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US 2003/0170155 A1Published application
Flow distributor
AssigneeShell Oil Company
InventorsEric Sevenhuijsen, Hendrik Martinus Wentinck
Life of this patent
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AssigneeShell Oil Company
InventorsEric Sevenhuijsen, Hendrik Martinus Wentinck
Estimating the term…
A reactor comprising a catalyst bed (1) having a central longitudinal axis, which catalyst bed has an upstream surface (2) perpendicular to the central longidutinal axis, and a distribution chamber (4) for directing a gaseaous mixture of reactants to the upstream surface (2) of the catalyst bed (1), which distribution chamber (4) has an inlet (5) for tangentially introducing the mixture into the distribution chamber (4), the distribution chamber (4) being defined by the upstream surface (2) of the catalyst bed (1), a sife surface (6) having a central longitudinal axis that coincides with the central longitudinal axis of the catalyst bed (1), and a covering surface (7) formed such that the distance between the upstream surface (2) of the catalyst bed (1) and the covering surface (7) is monotonically decreasing towards the central longitudinal axis. The invention further relates to a fuel cell system comprising such a reactor and a fuel cell and to a process for the catalytic oxidation of hydrocarbonaceous fuel using such a reactor.
A reactor comprising a catalyst bed having a central longitudinal axis, which catalyst bed has an upstream surface perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis, and a distribution chamber for directing a gaseous mixture of reactants to the upstream surface of the catalyst bed, which distribution chamber has an inlet for tangentially introducing the mixture into the distribution chamber, the distribution chamber being defined by the upstream surface of the catalyst bed, a side surface having a central longitudinal axis that coincides with the central longitudinal axis of the catalyst bed, and a covering surface formed such that the distance between the upstream surface of the catalyst bed and the covering surface is monotonically decreasing towards the central longitudinal axis.
A reactor comprising an annular catalyst bed having a central longitudinal axis, which catalyst bed has an upstream surface perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis, and an annular distribution chamber for directing a gaseous mixture of reactants to the upstream surface of the catalyst bed, which distribution chamber has an inlet for tangentially introducing the mixture into the distribution chamber, the distribution chamber being defined by the upstream surface of the catalyst bed, a side surface having a central longitudinal axis that coincides with the central longitudinal axis of the catalyst bed, and a covering surface formed such that the distance between the upstream surface of the catalyst bed and the covering surface is constant.
A reactor according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising a spiral mixing channel for mixing reactants to obtain the gaseous mixture of reactants, having an inlet for the reactants and an outlet, wherein the outlet of the mixing channel is in fluid communication with the inlet of the distribution chamber.
A reactor according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the ratio of the diameter of the upstream surface to the largest distance between the upstream surface and the covering surface is at least 5, preferably at least 10, more preferably at least 15.
A reactor according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising an inlet channel for supplying part of the mixture of reactants to the upstream surface of the catalyst bed, the inlet channel having an outlet opening into the covering surface.
A reactor according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the catalyst bed comprises a catalyst for the partial oxidation of a hydrocarbonaceous fuel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.