GB1112200A - Exothermic catalytic reaction apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

1,112,200. Heat-exchanging reactor. JAPAN GAS-CHEMICAL CO., Inc. 24 Aug., 1965, No. 36350/65. Heading B1X. A catalytic reactor for exothermic gas phase reactions has a fixed catalyst bed cooled by heat exchange with feed gas which is passed through the bed in double concentric tubes, the inner of which receives the gas at one end, is closed at the other and delivers the gas through apertures spaced at intervals along its wall to the outer tube which is closed at the entry end of the inner tube and open at the closed end of the inner tube. The feed gas thereby cools the bed before passing to the entry zone of the catalyst bed. In Fig. 5, feed gas enters the apparatus from valve 8 by pipe 9 to the space 12 between the reactor pressure shell 1 and the bed container 2, and passes thence through heat exchanger 3 to the cooling tubes 22 along with gas from pipe 10 and exchanger by-pass 28. The heated gases pass from zone 17 through central pipe 18 to bed entry zone 19. Reacted gases leave by exchanger 3 and pipe 27. In another embodiment (Fig. 1, not shown), straight cooling tubes are used, which are alternately cocurrent with and countercurrent to the flow of the gases in the bed, gas being supplied to the tubes from both ends of the reactor. The apparatus is of particular application in the high temperature and high pressure synthesis of ammonia and methanol.