Abstract: The invention comprises a cooling module for use in a reactor for carrying out an exothermic process, such as a Fischer-Tropsch process, comprising a coolant inlet, a coolant distribution chamber, a plurality of cooling tubes, a coolant collection chamber, and a coolant discharge. A plurality of tubes extend through the distribution chamber to enable fluid communication between the space on one side of the distribution chamber and the space between the cooling tubes, and wherein at least 80% of the cooling tubes are arranged separately with a distance to the nearest cooling tube of at least 1 cm.

Abstract: The invention relates to a reactor for carrying out an exothermic process comprising a reactor shell, inlets for introducing reactants and coolant into the reactor shell, outlets for removing product and coolant from the reactor shell, and a plurality of cooling modules, the reactor comprising for at least some of the modules a skirt for guiding gas underneath the modules.

Abstract: The invention provides a process and an apparatus for the production of ethylene oxide from ethylene. Ethylene and oxygen are supplied to reactor tubes, wherein the reactor tubes are held by upper and lower tube sheets in a reactor vessel. The reactor vessel has a separation grid, dividing the reactor vessel into an upstream zone and a downstream zone. Coolant is supplied to the upstream zone from an upper coolant circuit and is removed from the upstream zone to the upper coolant circuit. A portion of coolant is removed as vapour from the upper coolant circuit. Coolant is supplied to the downstream zone from a lower coolant circuit and is removed from the downstream zone to the lower coolant circuit. Additional coolant is added to the lower coolant circuit. There is net flow of coolant through the separation grid from the downstream zone to the upstream zone.