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US 5,334,357 AGranted
Turbulent flow reactor
AssigneeThe Dow Chemical Company
InventorsJames H. Benton, Jack Broodo, John B. Ivy, Kirk A. Leissner, Ellroy G. Fox
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A process for turbulently flowing together reactants in uniform proportions in a reactor vessel. A process for producing ethylbenzene by reacting ethylene and benzene in the presence of a catalyst in a reactor vessel from which useful heat generated by the reaction is transferred to a heat transfer medium flowing through the reactor and in which the reaction occurs in a relatively short time period. In one embodiment, polyethylbenzenes produced in the reactor vessel are not recycled into the vessel. A reactor for a reaction of reactant materials that are uniformly and turbulently mixed together.
Claims7
A reactor system for a reaction between reactant materials which produces reaction products, the reactor comprising
- a hollow vessel having a first end, a second end, and a reaction product outlet from which, when in operation, products of a reaction in the vessel are discharged from the vessel;
- a plurality of serially connected set of reaction tubes, each set comprising at least one reaction tube, each reaction tube having an interior, an exterior surface, a first end and a second end and mounted horizontally within the vessel extending from the first end of the vessel to the second end of the vessel, the first end of odd numbered sets of tubes being an inlet end for the tubes of each such odd numbered set and the second end of even numbered sets of tubes being an inlet for the tubes of each such even numbered set;
- a first chamber disposed at the first end of the vessel for receiving first reactant material;
- the first end of each reaction tube of a first set of the plurality of sets of reaction tubes communicating with the first chamber so that first reactant materials flows turbulently with a pressure drop from the first chamber into the interior of at least one reaction tube of the first set through the first end thereof;
- a hollow sparger disposed partially in the inlet end of each of the at least one reaction tube of the first set into and through which second reactant material flows turbulently with a pressure drop into the interior of the at least one reaction tube for reacting therein with the first reactant material;
- the second end of each reaction tube of the first set communicating with the inlet end of each reaction tube of the second set in a first chamber at the second end of the vessel, the first end of the second set of reaction tubes communicating with the reaction product outlet so that, when in operation, reaction product in the vessel flows from the first set of reaction tubes to and through at least one reaction tube of the second set of reaction tubes and thereafter to and through the reaction product outlet and out of the vessel.
3 more elements
A reactor system for a reaction between a first and second reactant materials which produces reaction products, comprising a reactor having a first end and a second end and having:
- an elongated cylindrical shell section having first and second closed ends and a plurality of sets of transverse reactor tubes within the shell section, each tube having an interior, an exterior surface, a first end and a second end;
- a first primary tube sheet at to the first end of the shell section and having a tube side and a chamber side, the first end of the reactor tubes extending through the first primary tube sheet;
- a second primary tube sheet at the second end of the shell section and having a tube side and a chamber side, the second end of the reactor tubes extending through the second primary tube sheet;
- a first secondary tube sheet at the first end of the shell section distal from the first primary tube sheet, having a reaction chamber side and a reactant chamber side and spaced apart from the chamber side of the first primary tube sheet by an annular wall and a plurality of inner walls, the inner walls and opposing surfaces of the first primary and first secondary tube sheets defining a plurality of first end reaction chambers, the first ends of each set of reactor tubes being in fluid communication with a respective first end reaction chamber;
- a second secondary tube sheet at the second end of the shell section distal from the second primary tube sheet, having a reaction chamber side and a reactant chamber side and spaced apart from the chamber side of the second primary tube sheet by an annular wall and a plurality of inner walls, the inner walls and the opposing surfaces of the second primary and second secondary tube sheets defining a plurality of second end reaction chambers, the second ends of each set of reactor tubes being in fluid communication with a respective second end reaction chamber;
- a first set of reactant chambers for the second distal from the first secondary tube sheet and defined by an annular chamber wall and a plurality of inner walls and means for closing the first end of the reactor;
- a second set of reactant chambers for the second reactant, distal from the second secondary tube sheet and defined by an annular chamber wall and a plurality of inner walls and means for closing the second end of the reactor;
- means for charging the first reactant into a first end reactant chamber;
- means for charging second reactant into each of the reaction chambers for the second reactant;
- a plurality of spargers, traversing at least one of the first end reaction chambers, each such sparger having an inlet end in a chamber of the first set of reactant chambers for the second reactant and a nozzle end protruding into at least one reaction tube of each corresponding odd numbered set of reaction tubes to provide fluid communication from the first set of reactant chambers for the second reactant to the interior of each reaction tube of each odd numbered set of reaction tubes;
- a plurality of spargers, traversing at least one of the second end reaction chambers, each such sparger having an inlet end in a chamber of the second set of chambers for the second reactant and a nozzle end protruding into at least one reaction tube of each corresponding even numbered set of reactant tubes to provide fluid communication from the second set of reactant chambers for the second reactant to the interior of each reaction tube of each even numbered set of reaction tubes;
- means for removing reaction product from the reactor via a reaction chamber other than the first, first end reaction chamber;
- means for charging first reactant into the first, first end reaction chamber in fluid communication with the means for removing reactor product from the reactor, via, in series, respective reaction chambers and sets of tubes;
- and
- a heat transfer medium inlet and outlet for flowing a heat transfer medium through that portion of the reactor system defined by the shell section, the tube sides of the first and second primary tube sheets and the exterior surface of the tubes, so that, when in operation, the heat transfer medium contacts the exterior surface of said reactor tubes in a heat exchange relationship without contacting the reactants.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.