Multistage reactor for performing exothermic equilibrium reactions

A reactor for performing exothermic equilibrium reactions, in which a feed gas mixture and/or a residual gas mixture is/are at least partly convertible over a solid catalyst, wherein a product gas mixture and a residual gas mixture are obtainable, wherein the product gas mixture contains a liquid reaction product which is condensable at reaction pressure and below the reaction temperature, the reactor comprising:

• a reactor shell and a multitude of series-connected and mutually fluid-connected reactor cells disposed within the reactor shell, wherein
• each reactor cell comprises the following series-connected and mutually fluid-connected reactor cell elements:
• a reaction apparatus configured for converting the feed gas mixture and/or the residual gas mixture to the product gas mixture, having the solid catalyst and a cooling apparatus which is in a heat-exchanging relationship with the solid catalyst and through which a cooling medium can flow;
• a cooling-down apparatus configured for cooling down the product gas mixture exiting from the reaction apparatus;
• a phase separation apparatus configured for condensing and separating the liquid reaction product from the cooled-down product gas mixture, where the condensed liquid phase contains the reaction product, and the gaseous phase the residual gas mixture;
• and wherein each reactor cell comprises
• a means of discharging the reaction product from the reactor cell, and
• a means of discharging the residual gas mixture from the reactor cell, and
• a means of feeding the residual gas mixture to a downstream reactor cell, if present;
• and wherein the reactor has
• a multitude of reactor planes disposed in a mutually parallel arrangement within the reactor shell, where reactor cell elements of the same kind are disposed in the same reactor plane.