Catalytic reactor

A catalytic reactor for an exothermal reaction with a radial process fluid flow, said reactor comprising,

• a reactor shell having a reactor shell volume arranged to hold at least one catalyst bed,
• a center process fluid passage and at least one outer process fluid passage, both arranged within the reactor shell,
• at least one reactant inlet and at least one product outlet,
• wherein said reactor further comprises:
• at least one process fluid flow guide adapted to guide the process fluid flow from each reactant inlet in a flow path with a direction radially outwards relative to the center axis of the reactor towards the reactor shell and from the reactor shell in a direction radially inwards relative to the center axis of the reactor towards each product outlet, and
• wherein the center process fluid passage comprises each reactant inlet or each product outlet, and, respectively, each outer process fluid passage comprises each product outlet or each reactant inlet, whereby the process fluid flows in a radial plane in the reactor through each catalyst bed from each reactant inlet, guided around each process fluid flow guide to each product outlet,
• wherein each process fluid flow guide has a U-shape or a V-shape in a cross sectional view of the reactor, and each outer process fluid passage is arranged within the V-shape or U-shape of each process fluid flow guide, thereby requiring the process fluid to flow from each reactant inlet and around the ends of the V-shape or U-shape of each process fluid flow guide before the process fluid can flow to each product outlet, and
• wherein each process fluid flow guide is adapted to provide cooling for each catalyst bed.