen from previous systems.

The reactor system therefore provides several degrees of freedom (for example, without limitation, spacetime, temperature, and injectable reactor mix, as discussed further and subsequently in the present invention) to increase the initial kinetics sub-reaction (s). and also to increase, with some independence of conditions, the initial kinetic series sub-reaction (s), subsequent kinetic series sub-reactions in the total set of sub-reactions that combine to achieve the reaction. total direct deoxidation of at least one C1 -C4 alkane in at least one respective alkyl oxygenate.

With respect to methane in the alkane-containing feed stream, the induction of methyl free radicals in the chamber / mixing reactor (the injectably mixed back-reaction reaction chamber) is a clear departure from prior teachings of documents such as U.S. Patent No. 4,300,961. No. 4,982,023 and U.S. Patent No. 4,618,732 which, as noted in the Fundamentals, indicate that feed streams should be mixed only prior to introduction into a reactor.

The reagents are fed into the blending chamber / reactor (the injectably mixed back reaction chamber) into separate streams. In the emergence of an emergence from the injectably mixed back-reaction reaction chamber, the reagents are then fed to the tubular flow reactor. Mixing should be carried out completely in order to achieve a uniform or essentially uniform distribution of the reactant concentration in the product of the unmixedly mixed back-reaction reaction chamber. This is necessary to prevent oxidation of the desired products - methanol and other oxygenates. Such oxidation occurs otherwise in regions not completely mixed where there are relatively high concentrations of oxidant, with proportional reduction in product yield. In this respect, the time of mixing in the injectably mixed back-reaction reaction chamber should be relatively brief compared to the residence time in a tubular flow reactor. In view of the total preferred residence times for the reactor system as a whole, from approximately 1 second to approximately 2.5 seconds, the residence time in the injectable mixed-reaction reaction chamber should be at least 0.1 second. In this regard, the actual turbulent mixture of gases can be obtained in less than 1 ms. While there are several embodiments to obtain a satisfactory mix, as will be described below, a preferred embodiment for use with shorter residence times is essentially opposite turbulent jets with a diffuser diverter cone which has its side tending toward the apex (apical end) closer to one another. a flowotubular reactor. The purpose of the cone is to minimize the long residence times for the sub-portions of the injectably mixed back reaction reaction chamber contents in view of the high reactivity of alkyl free radicals (eg methyl).

The reactor walls must be inert in the chemical environment of the reaction. The reactor construction material should be steel, preferably stainless steel, to contain the required total pressure. Since a sugar surface decreases methanol selectivity, the steel is preferably coated with an inert coating such as Teflon ™ or an organic wax. Inserting a Pyrex ™ or quartz jacket into the reactor also provides a relatively inert surface.

A flow limiting deflector is positioned at the outlet of the injectably mixed back-reaction reaction chamber to increase the pressure drop between the injectably mixed back-reaction chamber and the tubular flow reactor and thereby achieves a superior characteristic of the desired residence time. (degree of control) in the injectably mixed back-reaction reaction chamber. In a preferred embodiment, the flow restriction deflector (bulkhead with openings to allow a fluid position) is convenient and axially movable, so that alternative deflector positions can be arranged by custom-setting the effective spacetime in the injectably blended retromix reaction chamber a process run or during a process run. In a preferred embodiment, the flow restricting deflector is in close proximity to a locking component that is convenient and axially movable, so that variable deflector positions (bulkhead) can be set by partially obstructing the openings in the deflector (bulkhead) when configuring under measuring the effective spacetime in the injectably mixed back-reaction reaction chamber prior to a process execution or during a process execution; This feature provides another degree of freedom for operational control.

Returning now to an overview of the tubular flow reactor, the maximum temperature axial position is completely sensitive to the reactor inlet temperature, total flow and reagent composition. Fluctuations in any of these quantities may cause the "hot spot" position of the reactor to move. In an extreme case, the "hot spot" may move out of the darning container and thus adversely affect performance. The tubular flow reactor is therefore preferably equipped with an embodiment with a thermocouple that can be transferred axially (along the general flow axis in the reactor) through a sliding seal. In another embodiment, a plurality of thermocouples arranged to measure the temperature profile of the tubular flow reactor along the flow axis allows temperature monitoring. The set of thermocouples monitors the axial distribution of the gas phase temperature in the reactor, and thermocouple measurements are also used for reactor control.

Methanol, formaldehyde and other oxygenates may undergo thermal decomposition at high temperatures in the tubular flow reactor, resulting in the loss of the product. Such decomposition is minimized by cooling the reactor contents to a location immediately downstream of the "hot spot". Since wall cooling is not sufficiently responsive, a preferred embodiment employs injection of a cold gas through a tube whose axial position can also be altered by means of a sliding seal. Cold gas is preferably natural gas, but carbon dioxide, nitrogen or another inert substance may also be used.

Figure 12 shows a simplified cross-sectional view 1200 of a reactor system having an injectably mixed back-mix reaction chamber 1202 coupled near the tubular flow reactor 1204, such that a reactor system having an injectably mixed back-reaction reaction chamber in fluid communication with a tubular flow reactor is provided for one of the processes described in conjunction with Figures 1 to 11. Main sections of the reactor system chamber and reactor aligned along the 1220 geometry axis with the injectably mixed backward reaction chamber having housing 1206 (which defines internal volume 1234 with a cylindrical surface in cooperation with bulkhead 1232). The tubular flow reactor 1204 has the housing 1210 which defines the internal volume 124 8 in cooperation with the section of the sliding tubular flow reactor 1204 which has the housing 1208 and the bulkhead 1232. An alkane-containing gas supply stream (a first stream of fluid) through the 1222 alkane gas inlet and similar alkane degass inlets as described. An oxygen-containing gas supply stream (a second defluent stream) enters through the oxygen gas inlet 1224 and the tapered diverter / distributor 1226. The tapered diverter / distributor 1226 has a tapered base (base 1614 of Figure 16) connected to a portion of the housing 1206 in an array opposite the bulkhead 1232. An exit from the blending reaction chamber is established by bulkhead (deflector) 1232 and position 1270 (with their associated fluid positions shown in more detail in Figures 17A and 17B) and optional locking member 1230. The bulkhead (deflector) 1232 and optional locking component 123 0 (for variable position setting in real-time operation of the reactor system) have positions such as position1270 the feed to the chamber product stream injectable mixed backwash 12 02 aoreator 1204 tubular flow reactor. The 1204 tubular flow reactor therefore has a tubular flow reactor inlet with fluid communication through position 1270 with the back-mix reaction chamber output 1202 in the shield (baffle) 1232 and in the locking component 1230. The dealcano gas inlet 1222 (together with the similar dealcano gas inlets as oxygen gas inlet 1224 with tapered diverter / distributor 1226 and oxygen inlet port 1228 (along with similar alkane gas inlets as described) are configured (positioned and tailored with respect to the supply current flows containing alkane and oxygen containing) to turbulently stir the reaction components within the internal volume 1234 of the injectable mixed-reaction reaction chamber 12 02 by the injectable mixing of the alkane-containing gas feed stream and the oxygen-containing gas feed stream.

Tubular flow reactor 1204 has an outlet for tubular flow reactor 1260, and tubular flow reactor1204 has a refrigerant gas inlet 1274 disposed between a tubular flow reactor inlet from positions (position 1270) in bulkhead 1232 and an outlet 1260 tubular flow reactor to receive a coolant stream (which enters the refrigerant inlet port 1236 and then the internal refrigerant gas inlet port 1250 before proceeding to the refrigerant gas inlet 1274) and thereby cools with oreatus cooling. In this regard, the refrigerant inlet 1274 in one embodiment is in an elongated tube (tube 1262) with at least one aperture 1274 (see Figures 18A and 18B for details in cross-section relative to the geometric axis 122 0) to conduction of the quench cooling flow in the reactor space 1248. The 1262 tube cooperates with the guide tube 1264. In one embodiment , tube 1262 rotates within guide tube 1264 to regulate the amount of rough cooling applied to one position. In an alternative embodiment, tube 1262 is axially slidable (with reference to geometry axis 1220) for opposing within tubular flow reactor 1204 and for providing local quenching. However, in another embodiment, tube 1262 rotates within guide tube1264 to regulate the amount of abrupt cooling applied to one position and is also axially slidable (with reference to geometry axis 1220) for positioning within tubular flow reactor 1204 and for the provision of local rough cooling. Twice-cooled components (including drawing references 1262, 1250, 1236, 1264, and 1274) thus provide a degree of freedom for temperature profile control along the eixogeometric 1220 within the tubular flow reactor 1204. Ostermopars such as Thermocouple 1216 and similar thermocouples, as described, offer measurements for the temperature profile in one embodiment. A sliding thermocouple 1214 (with thermocouple sensor 1272 and sealed with sliding seal1212 to housing 1210) provides measurements for the temperature profile in another embodiment. Figure 12 shows an embodiment having stationary thermocouples such as thermocouple 1216 as well as a sliding thermocouple 1214 (with thermocouple head 1272).

Tubular flow reactor 1204 has housing 1210 which defines internal volume 1248 in cooperation with the section of sliding tubular flow reactor 1204 which has housing1208 and which also has bulkhead 1232 (with optional locking component 1230 to provide position 1270 as an variable in cross section). The bulkhead 1232 and locking member 1230 are at the slidably sealed interface to the shell of the back-mixing reaction chamber 1206 and are therefore effectively joined to the slide tube flow reactor section 1204 having shell 1208. Shell section 1208 is, therefore, on the interface slidably sealed to housing 1210 and also housing 1206, with seals 1244, 1246 and 1238 providing insulation from the external environment. The injectable blended back-mixing chamber 1202 has an internal volume of the injectably blended back-reaction reaction chamber 1234 defined by the reaction chamber housing 1206 and the bulkhead 1232 (with optional locking component 1230). The bulkhead 1232 (and the locking member 1230) are therefore slidably movable during the real-time operation of the davista reactor system 1200 to progress within the housing of the back mixing 1206 towards input 1224 to thereby commensurately decrease. internal volume 1234, and bulkhead 1232 (and locking member 1230) are slidably movable during real-time operation to retract away from inlet 1224, thereby commensurately expanding internal volume 1234. In the embodiment of Figure 12, the flowtubular reactor 1204 has an internal volume of the tubular flow reactor1248 defined by the tubular flow reactor housings1208 and 1210 and the bulkhead 1232 (with locking component 123 0). The bulkhead 1232 (and locking member 1230) are therefore slidably movable during the real-time operation of the sight reactor system 1200, thereby dramatically decreasing the internal volume 124 8 as it moves away from the inlet 1224, and the The bulkhead 1232 (with the optional locking component 1230) is slidably movable during real-time operation to move toward the entrance 1224, thereby commensurately expanding the internal volume 1248. This movable interface allows a degree of deliberation to control the relative spacetime (essentially equivalent, for gaseous flow, to reaction internal volume divided by volumetric flow moving through reaction internal volume) within view * 1200 reactor system between a 1204 tubular flow reactor and retromix reaction chamber injectably mixed1202.

Essentially, the functionality allowed by the characteristics of the bulkhead 1232 (and the locking component 123 0) is for a back mix reaction chamber where the inner volume (defined by an inner surface of a shell and also by the surface of any component in the mobile interface sealed to it). internal surface) can be easily modified so that the spacetime provided by the back-mix reaction chamber when chemically reacting the compositional components in gaseous liquids flowing within the internal volume can be modified without necessarily modifying the flow (s), disturbance, and / or pressure drop of these liquids. In this regard, any approach to modifying the internal volume from a first internal volume to a second internal volume is potentially useful. In a conceptualized embodiment, for example, the bulkhead 1232 is axially fixed, the tapered diverter / distributor 122 6 has a sufficiently wide base for slidably sealing against the housing of the back mix reaction chamber 1206, the tapered diverter / distributor 1226 has a sliding tube (not to interconnect to inlet 1224 and the tapered diverter / distributor 1226 thereby decreases the internal volume 1234 by moving away from inlet 1224, and commensurably expands the internal volume 1234 as it moves toward inlet 1224. In another conceptualized embodiment, the housing 1206 has a movable portion that invades the chamber to decrease internal volume 1234 and is alternatively removed from the chamber to increase internal volume 1234. However, in another conceptual embodiment, an internal diaphragm component modifies its characteristics to measurably modify internal volume 1234.

Seal 1246, seal 1212, seal 1244, seal 1238, seal 1242, and seal 1240 allow sliding movement of movable components of the 1200 view melter system. Rotating member 1218 allows locking of lock member 1230 during rotation. As should be apparent, the movement of the components (especially during the operation of the davista 1200 reactor system) is preferably achieved with the aid of variable speed motors, levers, associated gear levers and / or step motors and associated gear ( not shown, but should be apparent to the elements in the art).

In operation, an alkane-containing feed stream and an oxygen-containing feed stream are introduced into the injectably mixed back-mix reaction chamber 1202 through the inlet ports such as input 1222 (the alkaline-containing feed stream) and input 1224 (the oxygen-containing feed stream). ). The internal conditions of the injectable mixed-mix reaction chamber 1202 are controlled to induce the formation of alkyl free radicals in the injectably mixed mix-reaction reaction chamber 1202 to result in a stream of injectable mixed mix-reaction chamber product for the output and fluid communication in the reactor. 1204 through positions such as position 1270 in bulkhead 1232 and blocking member 1230. The components are tailor-made and arranged to provide a significant molecular momentum in the inlet liquids so that the injectable mix and turbulent reaction fluid are established in the injectably mixed back-reaction reaction chamber 1202. The current feed from the back-mixed reaction reaction product to the tubular flow reactor 12 04 through position 1270 therefore comprises oxygen, unreacted alkane and at least a portion of the free alkyl radicals that have been induced into the injectably mixed retromix reaction chamber 1202. In this respect, the "reaction" of the alkane in alkylate oxygen (focally, the domethane "reaction" to methanol) involves a large plurality of short term reactions (also referred to in the present invention as kinetic series or kinetic sub-reactions); Of course, there may be at least 60 kinetic underreactions in the total "reaction" of methane to methanol and the other alkylate oxygen occurring in the system. Initial kinetic series sub-reaction occurs to induce an alkyl radical of an alkane when an alkane molecule is exposed to molecular oxygen. This induction of an alkyl radical appears to require a time period of many orders of magnitude longer than the time required to turbulently mix the two fluid feed currents and also appears to be a kinetic series sub-reaction that takes time respectively for the sub-reactions. kinetic series which occur once alkyl radical is available. Therefore, there is efficacy in handling this reaction in a separate injectable mixed-mix reaction chamber which is in fluid communication with the tubular flow reactor where a consistent portion (with time and steady state operation) of the alkyl radicals will be essentially conducted (fed into the tubular flow reactor) to provide the basis for allowing many parallel, subsequent and sequential kinetic series subreactions that are highly exothermic and require a receptive flow control approach to tubular flow reactors than injectably mixed back-mix reaction chambers.

Although coupled close to the tubular flow reactor in the embodiments, the unmistakably mixed backmix reaction chamber provides the reaction components of the essentially universal compositional and physical operating state (temperature, pressure, and molecular momentum) within their spacetime compared to the tubular flow system; allows control of the essential quaquyl radical induction step independently of the fluxotubular reactor where along the geometrical axis of the fluxotubular reactor the reaction components have an axially (and probably radially) differentiated composition and physical state.

As should be apparent to the technically versed elements, gradation control in a system such as the 1200 view reactor system needs to control the challenge of providing an acceptable molecular momentum in increasing space-time situations; if the molecular momentum decreases, the reaction fluid in the injectably mixed backmix reaction chamber will migrate to the fluxolaminar range and the total required consistency of the reaction fluid from the injectably mixed backmix reaction chamber can be potentially compromised; therefore, a view 1200 reactor seems effective in small-scale processing to make "stranded gas" a valuable product. The total spacetime of the reactor system, corresponding to a combined feed rate of the alkane-containing feed stream and of the supply stream containing oxygen is no more than 40 seconds and preferably no more than 2.5 seconds. The reaction time-space for the injectably mixed backmix reaction chamber is controlled to be no longer than 1.5 seconds.

Figures 13A and 13B show simplified cross-sectional views 1300 and 1350 of the details of modifying the internal volume of the injectably blended reaction chamber 1202 of Figure 12. In this aspect, an alternative view 1300 is presented for the injectably mixed reaction chamber 1202 in FIG. Figure 13A where a "brush hair" distributor 13 08 (further detailed in Figures 15A and 15B) for the illustrated oxygen containing feed stream. View 1300 of Figure 13A generally shows a bulkhead 1304 and optional locking component 1302 in

orientation fully expanded or extended to housing1306.

The view 1350 of the reactor of Figure 13B generally shows the bulkhead 1304 and the optional locking component 13 02 in the orientation inserted into the housing 1306 to decrease the volume (and, in steady state operation, space-time) of the unmixably mixed back reaction chamber. corresponding to the volume (spacetime) of view 1300.

Figure 14A presents a simplified view in

cross-section 1400 of another alternative design for the injectably mixed back-mix reaction chamber 1202 of Figure 12. In this regard, a main hemispherical portion 1402 is profiled to the housing, with a comparatively hemispherical profile in the introduced bulkhead.

Figure 14B shows a view 1450 illustrating the injectably mixed back-mix reaction chamber 122 of Figure 12 with a modified internal volume of that shown in Figure 12. The bulkhead 1232 and the optional locking member 1230 are described in the orientation inserted into the housing 1206 to decreasing the volume (and, in constant state operation, the spacetime) of the injectably mixed reaction-melting reaction chamber 12 02 respective volume (spacetime) of view 1200.

Figures 15A and 15B show aligned cross-sectional views 1500 and 1550 of the "08" hairbrush fluid application insert for an alternative design for the detachably mixed retromix reaction reaction chamber 1202 of Figure 12. The geometric axis1504 is aligned with the axis 1220 in the preferred embodiment, with view 1500 showing the respective "hairbrush" distributor 1308 in a plane perpendicular to the geometric axis 1504, and view 1550 showing details of the "hairbrush" distributor 1308 corresponding to a plane parallel to the geometric axis 1504. The oxygen-containing feed stream is fed into the internal flow space 1234 of a plurality of openings (such as opening 1502) disposed along the geometrical axis of the injectably mixed back-mix reaction chamber in the essential central line of the cylindrical surface of the housing 1206 and in the non-oriented orientation. -parallel to the geometric axis of the chamber d and injectably mixed back-mixing reaction1220 wherein the geometry axis 1504 is essentially aligned with the geometry axis 1220.

Figure 16 shows a simplified cross-sectional view 1600 of the inner portions for the tapered fluid application recess 1226 for applying oxygen-containing feed chain to the injectably mixed back-reaction reaction chamber 1202 of Figure 12. The internal flow diverter is defined by a surface 1604 which has a geometry axis 1602. A conical base 1614 is at one end of the geometry axis 1602, and the apical end 1612 (an end that, if the cone were extended, would finally converge to provide the apex docone) is at the opposite end of the geometry axis 1602 As shown in view 1200 of Figure 12, eixogeometric 1602 is aligned with the geometric axis 1220 of the injectably mixed back-reaction reaction chamber 1202 when the tapered diverter 1226 is disposed within the cylindrical housing 1206 such that the outlet of the back-mixing circuit (position 1270) is closer to the apical end 1612 than conical base 1614. The oxygen-containing feed stream is fed into inlet 1610 (from inlet 1224 in Figure 12) and then into the internal flow space 1234 of a plurality of openings1608 disposed along the geometrical axis of the spin chamber. Injectable Mixed Retromix 1220 (eixogeometric 1602) and in non-parallel orientation to eixogeometric 1220. Inner position 1606 fluidly conveys the oxygen-containing feed stream to the plurality of openings 1608.

Figures 17A and 17B show simplified cross-sectional views of details of the interface baffle (1232/1230) and positioning at the interface between the injectably mixed back-reaction reaction chamber122 and the tubular flow reactor 12 04 of the Figure 12 reactor system. view 1700 of Figure 17A, the bulkhead 1702 minus a position-defining aperture 1704 (see apposition 1270 in Figure 12) for fluid communication of a stream of product from the unmistakably mixed backmix reaction chamber 12 02 to the tubular flow reactor1204. The bulkhead 1702 (bulkhead 1232 in Figure 12) provides affixing with at least one aperture 1704 which has a transverse sectional area. As fluid passes, bulkhead 1702 with openings 1704 defines a deflector to create a depression drop between the injectably mixed back-reaction reaction chamber 1202 and the tubular flow reactor 1204 as fluid passes from the injectably mixed-reaction back-reaction chamber 12 02 to 1204 fluxotubular reactor. In an "adjusted" reactor system, apertures 1704 can be precisely sized in one embodiment so that no locking components are required; Such an arrangement has few degrees of freedom for operation, but is also less complex from a sealing and construction standpoint. For real-time operational variation of the effective position created by aperture 1704, a locking component 1230 is arranged in an alternative embodiment where, as shown in view 1750 of Figure 17B, locking component 1230 may be rotated to "lock" a portion of the area in cross section of aperture 1704 where a portion of locking member 1706 (locking member 1230 of Figure 12) is shown by compressing the position of opening 1704 (note that view 1750 can be conceptualized as a parallel view to geometry axis 1220 and towards reaction chamber injection mixture (1202 from tubular flow reactor 1204) and thereby restricting the position.

In a preferred embodiment, the bulkhead (1232/1702) has at least one opening 1704 as a first opening, and the locking member (1230/1706) has at least a second opening (1708). The first and second apertures preferably have substantially identical dimensions, and the first aperture 1708 and the second aperture 1704 are mutually arranged to align positively in a relative positioning of the bulkhead (1232/1702) and locking member (123 0/1706). for defining position 1270 to be essentially equivalent of the cross sectional area to the cross-sectional area of the first aperture. In view 1750, this can be appreciated if you consider that the portion of aperture 1704 that is not locked from use of the position by the locking member 1706 is also the opening portion 1708 that is not blocked from use of the position by the shield 1702.

An alternative embodiment of the combination of the guard (1232/1702) and the locking member (1230/1706) which does not include the use of the rotating member 1218 is discussed further with respect to Figure 21. In this alternative embodiment, the shield (1232/1702) is respectively with respect to the stationary locking member (1230/1706) where the key lock 1710 provides an axially slidable impedance (with respect to the 1220 axis) against key 2110 (Figure 21) to prohibit rotation of the locking component (1230/1706). In this embodiment, the shield (1232/1702) is firmly attached to the housing 1208, but the housing 1208 additionally rotates over the axle 1220 to achieve a variable position 1270 defined by opening 1704 and opening 1708. Key 2110 is affixed to housing 1206 (details not shown). and opening 1714 (Figure 17A) provides a non-resistive opening for key 2110 to pass to internal volume 124 so that the guard (1232/1702) and locking member (1230/1706) move axially (geometry axis 1220 ) respectively for inlet 1224 with the locking member 1230/1706 always contained and the shield 1232/1702 always rotating around the geometry axis 1220. Ball bearings 1712 are used in preferred embodiments to increase the smooth rotation of the movable component (from shield 1232/1702 or locking member 1230/1706, depending on its particular embodiment) against the non-movable member in the deflector system.

Figures 18A and 18B show simplified cross-sectional views 1800, 1850 and 1860 of detail and positioning for the variable deposition rough cooling input 1274 for the reactor system of Figure 12.

Guide tube 1264 is shown in cross section perpendicular to view 1800 respectively of eixogeometric 1220, with tube cross section 202 having an elongated socket 1808 running along eixogeometric 1220. The elongated fitting is difficult to show in Figure 12, but is described in Figures 18A and 18B as fully open apposition 1808 for conducting the axial; rough cooling tube 1804/1262 is shown as opening 1806/1274 - see inlet position 1274 in Figure 12 - to show that it is an opening with a substantially less axial dimension than the axial dimension of guide tube fitting 1808/1264 . Tube 1804/1262 cooperates with guide tube 1802/1264 as shown by navist 1850 to not conduct sudden cooling to internal volume 1248 when opening 1806 is rotated to obstruct apposition (1274) with inner surface of guide tube 18080/1264. In one embodiment, tube 1804/1262 is axially slidable within guide tube 1802/1264 to axially reposition aperture 1806/1274 along geometry axis 1220. View 1860 then shows the radial alignment rotation between tube 1804/1262 and guide tube 1802/1264 so that position / input 1274 is activated. It should be noted that several alternative assemblies (not shown) of ports 1806 can easily be provided at different radial positions of tube 18 04 to provide alternative rough cooling models as a function of radial orientation of tube 1804/1262 along eixogeometric 1220 in tubular flow reactor 1204. .

Figures 19A to 19C show a series of temperature profiles for a reactor tubular flow reactor of Figure 12 in operation. In this respect, the abscissa axis 1904 and the ordinate axis 1906 are identical in all Figures 19A, 19B and 19C, with the abscissa axis 1904 showing the distance along the geometric axis 1220 of the tubular flow reactor 1204 and the ordinate axis 1906. illustrates the temperature within the 1204 tubular flow reactor reaction fluid. Locus 1902 (Figure 19A) is a conceptualized description of a temperature profile for the 1204 tubular flow reactor without the benefit of slow cooling. Locus 1922 (Figure 19B) is a conceptualized representation of a temperature profile for the 1204 tubular flow reactor with the benefit of blunt cooling of the 1938 deposition essentially at outlet 1260. The 1932 locus

(Figure 19B) is a conceptualized representation of a temperature profile for the 1204 tubular flow reactor with quench cooling only at position 1938. The previously discussed kinetic serial reactions will vary in activity depending on the temperature profile along the geometry axis. Thus, for example, the mixture of the tubular flow reactor product 1204 will be different for each of Loci 1902, 1922, and 1932 by their differing thermal profiles, commensurately differentiated energies, and commensurately differentiated kinetic activity for sub- individual reactions in the set of sub-reactions in kinetics. The quench-cooled tube design thus offers yet another degree of freedom for optimizing the composition of an alkyl deoxygenated reactor system product stream generated from a C1-C4 alkane-containing feed stream and an oxygen-containing feed stream .

Figure 20 shows a simplified cross-sectional view 2000 of an alternate embodiment of a reactor system having an injectably blended deretromix reaction chamber coupled to a tubular flow reactor. The interface deflector assembly (bulkhead 1232 and locking member 1230 of the embodiments of the assembly as described with respect to Figure 12 'and the key arrangement embodiments of Figures 17A, 17B and 21) moves slidably and is rotated during operation in real-time view 2000 reactor system to progress and / or retract away from inlet 2062 by using a seal and threaded connection facilitated by male 2012 threading (male thread 2212 in Figures 21 and 22A to 22C). Most of the injectably mixed backmix reaction chamber and tubular flow reactor share the housing 2070, which is additionally threaded to provide female threading to cooperate with 2012/2212 threading. Figures 22A-22C show an additional detail in this regard, where Figure 22A shows a tubular flow reactor liner 2016 in the fully advanced position, Figure 22B shows a tubular flow reactor liner 2016 in the mid-point retrogression / retraction position and Figure 22C shows the design of the 2016 tubular flow reactor in the fully retracted position.

The back-mix reaction chamber and a tubular flow reactor of the Vista 2000 reactor system are aligned along the 2014 geometric axis. An alkane-containing gas feed stream (a first deflux stream) enters through the 2060 alkane gas inlet and the duality. of openings of the alkane gas inlet as described. An oxygen-containing gas feed stream (a second fluid stream) enters through the oxygen gas inlet 2062 and the hairbrush dispenser as previously discussed with respect to Figures 15A and 15B. In an alternative embodiment, a tapered diverter / distributor (Figure 16) is used for supply chain containing oxygen.

The tubular flow reactor has a tubular flow reactor liner 2016 on the sealed, sliding interface at the 2008 seal to the housing 2004 and provides a fluid outlet in a relatively small space defined by the housing 2004. The housing 2004 has sufficient axial depth to accommodate the axial traverse. completed by 2012/2212 threading (see also Figures 22A to 22C). The 2004 housing has an output for the reactor product stream at the 2020 output. The 2002 refrigerant inlet receives the refrigerant gas stream previously described in the 2072 refrigerant space (defined between the inner surface of the 2070 shell and the outer surfaces of the jacket 2016 and the lock tube2006). The refrigerant stream then proceeds into the inner space of the liner 2016 through the spiral fitting 2018 at a point where an axial fitting (the axial fitting 2032 of the perpendicular cross-sectional view 2028 through the geometric shaft 2014 in the right-hand orientation 2042e of Figure 23). ) of the locking tube 2006 and spiral fitting 2018 is aligned to define a position (2302 of Figure 23) and also to thereby cool down with a sudden cooling the inner space of the tubular flow reactor jacket 2016. Acamisa 2016 therefore cooperates near the lock tube2006.

The jacket 2016 is sealed to the 2070 housing with a 2074 sliding seal and thus rotates to simultaneously proceed / regress respectively for the injectably mixed back-mix reaction chamber through the 2012/2212 lines (Figures 22A-22C), regulating the amount of blast cooling applied to one. position within a tubular flow reactor jacket 2 016 (described with Figure 20 and further described with Figure 23) and modify the cross-sectional area of the position (fixed key deflector assembly, as previously discussed and further discussed in Figure 21 ). Although these three degrees of freedom of control (deflector positional regression / regression, the application of blast cooling and the cross-sectional area of the deflector position) are therefore not controlled with complete independence, differences in the rate of change of each with a jacket rotation 2016 allow a controllable system that has fewer seals than the embodiment described with respect to Figure 12 and only with very limited convolution between these three degrees of freedom for normal operation. In this respect, a full rotation of shirt 2016 achieves a complete position transfer of spiral housing 2018 (its full axial analog range), perhaps approximately 2% of the full axial analog range for the progression / regression of the positional deflector and 600% of the full axial analog range. from the cross-sectional area of the deposition to a deflector having six openings (Figures 17A and 17B). Therefore, the jacket 2016 is first rotated to the position within the axial analogue range for deflector positional progression / regression, then to position itself within the axial analog range for cooling slowly, and finally to position itself within the axial analog range for the cross-sectional area of the deflector. Since deflector positioning is predicted to be a relatively strategic operating adjustment for a particular alkane gas supply stream composition, real-time operating adjustments should be more closely related to single-rotation (1 / 6rpm) blast cooling than positioning. of the position of the deflector.

Perpendicular cross-sectional view 2030 through geometric axis 2014 in the left-facing orientation in 2040 shows additional detail in positioning the opening to insert feeds from inlet 2060 and 2062 in the back mix reaction chamber.

Figure 21 shows details of the shield / deflector 2100 for the realization of the reactor system of Figure 20 and also for the alternative embodiment of the interface between injectably mixed back-mix reaction chamber and a tubular flow reactor of the realization of the reordering system Figure 12, as shown in FIG. referred to above with respect to Figures 17A and 17B. The shirt 2016 is repeated in Figure 20 as male thread 2012/2212. As described for the respective alternative embodiment to Figures 17A and 17B, the locking member 2108 is contained by rotation by key 2110 (as inserted into socket 1710 - Figure 17B) and the shield 2104 is in a non-slip attachment to the sleeve 2016. Ball bearings 2106 are in contact with shield 2104 (sleeve end 2016) to locking member 2108. Shield 2104 (sleeve 2016) rotates freely around key 2110 by virtue of uncontained circular opening 1714 (Figure 17A).

As discussed previously, Figures 22A-22C show details of the axial positioning 2200, 2230, and 2260 for the interface between the injectably blended dermo-mixing reaction chamber and the flowotubular reactor of the embodiment of the reactor system of Figure 20. Acamisa 2 016 is reprized in Figure 20 with male2012 / 2212 threading.

Figure 23 shows an additional detail 2300 in the sudden cooling inlet for the realization of the reactor system of Figure 20. In this regard, a vertical view of the liner 2016 and a locking pipe 2006 and alignment with the input shaft to inlet 2 are shown. 0 02 (Figure 20). Jacket 2016, lock tube 2006, spiral socket 2018 and axial socket 2032 (view 2028 of Figure 20) are all repeated in Figure 20. Position 2302 shows the alignment point of lock tube 2006 and spiral socket 2018 for the blast-cooled gas application to the 2016 liner to thereby coolly cool the inner space of the tubular flow reactor.

Figures 24A and 24B show details of the axial view for carrying out the reactor system of Figure 20. Figure 24A shows a right-facing view along the geometric axis 2014 (Figure 20) of the outside of the reactor system; Inputs 2060 and 2062 are reprized in Figure 20. Figure 24B shows the cross-sectional view 2450 through the geometric axis 2014 in the left facing orientation at 2022 (Figure 20); input2002 is reprized in Figure 20 and apertures 1704/1706 are reprized in Figures 17A and 17B.

Figures 25A and 25B show views 2500 and 2550 of two embodiments of the tubular flow reactor system having injectably mixed inlet zones (zone 2520 in both Figures 25A and Β), multi-position blast cooling and multi-position temperature sensing. Mixing zone 2520 in Figure 25A and Figure 25B shows a symbolic conical diverter 2502 with a full cone, highly similar to the conical diverter of Figure 16 and also Figure 12. System view 2500 of Figure 25A shows multiple thermocouples (such as thermocouple2510 ) and multiple coarse-cooled inlet ports (such as the coarse-cooled inlet port 2508) in housing 2512. The system view 2550 of Figure 25B shows a variable thermocouple 2504 and an inlet port seal with coarse-position thermocouple coarse cooling 2506 disposed within the internal space defined by the enclosure2514. The sudden cooling and temperature measurement is therefore highly similar in Figure 12 and Figure 25B for the tubular flow reactors of both embodiments. The systems of Figure 25A and Figure 25B are useful for providing reactor systems that are highly similar to the embodiments of Figures 12 and 20, except for the absence in Figures 25A and 25B of a separation deflector assembly that defines a transparent interface between a reaction chamber. injectable mixed back-mix and the tubular reactor. Under this aspect, the operation data of a system of Figure 25A or Figure 25B as compared to

operation of a system of Figure 12 or Figure 20, have value in indicating the effectiveness for the respective adjustments to the deflector interface (bulkhead 1232 / component 123 0 in Figure 12 or the threaded deflector assembly of Figure 20).

It should be understood that each of the elements described above or two or more together may also find useful application in other types of methods and constructions, which differ from the types described above. Although the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in the method and apparatus for the production of

methanol, it should not be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural alterations can be made without deviating in any way from the present invention. Without further analysis, the foregoing account will thus fully reveal the main point. of the present invention which others may readily adapt, applying current knowledge, to various applications without compromising features which, from a prior art point of view, constitute reasonably essential features of the generic or specific aspects of the present invention. What is claimed to be new and which should be protected by the Cudgel is indicated in the appended claims.

Claims (18)

1. APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING AT LEAST ONE ALKYL-OXYGENATED THROUGH THE ALKAN PARTIAL OXIDATION REACTION OF A GAS-CURRENT CONTAINING ALKAN AND DOOXYGEN CURRENT SYSTEM: The device is characterized by the fact that a low-pressure system is said to contain a oxygen system. reactor having an injection meltdown reaction chamber in fluid communication with a tubular flow reactor, wherein said alkane is selected from the group consisting of methane, ethane, propane and butane, said injection backmix reaction chamber having an inlet of alkane-containing gas, a deoxygen gas inlet, and a back-mix reaction chamber outlet, said tubular flow reactor has a tubular flow reactor inlet in fluid communication with the outlet of said back-mix reaction chamber; alkane-containing gas receives alkane-containing gas supply chain in said chamber reaction reaction injection blasting: said oxygen-containing gas inlet receives the oxygen-containing gas supply dcurrent in the injection back-mixing reaction dictachamber; and said injection back-mixing reaction chamber has a time period corresponding to a combined feed rate of said alkane-containing gas feed stream and said oxygen-containing gas feed stream sufficient for the induction of free alkyl radicals within said chamber. of the injection back-mixing reaction and to provide at least a portion of the alkyl free ditosadicals to said flowotubular reactor inlet. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said alkane comprises methane and said oxygenated alkyl comprises methanol. Apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that said oxygenated alkyl additionally comprises formaldehyde. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said oxygenated alkyl comprises ethanol. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said alkane-containing gas inlet and said oxygen-containing gas inlet are configured to turbulently agitate said chamber of the injection back-mix reaction through the injection-in-mixture of said alkane-containing gas feed stream of said oxygen-containing gas feed stream. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said injection-melting reaction chamber has a back-mixing reaction chamber housing, and said reactor system comprising a bulkhead at a slidably sealed interface with the said shell of the reaction chamber; wherein said injection-blending reaction chamber has an internal volume of the injection-blending reaction chamber defined by said casing of the back-mixing reaction chamber and said bulkhead, said casing of the back-mixing reaction chamber has a portion of the casing in it. an opposite disposition to said shield; and said bulkhead may slidably move during the real-time operation of said reactor system to progress within said injection-mold reaction chamber housing to said portion of the housing to thereby commensurately decrease the internal volume of the retromix reaction reaction chamber. by injection, and said shield may alternatively slidably move during the real-time operation of said reactor system within said back-reaction reaction chamber housing by injection so as to retract away from said portion of the shell to thereby commensurately expand the internal volume. of said injection blending reaction chamber. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said reactor system has a respective time space for a combined feed rate of said alkane-containing feed stream and said oxygen-containing feed stream of no more. than 40 seconds. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said time-frame for adding injection back-mix reaction chamber with respect to a combined feed rate of said alkane-containing feed stream and said oxygen-containing feed stream is no more than 1.5 seconds. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said tubular flow reactor has an outlet of the tubular flow reactor, and said tubular flow reactor has at least one refrigerant gas inlet disposed between said reactor inlet. of flow-through and add outlet of the flow-reactor to receive a refrigerant stream and thereby quench the said flow-reactor with sudden cooling. Apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that said flow reactor has a shaft, and said refrigerant gas inlet is movable along said axis during operation of said flow-tube reactor. Apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that said tubular flow reactor carries a reaction product stream from said tubular flow reactor outlet, and said apparatus further comprising a scrubber in fluid communication with said tubular flow reactor. tubular flow reactor for condensing at least one oxygenated alkylate of said reaction product stream through contact of said liquid absorbing common reaction product stream. Apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that said absorber is additionally comprised of the carbon dioxide of said reaction product stream. Apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that said alkane comprisesethane, a first oxygenated alkyl comprises methanol, a second oxygenated alkyl comprises formaldehyde, and said absorbent absorbs methanol and formaldehyde from said reaction product stream. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said injection melt reaction chamber 1 has an internal volume defined in part by a cylindrical surface having an axis of the injection melt reaction chamber, and said injection melt chamber. an oxygen-containing gas supply stream is inserted into said internal volume of a plurality of openings disposed along said axis and in an orientation not parallel to said axis. Apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that said injection melt reaction chamber has an internal flow diverter defined by a conical surface having an axis, said diverter defines a conical base at one end of said apparatus. axis, said conical surface defines an axial end at the other end of said axis, said axis of said diverter is aligned with said axis of said injection back-mix reaction chamber, said diverter is disposed within said housing such that said outlet of the melt reaction chamber is closer to said apex end than said conical base, and said oxygen-containing feed stream is inserted into said internal flow space of a plurality of openings disposed along said axis of the back mix reaction chamber by injection and in a non-parallel orientation with said axis of the back mix reaction chamber porinj ejection. Apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that said alkane-containing gas feed stream comprises the alkane of a recycle stream of said scrubber. Apparatus according to claim 16, characterized in that said recycle stream provides a weight percent ratio of from about 4: 5 to about 20:21 of alkane in the alkane-containing gas feed stream. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that said apparatus further comprises a centrifugal fan arranged to depressurize said alkane-containing gas feed stream into the said back-mixing reaction chamber by injection.