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US 6,680,044 B1Granted
Method for gas phase reactant catalytic reactions
AssigneeBattelle Memorial Institute
InventorsAnna Lee Y. Tonkovich, Yong Wang, Sean P. Fitzgerald, Jennifer L. Marco, Gary L. Roberts, David P. VanderWiel, Robert S. Wegeng
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention provides chemical reactors and reaction chambers and methods for conducting catalytic chemical reactions having gas phase reactants. In preferred embodiments, these reaction chambers and methods include at least one porous catalyst material that has pore sizes large enough to permit molecular diffusion within the porous catalyst material.
Claims92
A method of hydrocarbon steam reforming comprising:
- passing a reactant stream comprising steam and hydrocarbon into at least one reaction chamber;
- said reaction chamber having an internal volume wherein said internal volume has dimensions of chamber height, chamber width and chamber length;
- wherein said at least one reaction chamber comprises a chamber height or chamber width that is 2 mm or less;
- wherein said at least one reaction chamber has a beginning and an end and wherein said chamber length is the distance from the beginning to the end of the reaction chamber;
- wherein said reactant stream entering the beginning of the reaction chamber is converted to a product stream exiting the reaction chamber;
- said product stream comprising hydrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide;
- wherein the hydrocarbon in the hydrocarbon steam reforming has an equilibrium conversion;
- wherein at least 70% of said equilibrium conversion of the hydrocarbon entering the beginning of said at least one reaction chamber is converted to hydrogen, carbon monoxide and/or carbon dioxide;
- and
- wherein said hydrocarbon has a contact time of less than 300 milliseconds.
7 more elements
A method of conducting a chemical reaction comprising:
- passing a gaseous reactant into a bulk flow path of a reaction chamber;
- said reaction chamber having an internal volume, defined by reaction chamber walls, wherein said internal volume has dimensions of chamber height, chamber width and chamber length;
- wherein said at least one reaction chamber comprises a chamber height or chamber width that is about 2 mm or less;
- wherein a porous catalyst material is disposed within said internal volume and in close contact with a reaction chamber wall, wherein said porous catalyst material has a porous internal structure such that the gaseous reactant can diffuse molecularly within the material;
- wherein the gaseous reactant reacts in the porous catalyst material to form at least one product;
- and
- wherein said bulk flow path is contiguous throughout said chamber length.
4 more elements
A method of conducting a chemical reaction in a chemical reactor comprising:
- passing a gaseous reactant into a first and/or second compartment;
- wherein a partition is disposed between the first compartment and the second compartment;
- wherein said partition comprises a fluid distribution layer;
- wherein said first compartment has an internal volume;
- wherein said internal volume has dimensions of compartment height, compartment width and compartment length;
- wherein said first compartment comprises a compartment height or compartment width that is about 2 mm or less;
- wherein said first compartment comprises a porous catalyst material;
- wherein a gas travels through said partition;
- and
- wherein said first compartment comprises at least one open space that permits bulk flow of a gas.
7 more elements
A method of conducting a chemical reaction in a chemical reactor comprising:
- passing a gaseous reactant into a first and/or second compartment;
- wherein a partition is disposed between the first compartment and the second compartment;
- wherein said partition comprises a separating agent;
- wherein said first compartment has an internal volume
- wherein said internal volume has dimensions of compartment height, compartment width and compartment length;
- wherein said first compartment comprises a compartment height or compartment width that is about 2 mm or less;
- wherein said first compartment comprises a porous catalyst material;
- wherein a gas travels through said partition;
- and
- wherein said first compartment comprises at least one open space that permits bulk flow of a gas and is disposed between the partition and the porous catalyst material;
- and
- wherein said second compartment comprises at least one open space that permits bulk flow of a gas.
9 more elements
A method of conducting a chemical reaction in a chemical reactor comprising:
- passing a first gaseous reactant into a first compartment of a reaction chamber;
- wherein said reaction chamber comprises a porous catalyst material, a first compartment and a second compartment;
- wherein said first compartment has an internal volume;
- wherein said internal volume has dimensions of compartment height, compartment width and compartment length;
- wherein said first compartment comprises a compartment height or compartment width that is about 2 mm or less;
- wherein said porous catalyst material is disposed between said first compartment and said second compartment;
- passing a second gaseous reactant into the second compartment of a reaction chamber;
- wherein the second gaseous reactant reacts with the first gaseous reactant within said porous catalyst material to form at least one product;
- and
- wherein said first compartment and said second compartment comprise open spaces that permit bulk flow of a gas;
- and
- recycling at least a portion of the at least one product back into said reaction chamber.
9 more elements
A method of conducting a chemical reaction in a chemical reactor, comprising:
- passing a first gaseous reactant into a first compartment of a reaction chamber;
- passing a second gaseous reactant into a second compartment of a reaction chamber;
- wherein the first compartment has an internal volume wherein the internal volume has dimensions of compartment height, compartment width and compartment length;
- wherein the second compartment has a second internal volume wherein the second internal volume has dimensions of compartment height, compartment width and compartment length;
- wherein the second compartment comprises a compartment height or compartment width that is 2 mm or less, and further wherein the second compartment comprises a porous catalyst material;
- wherein the reaction chamber comprises a wall that separates the first and second compartments and wherein orifices through the wall allow gas to flow from the first to the second compartment;
- wherein the pressure in the first compartment is greater than the pressure in the second compartment;
- and
- wherein the first gaseous reactant passes in a distributed fashion through the orifices through the wall and reacts in the second compartment with the second gaseous reactant along the length of the second compartment to form a product.
6 more elements
A method of conducting a chemical reaction in a chemical reactor comprising:
- passing a gaseous reactant into a first compartment of a reaction chamber;
- wherein said reaction chamber comprises a porous catalyst material insert, a first compartment and a second compartment;
- wherein said first compartment has an internal volume wherein said internal volume has dimensions of compartment height, compartment width and compartment length;
- wherein said first compartment comprises a compartment height or compartment width that is about 2 mm or less;
- wherein said porous catalyst material insert is disposed between said first compartment and said second compartment;
- wherein the gaseous reactant reacts within the porous catalyst material to form at least one product;
- and
- wherein said first compartment and said second compartment comprise open spaces that permit bulk flow of a gas.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.