Process for preparing aromatic amines in a fluidized-bed reactor

A process for preparing aromatic amines by catalytic hydrogenation of the corresponding nitro compound in a fluidized-bed reactor, in which a gaseous reaction mixture comprising the nitro compound and hydrogen flows from the bottom upward through a heterogeneous particulate catalyst forming a fluidized bed, wherein the fluidized bed is provided with internals which divide the fluidized bed into a plurality of cells arranged horizontally in the fluidized-bed reactor and a plurality of cells arranged vertically in the fluidized-bed reactor, with the cells having cell walls which are permeable to gas and have openings which ensure an exchange number of the heterogeneous, particulate catalyst in the vertical direction in the range from 1 to 100 liters/hour per liter of reactor volume, wherein the internals are configured as cross-channel packing having creased gas-permeable metal sheets, expanded metal sheets or woven meshes which are arranged in parallel to one another in the vertical direction in the fluidized-bed reactor and have creases which form flat areas between the creases having an angle of inclination to the vertical which is different from zero, with the flat areas between the creases of successive metal sheets, expanded metal sheets or woven meshes having the same angle of inclination but with the opposite sign so as to form cells which are delimited in the vertical direction by constrictions between the creases.