High pressure parallel fixed bed reactor and method

A system for evaluating four or more catalysts, the system comprising

• four or more reactor vessels, each of the four or more reactor vessels having a reaction cavity, an inlet port in fluid communication with the reaction cavity for receiving a reactant feed stream into the reaction cavity, and an outlet port in fluid communication with the reaction cavity for discharging a reactor effluent stream out of the reaction cavity,
• an inlet fluid distribution system for providing fluid communication between at least one fluid source and each of the four or more reactor vessels,
• an analytical measurement system for evaluating reaction products or unreacted reactants in the reaction cavity or in the reactor effluent stream of each of the four or more reactor vessels,
• an outlet fluid distribution system for providing fluid communication between the analytical measurement system and each of the four or more reactor vessels,
• a housing for enclosing the reactor vessels, the housing defining a pressure chamber, the housing being configured to sustain a pressure above atmospheric pressure, and
• an inlet port in fluid communication with the housing for pressurizing the pressure chamber from an external pressure source.

A multiport valve assembly, comprising:

• a valve body having a plurality of input and output ports for transporting fluids, the valve body having an inner surface defining a cavity in fluidic communication with the input ports and output ports;
• a valve rotor seated in the cavity, the valve rotor being operable to selectively direct an input fluid from an input port to a selected one of the output ports, the input fluid being introduced at an internal fluid pressure;
• and
• a pressure chamber enclosing the interface region, the pressure chamber being in fluidic communication with a pressure source for maintaining the pressure chamber at a pressure approximately equal to the internal fluid pressure of the multiport valve, at least a portion of the valve body being disposed outside of the pressure chamber.