Abstract: A method for alkyl oxygenate (e.g., methanol) manufacture via partial oxidation of alkane (methane) uses an injectively-mixed backmixing reaction chamber in fluid communication with a tubular-flow reactor. Alkyl free radicals are induced in the backmixing reaction chamber prior to being fed through a flow-restriction baffle to the tubular-flow reactor. Injective intermixing of feed streams agitates the backmixing reaction chamber. In one embodiment, a variable position flow restriction baffle is axially moved to commensurately modify the backmixing reaction chamber and tubular-flow reactor volumes. In another embodiment, the tubular-flow reactor is quenched with a variable position quenching input. The method further provides for condensing the output stream from the reaction system in a condensing scrubber and also for recycling a portion of the scrubbed output stream to the reactor system.

Abstract: A reactor system for gas phase reacting of at least two fluid feed streams, where the reactor system has an injectively-mixed backmixing reaction chamber in fluid communication with a tubular-flow reactor. The injectively-mixed backmixing reaction chamber has a bulkhead that slides during real-time operation to either diminish or expand the internal volume of the backmixing reaction chamber. In one embodiment, the effective passageway space through the bulkhead is also variably adjustable. In another embodiment, the tubular-flow reactor shares the bulkhead so that axial bulkhead movement commensurately expands one reaction space while diminishing the other reaction space. Input gas streams enter the backmixing reaction chamber with sufficient velocity to turbulently agitate the contents of the injectively-mixed backmixing reaction chamber by injective intermixing of the alkane-containing gas feed stream and the oxygen-containing gas feed stream.

Abstract: Production of methanol includes supplying into a reactor a hydrocarbon-containing gas, supplying into the reactor an oxygen-containing as gas, carrying out in the reactor an oxidation of the heated hydrocarbon-containing gas by oxygen of the oxygen-containing gas, and supplying into the reactor a cold hydrocarbon-containing gas to be mixed directly with a mixture of the heated hydrocarbon-containing gas and the oxygen-containing gas at a later stage of the reaction to produce also formaldehyde.