A catalytic reactor is provided with one or more reaction zones each formed of set(s) of reaction tubes containing a catalyst to promote chemical reaction within a feed stream. The reaction tubes are of helical configuration and are arranged in a substantially coaxial relationship to form a coil-lik
A catalytic reactor is provided with one or more reaction zones each formed of set(s) of reaction tubes containing a catalyst to promote chemical reaction within a feed stream. The reaction tubes are of helical configuration and are arranged in a substantially coaxial relationship to form a coil-like structure. Heat exchangers and steam generators can be formed by similar tube arrangements. In such manner, the reaction zone(s) and hence, the reactor is compact and the pressure drop through components is minimized. The resultant compact form has improved heat transfer characteristics and is far easier to thermally insulate than prior art compact reactor designs. Various chemical reactions are contemplated within such coil-like structures such that as steam methane reforming followed by water-gas shift. The coil-like structures can be housed within annular chambers of a cylindrical housing that also provide flow paths for various heat exchange fluids to heat and cool components.
대표청구항▼
What is claimed is: 1. A catalytic reactor to catalytically react a feed stream and thereby produce a product stream, said catalytic reactor comprising: a housing; at least one reaction zone; the at least one reaction zone located within the housing and having a set of separate reaction tubes to pr
What is claimed is: 1. A catalytic reactor to catalytically react a feed stream and thereby produce a product stream, said catalytic reactor comprising: a housing; at least one reaction zone; the at least one reaction zone located within the housing and having a set of separate reaction tubes to provide parallel flow paths for subsidiary feed streams composed of the feed stream, the reaction tubes containing a catalyst to promote a chemical reaction within the subsidiary feed streams thereby, to produce the product stream from subsidiary product streams formed within the reaction tubes; the set of separate reaction tubes being of helical configuration and positioned, at least substantially, in the coaxial arrangement to form a coil-like structure; at least one reaction feed inlet in communication with the at least one reaction zone to introduce the feed stream into the at least one reaction zone and configured so that the feed stream flows within the set of separate reaction tubes as the subsidiary feed streams; and at least one product outlet in communication with the at least one reaction zone and configured so as to receive the subsidiary product streams and thereby to discharge the product stream. 2. The catalytic reactor of claim 1, wherein: said feed stream is a hydrocarbon and steam containing feed stream; said at least one reaction zone is a first reaction zone and a second reaction zone having reaction tubes sized and positioned such that the coil-like structure of the first reaction zone is a first coil-like structure and the coil like structure of the second reaction zone is a second coil-like structure; the catalyst is a reforming catalyst located within the first reaction zone to promote reforming of said hydrocarbon and steam containing feed stream, thereby to form subsidiary intermediate product streams containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide and a water-gas shift catalyst located within the second reaction zone to increase the hydrogen content in the product stream over that of said intermediate product stream; a set of heat exchange tubes communicates between the reaction tubes of the first reaction zone and the second reaction zone to cool the subsidiary intermediate product streams through indirect heat exchange with a cooling fluid thereby to promote temperatures within the second reaction zone that favor hydrogen production via the water-gas shift reaction; the heat exchange tubes are of helical configuration and are positioned, at least substantially, in the coaxial arrangement to form a third coil-like structure; and the first coil-like structure, the second coil-like structure and the third coil-like structure positioned within the housing in a coaxial relationship. 3. The catalytic reactor of claim 2, wherein: the housing is cylindrical and has coaxial, annular chambers; the first reaction zone is located in one of the annular chambers; the set of heat exchange tubes and second reaction zone are located in another of the annular chambers, surrounding the one of the annular chambers and with the third coil-like structure surrounding the second coil-like structure; thermal insulation thermally insulates the one of the annular chambers and the another of the annular chambers; and a heater supplies heat to the first reaction zone to drive the reforming of the feed stream. 4. The catalytic reactor of claim 3, wherein: the coaxial annular chambers comprise first and second annular chambers; the heater is formed of burners firing into the first of the annular chambers; the first reaction zone is located within the first of the annular chambers; the set of heat exchange tubes and the second reaction zone are located in the second of the annular chambers the first and the second of the annular chambers are in flow communication so that a flow of air as the heat exchange fluid is preheated and is able to pass from the second to the first of the annular chambers to support combustion, thereby to produce combustion products; and the housing has an exhaust to discharge the combustion products. 5. The catalytic reactor of claim 4, further comprising: a hydrocarbon feed inlet to receive a hydrocarbon feed; a tube in tube heat exchanger formed of sets of pairs of inner tubes located within outer tubes, the outer tubes connected to the second set of reaction tubes to cool the subsidiary product streams and the inner tubes connected to the hydrocarbon feed inlet to heat the hydrocarbon feed against the cooling of the subsidiary product streams; the pairs of inner tubes and the outer tubes being of helical configuration and positioned, at least substantially, in the coaxial arrangement to form a fourth coil-like structure located within the second of the annular chambers, between the third coil-like structure formed by the first heat exchange tubes and the second of the coil-like structures formed from the reaction tubes of the second reaction zone; a third annular chamber surrounded by the first annular chamber and in flow communication with the first annular chamber so as to receive combustion products produced by the burners; at least one feed water inlet to receive boiler feed water; and a steam generator connected to the at least one feed water inlet and formed of a set of boiler feed water tubes of helical configuration and positioned, at least substantially, in the coaxial arrangement to form a fifth coil-like structure located within the third annular chamber to receive the boiler feed water and thereby generate steam through indirect heat exchange with the combustion products; and the inner tubes of the tube in tube heat exchanger and the boiler feed water tubes being in communication with the at least one reaction feed inlet to simultaneously introduce the steam and hydrocarbon feed thereto and thereby form the hydrocarbon and steam containing feed to the first reaction zone. 6. The catalytic reactor of claim 5, further comprising inner nested blow down tubes located within and extending along part of the length of the boiler feed water tubes to allow liquid to be expelled, along with dissolved contaminants, thereby to inhibit the contaminants from solidifying and obstructing the flow. 7. The catalytic reactor of claim 5, wherein the tube in tube heat exchanger is insulated along part of its length and towards the connection of the outer tubes to the reaction tubes of the second reaction zone to increase the heating of the hydrocarbon feed. 8. The catalytic reactor of claim 5, further comprising: a central axial chamber surrounded by the third annular chamber, the central axial chamber, at one end, in flow communication with the third annular chamber to receive the combustion products after having passed through the fifth coil-like structure of the steam generator and at the other end, open to form the exhaust; the set of heat exchange tubes being a first set of heat exchange tubes; and a second set of heat exchange tubes of helical configuration positioned, at least substantially, in the coaxial arrangement to form a sixth coil-like structure located within the central axial chamber; and the second set of heat exchange tubes being connected to the burners to preheat fuel to the burners. 9. The catalytic reactor of claim 8, further comprising: a sulfur treatment canister located within the central axial chamber, surrounded by and insulated from the second set of heat exchange tubes, to reduce sulfur content within a hydrocarbon feed; the sulfur treatment canister being interposed between the at least one reaction feed inlet and the inner tubes of the tube in tube heat exchanger such that the hydrocarbon feed is treated prior to being introduced into the first reaction zone. 10. The catalytic reactor of claim 9, further comprising: the housing having first and second header chambers bounding opposite ends of the first, second and third of the annular chambers; the first header chamber having an inlet for the flow of air and an annular configuration internally bounded by the central axial chamber, the first header chamber being in flow communication with the second of the annular chambers to introduce the flow of air therein; and the flow communication between the first and the second of the annular chambers being provided by the second header chamber. 11. The catalytic reactor of claim 10, further comprising a set of cylindrical air induction baffles located within the second annular chamber and forming sub-chambers configured to direct the flow of the air such that incoming air is divided into first and second subsidiary air flows, the first subsidiary air flow passes over the first set of heat exchange tubes and the second subsidiary air flow passes over the tube in tube heat exchanger, reverses direction to pass over the second set of reaction tubes and then, further reverses direction to enter the first annular chamber along with the first subsidiary air flow by passage through the second header chamber. 12. The catalytic reactor of claim 11, wherein: said first annular chamber has a first set of openings, at one end, opposite to the burners for discharge of the combustion products to the third annular chamber and the third annular chamber has a second set of openings located opposite to the first set of openings for discharge of the combustion products to the central axial chamber for indirect heating of the second set of heat exchange tubes and such that flow of the combustion products in the central axial chamber is in a countercurrent direction to that within the third annular chamber. 13. The catalytic reactor of claim 8 or claim 11, further comprising: a cooler to cool the subsidiary synthesis gas product streams, the cooler comprising: a third set of heat exchange tubes of helical configuration positioned, at least substantially, in the coaxial arrangement to form a seventh coil-like structure surrounding the second of the annular chambers and connected between the outer tubes of the tube in tube heat exchanger and the at least one product outlet to further cool the subsidiary synthesis gas product streams; and a forth annular chamber surrounding the second annular chamber and containing the third set of heat exchange tubes; the forth annular chamber having an inlet and an outlet to circulate a cooling fluid past the forth set of heat exchange tubes to cool the subsidiary synthesis gas product streams prior to passing to the at least one product outlet. 14. The catalytic reactor of claim 13, further comprising inner nested blow down tubes located within and extending along part of the length of the boiler feed water tubes to allow liquid to be expelled, along with dissolved contaminants, thereby to inhibit the contaminants from solidifying and obstructing the flow. 15. The catalytic reactor of claim 14, wherein the tube in tube heat exchanger is insulated along part of its length and towards the connection of the inner tubes to the reaction tubes of the second reaction zone to increase the heating of the hydrocarbon feed.
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이 특허에 인용된 특허 (5)
Clawson Lawrence G. ; Mitchell William L. ; Bentley Jeffrey M. ; Thijssen Johannes H. J., Apparatus for converting hydrocarbon fuel into hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide.
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