Abstract: A method for producing a target compound, includes distributing feed mixture at a temperature in a first temperature range to a plurality of parallel reaction tubes of a shell-and-tube reactor. The method further includes subjecting the feed mixture in first tube sections of the reaction tubes to heating to a temperature in a second temperature range, and in second tube sections of the reaction tubes arranged downstream of the first tube sections to oxidative catalytic conversion using one or more catalysts arranged in the second tube sections. The heating is performed, at least in part, using a catalyst arranged in the first tube sections and having a light-off temperature in the first temperature range.

Abstract: A cryogenic air rectification system comprising a high pressure column, a low pressure column and an argon removal unit coupled to a condenser evaporator, wherein the system is configured to pass gas from a position above an oxygen section of the low pressure column as an argon removal feed gas to a lower region of the argon removal unit, wherein the system is configured to condense gas from an upper region of the argon removal unit in the condenser evaporator to form a condensate, wherein the system is configured to pass further gas from the top of the upper region of the argon removal unit out of the system, and wherein the system is configured to pass at least a part of the condensate as a reflux to the upper region of the argon removal unit.

Abstract: A consumables holder assembly for a plasma arc torch having a torch head, the consumables holder assembly comprising a main body, a shielding cup which engages to the main body, a connector which engages the main body to the torch head. Consumable components including an electrode, a nozzle, a plasma gas distributor, a shielding gas distributor are all positioned inside the shielding cup. The consumable holder assembly can be detached from the torch head together with the consumable components and the shielding cup as one unit, and the connector comprises a mechanical attachment mechanism which is engageable with the torch head.

Abstract: A storage vessel for storing a cryogen, having an inner vessel for receiving the cryogen, an outer vessel which surrounds the inner vessel, and a heating device, which is at least partially arranged within the inner vessel, for introducing heat into the cryogen, wherein the heating device has a heating element for generating the heat and an outer casing which fluid-tightly surrounds an interior space of the heating device, wherein the heating element is accommodated within the interior space, and wherein the heating element has a heating wire which is embedded in a metal oxide which is encapsulated by a casing accommodated within the interior space.

Abstract: A method of steam cracking using a steam cracking system includes a first steam cracking furnace unit or a plurality of first steam cracking furnace units and a second steam cracking furnace unit or a plurality of second steam cracking furnace units. The first steam cracking furnace unit or each of the plurality of first steam cracking furnace units comprises one or more fired steam cracking furnaces. The second steam cracking furnace unit or each of the plurality of second steam cracking furnace units comprises one or more electric steam cracking furnaces. The first steam cracking furnace unit or each of the plurality of first steam cracking furnace units further includes means for preheating at least a part of combustion air provided to its fired steam cracking furnace or furnaces to a temperature level of at least 100° C.

Abstract: A heat exchanger for indirectly transferring heat between a process medium and at least one first refrigerant, comprising: a shell which surrounds a shell space and extends along a longitudinal axis; and a pipe bundle which is disposed in the shell space and extends along the longitudinal axis of the shell from a lower end to an upper end of the pipe bundle in the shell space; wherein: the pipe bundle has a plurality of first pipes for receiving the first refrigerant; the first pipes are wound helically onto a core pipe of the heat exchanger. According to the invention, the first pipes each have an end which is formed by at least one nozzle via which the first refrigerant can be introduced into the shell space, the ends being disposed along the longitudinal axis of the shell at different heights.

Abstract: A method for configuring a control system for a process plant using a dynamic model of the process plant, the dynamic model being based on at least one of thermo fluidic correlations, thermo dynamic correlations, phenomenological correlations, and equations, and being based on geometry and/or topology of components of the process plant, the dynamic model receiving process parameters as input values, the dynamic model being adapted to represent a transition from one to another state of the process plant and the dynamic model covering the entire operating range of the process plant wherein the dynamic model is used in an offline mode, in which the dynamic model is used in stand-alone fashion, wherein, based on input and output values of the dynamic model, a behaviour of the process plant is predicted, and wherein, based on the predicted behaviour of the process plant, the control system is configured.

Abstract: A process for producing ethylene by oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane using a shell-and-tube reactor having reaction tubes extending between a first end and a second end includes disposing one or more catalyst beds in each of the reaction tubes. In each of the reaction tubes, a ratio of a total length of the one or more catalyst beds between the first end and the second end to a diameter of each of the reaction tubes has a value between 150 and 400. The shell-and-tube reactor is operated at a linear velocity of 250 to 800 cm/s, and the one or more catalyst beds are configured such that a ratio of active catalyst mass to effective cooling area is in a range between 1.5 and 5 kg/m2.

Abstract: A process for removal of unwanted components from a feed gas mixture, wherein a temperature swing adsorption unit comprising at least two adsorption vessels is used, the method comprising cyclically operating the temperature swing adsorption unit in successive operation modes in each of which a different one of the at least two adsorption vessels is operated in an adsorption mode while a further one of the at least two adsorption vessels previously operated in the adsorption mode is operated in a regeneration mode, the adsorption mode comprising forming an adsorption gas stream using a part of the feed gas mixture and passing the adsorption gas stream through the adsorption vessel operated in the adsorption mode, and the regeneration mode comprising passing a regeneration gas stream through the adsorption vessel operated in the regeneration mode, thereby forming the purified gas mixture.

Abstract: A method for conveying a cryogen from a storage vessel to a load, comprising the following steps: a) introducing the cryogen from the storage vessel into a conditioning tank, the cryogen flowing from the storage vessel into the conditioning tank only because of the hydrostatic pressure of the cryogen, b) bringing the cryogen accommodated in the conditioning tank into its supercritical state, and c) discharging the cryogen from the conditioning tank to the load, wherein the cryogen accommodated in the conditioning tank is kept in the supercritical state during step c).

Abstract: Separating a starting gas mixture using pressure swing adsorption. In this, at least part of a low-pressure extraction flow from the pressure swing adsorption is subjected to a thermal separation, wherein a return fraction is formed in the thermal separation which is returned to the pressure swing adsorption separation. In the thermal separation, counterflow cooling takes place to obtain a two-phase mixture, wherein at least part of the two-phase mixture is subjected to phase separation to obtain a gas phase and a condensate. At least a part of the gas phase is used to form the return fraction, and counterflow cooling is carried out using at least a part of the gas phase and at least a part of one or more fluid flows which are formed by expansion of at least a part of the liquid phase.

Abstract: A method for heating a furnace is provided in which in the furnace has at least one heating zone which is heated by combusting a fuel with an oxidant. The furnace further has a dark zone, downstream of the heated zone, to which) no fuel is supplied directly. The fuel and oxidant are supplied to the heating zone is substoichiometric manner, in that between 10% and 40% of the total oxidant for achieving stoichiometric or near stoichiometric combustion is supplied directly to the dark zone. The flue gas temperature is measured in and/or downstream of the dark zone, and the share of the total oxidant supplied to the dark zone is controlled so as not to exceed a predetermined maximum measured temperature. A method for retrofitting an existing furnace is also provided.

Abstract: A method for producing liquefied natural gas (LNG), wherein a feed natural gas (NG) containing methane and higher hydrocarbons, including benzene, is cooled to a first temperature level in a first cooling step using a first mixed refrigerant (WMR) and is subsequently subjected to counter-current absorption using an absorption liquid, wherein a gas fraction depleted in the higher hydrocarbons is formed, at least a portion of the gas fraction is cooled to a second temperature level in a second cooling step using a second mixed refrigerant (CMR) and is liquefied to form the liquefied natural gas (LNG), characterized in that the absorption liquid is formed from another portion of the gas fraction, which portion preferably condenses above the counter-current absorption and is returned to the counter-current absorption, in particular without a pump.

Abstract: A SPECTRA process for low-temperature fractionation of air is proposed, in which bottoms liquid from an additional second rectification column used to obtain oxygen is evaporated in a second condenser evaporator arrangement. In this second condenser evaporator arrangement, gas that has been evaporated beforehand in a first condenser evaporator arrangement, which is used for condensation of tops gas from a first rectification column, is partially condensed after recompression. The invention also relates to a corresponding plant.

Abstract: A reactor for carrying out a chemical reaction includes a reactor wall and at least one group of M reaction tubes, each of which has an electrically heatable heating section that extends between a first and a second removal region. Each heating section has a respective feed region in a region which extends over 20% to 80% of a heating length of the heating section and electrically conductive feed elements. Each group M is paired with the feed elements connected to the feed regions of the group, and different phases of the alternating current can be fed to different feed elements paired with a group. Each group is paired with M first and M second removal elements connected to the first or second removal regions of the group, respectively. Each group is paired with a first and a second star bridge.

Abstract: A system and method of pre-purification of a feed gas stream is provided that is particularly suitable for pre-purification of a feed air stream in cryogenic air separation unit. The disclosed pre-purification systems and methods are configured to remove substantially all of the hydrogen, carbon monoxide, water, and carbon dioxide impurities from a feed air stream and is particularly suitable for use in a high purity or ultra-high purity nitrogen plant. The pre-purification systems and methods preferably employ two or more separate layers of hopcalite catalyst with the successive layers of the hopcalite separated by a zeolite adsorbent layer that removes water and carbon dioxide produced in the hopcalite layers. The separate layers of hopcalite catalyst preferably have different volumes and/or different average particle sizes of the hopcalite materials.

Abstract: A consumables holder assembly for a plasma arc torch having a torch head, the consumables holder assembly comprising a main body, a shielding cup which engages to the main body, a connection means which engages the main body to the torch head, wherein the consumable components including an electrode, a nozzle, a plasma gas distributor, a shielding gas distributor which are all positioned inside the shielding cup, wherein the consumable holder assembly can be detached from the torch head together with the consumable components and the shielding cup as one unit, wherein the nozzle comprises two focus gas passageways which lead a focus gas out of the nozzle through at least two focus holes, wherein external visual features are provided on both connection means and the torch head which are aligned to each other showing the location of the focus holes.

Abstract: A reactor for carrying out a chemical reaction, which has a reactor vessel and one or more reaction tubes, wherein power input elements for electrical heating of the reaction tube(s) are guided into the reactor vessel. It is provided that the power input elements each have a rod-shaped section that, in each case, runs at a wall passage through a wall of the reactor vessel in such a way that a connection chamber into which the rod-shaped sections project is arranged outside the reactor vessel and adjacently to the wall of the reactor vessel through which the rod-shaped sections run at their wall passages, and that cooling panels through which a cooling fluid can flow are provided in the connection chamber and are arranged between at least two or between at least two groups of the rod-shaped sections that project into the connection chamber.

Abstract: An apparatus for carrying out a chemical reaction in a process fluid includes a reactor comprising one or more reaction tubes which have a number of electrically heatable tube segments which are connected to one another by an electrically conductive star bridge, and at least one power source configured to provide a multiphase alternating current with N phases to N phase lines at a predetermined voltage. N is an integer greater than or equal to 2. For each of the at least one power source, a number of power connections is provided, each of which is connected to at least one of the tube segments and to one of the phase lines of the power source. In the at least one power source, a star point is formed at which the phase lines of the power source are connected, wherein the star point is not connected to a ground connection.