Enhanced efficiency endothermic reactor for syngas production with flexible heat recovery to meet low export steam generation

An apparatus for conducting endothermic reactions able to meet the heat balance with a null or limited amount of export steam, through a flexible heat recovery, comprising:

• a combustion chamber having a closed bottom end, an open top end, two opposite end walls, and two opposite side walls;
• an upper convection chamber, in communication with said combustion chamber through said open top end, allowing the flow of flue gas through a plurality of convection channels in flow communication with a top plenum chamber connected to an outlet flue gas channel;
• a plurality of catalytic vessels arranged at a distance and disposed in line or staggered along a centerline of the combustion and convection chamber in such a way that a bottom portion is immersed in the combustion chamber and a remaining top portion is immersed in the convection chamber wherein the portion of the catalytic vessel immersed in the combustion chamber is such that the flue gas temperature at its exit and inlet of the convection chamber is below the allowable limit temperature of the extended surface material;
• wherein each catalytic vessel comprises an open top end and a closed bottom end, and an inner heat transfer tube with both ends open, wherein an annular space is delimited by the catalytic vessel and the inner heat transfer tube, and the annular space is filled with a plurality of discrete annular enhanced catalytic devices carrying a catalytic active species and stacked within the annular space, wherein said plurality of discrete annular enhanced catalytic devices are configured to be a heat transfer promoter and to avoid the transmission of a mechanical stress between the catalytic vessel and the inner heat transfer tube;
• a plurality of annular flow deviators, with one flow deviator from the plurality interposed between each two stacked discrete annular enhanced catalytic devices,
• wherein the plurality of flow deviators comprise a first sheet and a second sheet having a different shape than the first sheet, wherein the first and the second sheets are interposed between the catalytic devices in alternating couples, so as to obtain a radial component of the gas flow through the stack of catalytic devices, the radial flow alternating from radially outward to radially inward in each alternating stacked catalytic device, and so as to increase the average gas velocity through the catalytic devices, and wherein the flow deviators are made from high alloys materials;
• a plurality of side fired burners disposed in parallel lines along the side walls of the combustion chamber on two or more firing levels, said burners being configured for a specific firing capacity and each configured to be regulated with firing control, wherein the specific firing capacity and regulated firing control is configured to be adequate to realize an assigned firing pattern,
• and each further configured to distribute the heat required by the endothermic process without exceeding the allowable tube skin temperatures of the plurality of catalytic vessels, and without the need for a heat distributor metal device between the plurality of burners and the catalytic vessels;
• wherein there is no heat distributor metal device between the plurality of burners and the catalytic vessels.