# US 10,118,150 B2 · Reactor and temperature control method thereof

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- Number: US 10,118,150 B2
- Document ID: US10118150B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/345,175
- Filed: 2016-11-07
- Published: 2017-10-05
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-03-31
- Assignees: National Tsing Hua University
- Applicants: National Tsing Hua University
- Inventors: Fan-Gang Tseng; Chun Liu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10118150B2

## CPC

- B01J 19/249: {Plate-type reactors}
- B01J 8/0438: {the beds being placed next to each other}
- B01J 8/0496: {Heating or cooling the reactor}
- B01J 19/0013: {Controlling the temperature of the process}
- B01J 19/0093: {Microreactors, e.g. miniaturised or microfabricated reactors (laboratory containers with capillary fluid transport in microfabricated channels or chambers B01L3/5027)}
- C01B 3/326: characterised by the catalysts
- C01B 3/40: characterised by the catalyst
- C01B 17/00: Sulfur; Compounds thereof
- B01J 2208/025: Two or more types of catalyst
- B01J 2219/00063: of the reactants
- B01J 2219/00159: controlling multiple zones along the direction of flow, e.g. pre-heating and after-cooling
- B01J 2219/00788: Three-dimensional assemblies, i.e. the reactor comprising a form other than a stack of plates
- B01J 2219/00792: One or more tube-shaped elements
- B01J 2219/00795: Spiral-shaped
- B01J 2219/00835: Comprising catalytically active material
- B01J 2219/1923: square or square-derived
- C01B 2203/0233: the reforming step being a steam reforming step
- C01B 2203/0261: containing a catalytic partial oxidation step [CPO]
- C01B 2203/0883: by indirect heat exchange
- C01B 2203/1029: Catalysts in the form of a foam
- C01B 2203/1076: Copper or zinc-based catalysts
- C01B 2203/1223: Methanol
- C01B 2203/1247: Higher hydrocarbons
- C01B 2203/143: Three or more reforming, decomposition or partial oxidation steps in series
- C01B 2203/1614: Controlling the temperature
- Y02P 20/52: using catalysts, e.g. selective catalysts
- B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS
- C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C}
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A reactor suitable for a reaction containing an exothermic reaction is provided. The reactor includes the following components. A reaction channel has an inlet and an outlet, and has a front-end reaction zone, middle-end reaction zones, and a back-end reaction zone from the inlet to the outlet. A front-end catalyst support and a front-end catalyst are located in the front-end reaction zone, a middle-end catalyst support and a middle-end catalyst are respectively located in the middle-end reaction zones, and a back-end catalyst support and a back-end catalyst are located in the back-end reaction zone. The concentration of the front-end catalyst is less than the concentration of the back-end catalyst, and the concentration of the middle-end catalyst is decided via a computer simulation of reaction parameters. The reaction parameters include size and geometric shape of the reaction channel.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A reactor suitable for a reaction containing an exothermic reaction, wherein the reactor comprises:
a reaction channel having an inlet and an outlet, and the reaction channel has a front-end reaction zone, middle-end reaction zones, and a back-end reaction zone from the inlet to the outlet;
a front-end catalyst support, a middle-end catalyst support, and a back-end catalyst support are respectively located in the front-end reaction zone, the middle-end reaction zones, and the back-end reaction zone; and
a front-end catalyst, a middle-end catalyst, and a back-end catalyst are respectively located on the front-end catalyst support, the middle-end catalyst support, and the back-end catalyst support, wherein
a concentration of the front-end catalyst in the front-end reaction zone is less than a concentration of the back-end catalyst in the back-end reaction zone, and a concentration of the middle-end catalyst in each of the middle-end reaction zones is decided by a computer simulation of reaction parameters, and the reaction parameters comprise a size and a geometric shape of the reaction channel, and
wherein the geometric shape of the reaction channel comprises spiral, bellow, or a microreactor chamber array.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the exothermic reaction comprises an oxidative steam reforming of methanol, a methanol partial oxidation reaction, a sulfur dioxide oxidation reaction, or an ethylene partial oxidation reaction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the front-end reaction zone, the middle-end reaction zones, and the back-end reaction zone are separately disposed from one another.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein materials of the front-end catalyst, the middle-end catalyst, and the back-end catalyst comprise copper-palladium-cerium-zinc catalyst, copper-manganese-zinc catalyst, vanadium pentoxide, or silver.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein materials of the front-end catalyst support, the middle-end catalyst support, and the back-end catalyst support comprise metal foam, ceramic foam, or ceramic particles.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein a specific surface area of the front-end catalyst support is less than or equal to a specific surface area of the back-end catalyst support.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the reaction parameters further comprise at least one of a reaction heat of the exothermic reaction, concentrations and flow rates of reactants, a thermal conductivity and a specific surface area of the middle-end catalyst support, a thermal conductivity of the middle-end catalyst, and a thermal conductivity of the reaction channel.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the concentration of the back-end catalyst is greater than the concentration of the middle-end catalyst, and the concentration of the middle-end catalyst is greater than the concentration of the front-end catalyst.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The reactor of claim 8, wherein a mode of change from the concentration of the middle-end catalyst closest to the inlet to the concentration of the middle-end catalyst closest to the outlet comprises monotonically increasing, monotonically decreasing, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The reactor of claim 8, wherein the concentrations of the middle-end catalyst in the middle-end reaction zones are the same.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The reactor of claim 1, wherein the concentration of the front-end catalyst and the concentration of the back-end catalyst are decided by the computer simulation of the reaction parameters.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The reactor of claim 11, wherein the reaction parameters further comprise at least one of thermal conductivities and specific surface areas of the front-end catalyst support and the back-end catalyst support, thermal conductivities of the front-end catalyst and the back-end catalyst, and a thermal conductivity of the reaction channel.