Low pressure drop packing material structures

A geometrically shaped solid comprising:

• a cylindrical body formed by a surface of revolution around a curved axis of revolution, wherein the surface of revolution is at a distance R1 from the axis of revolution in a plane perpendicular from the axis of revolution;
• one or more channels circumscribing a helical path around the cylindrical body, wherein the one or more channels have a crest at the surface of revolution of the cylindrical body and a trough within the cylindrical body, and the trough is at a distance R2 from the axis of revolution;
• and
• a length Lb extending from a first face of the cylindrical body to a second face of the cylindrical body, wherein the shaped solid is catalytically active.

A process for dehydrating alcohols, the process comprising:

• exposing an alcohol to a packed bed reactor to form a dehydration product, the packed bed reactor comprising:
• a vessel comprising a shell, an inlet, and an outlet, wherein the space inside the shell between the inlet and outlet forms an internal volume;
• a plurality of packing material structures filling at least a portion of the internal volume thereby forming a packed volume;
• wherein:
• the packed volume has a void fraction;
• the packing material structures provide an aggregate surface area;
• the packing material structures comprise a longitudinal axis, a cross-sectional shape, and a twisted shape around the longitudinal axis;
• and
• the vessel has a pressure drop between the vessel inlet and vessel outlet, wherein the pressure drop is less than 1.0 times that of a packed bed of the packing material without the twisted shape;
• and
• collecting the dehydration product.

A process for modification of an organic material, the process comprising:

• exposing an organic material to a packed bed reactor to form a modified organic material product, the packed bed reactor comprising:
• a vessel comprising a shell, an inlet, and an outlet, wherein the space inside the shell between the inlet and outlet forms an internal volume;
• a plurality of packing material structures filling at least a portion of the internal volume thereby forming a packed volume
• wherein:
• the packed volume has a void fraction;
• the packing material structures provide an aggregate surface area;
• the packing material structures comprise a longitudinal axis, a cross-sectional diameter, and a twisted shape around the longitudinal axis;
• and
• the vessel has a pressure drop between the vessel inlet and vessel outlet, wherein the pressure drop is less than 1.0 times that of a packed bed of the packing material without the twisted shape;
• and
• collecting the modified organic material product;
• wherein:
• the exposing comprises cracking, reforming, hydrogenating, oxidizing, dehydrogenating, dehydrating, polymerizing, alkylating or dealkylating aryl compounds, isomerizing, or hydrodesulfurizing the organic material into the modified organic material product.