Abstract: A tube bundle reactor carries out endothermic or exothermic gas phase reactions. The tube bundle of reactor tubes are filled with catalyst, and have their ends fastened tightly in tube sheets (3, 4). A fluid heat carrier (10) flows around the tubes during operation. A shell (5) encloses the tube bundle. A gas inlet head (6) spans one of the tube sheets, and a gas outlet head (7) spans the other tube sheet. The reactor tubes are in fluid communication with the gas inlet and outlet heads (6, 7), and further include at least one stage thermometer (9) installed in a thermometer tube (2) disposed in the tube bundle. The at least one stage thermometer (9) is axially movable inside the thermometer tube (2), and the tube bundle reactor (1) includes a mechanical positioning means (8) to effect the axial movement of the stage thermometer (9). Moreover, a method is proposed for measuring a temperature profile in tube bundle reactors of the kind specified.

Abstract: A cooling system for use in a shell-type reactor includes vertically extending double tubes with an inner tube and an outer tube closed at its lower end. The system also includes a distributor for supplying a fluid cooling medium into the upper end of the inner tubes and a horizontally extending plate, which on its upper surface includes at least two upwardly open, parallel grooves. Two adjacent grooves are separated by a common inner wall. At least one outer tube, having an upper end, is disposed in each groove, through the plate. Each outer tube is tightly welded to the plate on the groove base. The upper, open side of each groove is closed with a lid, so that each groove forms a collector for discharging the cooling medium from the outer tubes. Each inner tube opens through the lid into a distributor and is tightly attached to the lid.

Abstract: A method of varying the temperature of a tube bundle reactor for catalytic gas phase reactions upon start-up and shut-down, the tube bundle reactor comprising a major reactor portion which includes a bundle of vertically disposed reactor tubes, upper and lower tubesheets tightly connected to the upper and lower ends, respectively, of the reactor tubes, and a reactor shell enclosing the tube bundle, a heat transfer medium having a melting temperature in the range of from 100° C. to 450° C. flowing around the outer surfaces of the reactor tubes during normal operation and being circulated in at least one circuit through the major reactor portion, comprising the steps: (a) varying the heat transfer medium temperature during circulation of the heat transfer medium; and (b) passing a temperature gas through the reactor tubes at least when the heat transfer medium is not yet or no longer circulated.

Abstract: A set of prefabricated tube bundle reactor subassemblies is proposed which are adapted to be assembled at a construction site to provide a tube bundle reactor for carrying out catalytic gas and/or liquid phase reactions. In accordance with the invention, the reactor shell and the reactor heads, on the one hand, and the tube bundle and the tube sheets, on the other hand, form separate subassemblies, more specifically at least one shell/head subassembly, at least one head subassembly, and at least one tube bundle subassembly. The subassemblies comprise means for vertically supporting the tube bundle subassembly and for pressure tightly connecting the shell/head subassembly to the tube sheets without requiring heat treatment during assembly of the subassemblies. Likewise proposed are a tube bundle reactor for carrying out catalytic gas and/or liquid phase reactions and an arrangement of the kind of tube bundle reactors mentioned.

Abstract: A cooling system for use in a shell-type reactor includes vertically extending double tubes with an inner tube and an outer tube closed at its lower end. The system also includes a distributor for supplying a fluid cooling medium into the upper end of the inner tubes and a horizontally extending plate, which on its upper surface includes at least two upwardly open, parallel grooves. Two adjacent grooves are separated by a common inner wall. At least one outer tube, having an upper end, is disposed in each groove, through the plate. Each outer tube is tightly welded to the plate on the groove base. The upper, open side of each groove is closed with a lid, so that each groove forms a collector for discharging the cooling medium from the outer tubes. Each inner tube opens through the lid into a distributor and is tightly attached to the lid.

Abstract: In a tube bundle reactor for carrying out endothermic or exothermic gas phase reactions, comprising a tube bundle of reactor tubes filled with catalyst, having their ends fastened tightly in tube sheets (3, 4), a fluid heat carrier (10) flowing around the tubes during operation, a shell (5) enclosing the tube bundle, a gas inlet head (6) spanning one of the tube sheets, a gas outlet head (7) spanning the other tube sheet, the reactor tubes being in fluid communication with the gas inlet and outlet heads (6, 7), further comprising at least one stage thermometer (9) installed in a thermometer tube (2) disposed in the tube bundle, the at least one stage thermometer (9) is axially movable inside the thermometer tube (2), and the tube bundle reactor (1) comprises a mechanical positioning means (8) to effect the axial movement of the stage thermometer (9). Moreover, a method is proposed for measuring a temperature profile in tube bundle reactors of the kind specified.

Abstract: The invention relates to a tubular reactor for carrying out catalytic gas-phase reactions, containing a catalyst tube bundle (8) that is traversed by the relevant reaction gas mixture, is filled with a catalyst, extends between two tube sheets (4, 148) and around which flows a heat transfer medium contained within a surrounding reactor jacket (6). The reactor also comprises gas entry and discharge hoods (2; 60) that cover the two tube sheets for supplying the relevant process gas to the catalyst tubes and for discharging the reacted process gas from the catalyst tubes. Together with all the parts that come into contact with the process gas mixture, the reactor is designed to have an appropriate strength for withstanding the deflagration and explosive pressures that are to be taken into account during its operation. The volume available to the process gas mixture prior to its entry into the catalyst tubes is restricted as much as possible in construction and flow engineering terms.

Abstract: A method for carrying out endothermic or exothermic gas phase reactions by using a tube bundle reactor with a tube bundle of catalyst-filled reaction tubes comprises the following steps: a) Introducing a reaction gas mixture into the reaction tubes; b) Dividing-up of the reaction gas mixture flow flowing through each of the reaction tubes into at least two partial flows, each partial flow having the same composition; c) Feeding-in of each partial flow at a different point along the catalyst filling with an existing flow resistance; d) Determining the desired partial flow volume for each partial flow (V1, V2, V3, V4); e) Calculating the pressure at the point of the first division of the reaction gas mixture (9); f) Calculating the pressure in the catalyst filling (12) at the point of feeding-in of each partial flow (V1, V2, V3, V4); and g) Setting of flow resistance for each point of feeding-in in such a way that the flow resistance at the desired partial flow volume corresponds to the pressure difference bet

Abstract: A heat shield having a thermally conductive body. The material of the body is composed of a fibre composite material, preferably carbon fibre, glass fibre, glass-fibre-reinforced plastic and/or aramide, and layers of a heat-conductive metal. Cooling tubes may be applied to an outer surface of the body, incorporated into an outer fibre layer of the body, and/or formed directly within the outer fibre layer.

Abstract: A tubular reactor (2) for catalytic reactions with a heat carrier that inside a reactor jacket (10) circulates around a contact tube bundle (8), which extends between a tube plate (4; 6; 80; 82) at the reaction gas inlet side and one at the reaction gas outlet side with gas inlet and gas outlet hoods (12, 14) spanning the face sides of the two tube plates and containing reaction-inhibiting media in the zone of the tube plate on the gas inlet side, characterize themselves in that the reaction-inhibiting media consist entirely or in part of a heat insulation layer (46; 50; 64; 80) with openings for the tube cross-sections on at least one of the two sides of the respective tube plate (4; 60; 82). In this manner, either the respective tube plate (4; 60; 82) is insulated against the hot heat carrier or the reaction gas entering into the reactor is prevented from having contact with the comparatively hot tube plate in order to prevent harmful secondary reactions at the reactor inlet.