Abstract: The efficiency of heat transfer to a furnace tube or coil in a furnace for cracking ethane, propane or naphtha feedstocks, or a mixture thereof may be improved by providing protuberances on the surface of the tube or coil having i) a maximum height from 3 to 15% of the coil outer diameter, ii) a contact surface with a coil, or a base, which area is 0.1%-10% of the coil external cross section area, and iii) a geometrical shape which has a relatively large external surface containing a relatively small volume.

Abstract: The invention describes catalysts, methods of making catalysts, methods of making a microchannel reactor, and methods of conducting chemical reactions. It has been discovered that superior performance can be obtained from a catalyst formed by directly depositing a catalytic material onto a (low surface area) thermally-grown alumina layer. Improved methods of conducting oxidative dehydrogenations are also described.

Abstract: Methods of dehydrogenating hydrocarbons to yield unsaturated compounds are described. Reactor configurations useful for dehydrogenation are also described. Hydrocarbons can be dehydrogenated, for relatively long periods of time-on-stream, in a reaction chamber having a dimension of 2 mm or less to produce H2 and an olefin. Techniques have been developed that reduce coke and allow stable, relatively long-term operation in small reactors.

Abstract: Methods of dehydrogenating hydrocarbons to yield unsaturated compounds are described. Reactor configurations useful for dehydrogenation are also described. Hydrocarbons can dehydrogenationed, for relatively long periods of time-on-stream, in a reaction chamber having a dimension of 2 mm or less to produce H2 and an olefin. Techniques have been developed that reduce coke and allow stable, relatively long-term operation in small reactors.

Abstract: The invention provides methods of oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH). Conducting ODH in microchannels has unexpectedly been found to yield superior performance when compared to the same reactions at the same conditions in larger reactors. ODH methods employing a Mo—V—Mg—O catalyst is also described. Microchannel apparatus for conducting ODH is also disclosed.

Abstract: A process for converting hydrocarbons in the presence of a catalyst is described that is carried out in a three-phase reactor in which the liquid Peclet number is in the range 0 (excluded) to about 10, with a superficial gas velocity Ug that is preferably less than 35 cm.s−1, to encourage gas transfer into the liquid phase and avoid too much attrition of the catalyst grains.

Abstract: Disclosed is a fluidized bed reactor wherein the average cross-sectional area occupied by a cooling coil, a dummy pipe and/or a cyclone leg is 10% or more of the average cross-sectional area of said reactor in a dense-phase fluidized catalyst bed region. The fluidized bed reactor in the present invention allows an improved fluidization of catalyst and thus allows an efficient reaction of a hydrocarbon with an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a catalyst.

Abstract: A steam-cracking process with a very high degree of severity of a feedstock that comprises at least 20% by weight of hydrocarbons of the group that is formed by ethane and propane in which the feedstock that is diluted with water vapor is circulated in the radiation zone of a furnace, in at least one pipe with a length L≧14 m and a hydraulic diameter that is greater than or equal to 34 mm in the end portion of the pipe at least, is described under the following conditions of dwell time &tgr; and furnace output temperature COT: 120 ms≦&tgr;≦2800 ms and 858° C.≦COT≦1025° C. to obtain a conversion of at least 77% of ethane of the feedstock if the feedstock contains ethane and/or a conversion of at least 96% of the propane of the feedstock if the feedstock contains propane, and to maintain this conversion for a cycle time that is greater than or equal to about 8 days.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a continuous process for producing a desired hydrocarbon product using a heterogeneous slurry catalyst, to the product of said process, and to the reactor utilized in such process.

Abstract: The proposed method comprises passing the hydrodynamic flow of liquid hydrocarbons through a flow-through passage accomodating a baffle body providing for a local constriction of the flow; establishing the local flow constriction on at least one portion of the flow-through passage whose cross-sectional profile area is so selected as to maintain such a velocity of the flow on the portion of the passage that promotes the development of a hydrodynamic cavitation field past the baffle body having the degree of cavitation of at least one; processing the flow of a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons in the hydrodynamic cavitation field to initiate chemical transformations of liquid hydrocarbons resulting in a change in the qualitative and quantitative composition of the mixture of liquid hydrocarbons.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for continuous alkylation of aromatics or their derivatives in the presence of a solid acid catalyst in a liquid-solid circulating fluidized bed system, said system comprising a liquid-solid cocurrent upflow reactor, a sedimentation washing tower for the used catalyst, a liquid-solid cocurrent upflow regenerator, a sedimentation washing tower for the regenerated catalyst, and two vortical liquid-solid separators. By regeneration of the used catalyst, continuous alkylation process is achieved in this system.

Abstract: The invention provides a catalytic method for the dimerization or codimerization or oligomerization, in particular selective, of olefins, carried out under pressure, in a reaction zone 1 containing a solid catalyst bed in which is disposed a plurality of hollow internal spaces 6.3a defined by walls, each being divided into an upper semi-space 6.3, 1a and a lower semi-space 6.3, 2a which communicate together through a connecting zone 6.6a. An autogenous thermoregulation fluid flows, in the form of a sheet, in said hollow internal spaces 6.3a after passing through a central distributing zone 6.1a and distributing zones 6.2a and before passing into collecting zone 6.4a and into a central collecting zone 6.5a.

Abstract: The invention provides a catalytic method for the dimerization or codimerization or oligomerization, particularly selectively, of olefins, carried out under pressure, in a reaction zone 1 containing a solid catalyst bed into which is disposed a plurality of hollow internal spaces 6.3 defined by walls and through which an autogenous thermoregulation fluid flows, in the form of a sheet, after passing through a central distributing zone 6.1 and distributing zones 6.2 and before passing through collecting zones 6.4 and into a central collecting zone 6.5.

Abstract: Combustion gas passes upwardly through the radiant section of a fired process heater having vertical tubes in such manner that the gas is in predominantly back-mixed flow condition in the lower portion of the radiant section and predominantly plug-flow condition in the upper portion of the radiant section.

Abstract: The reactor is traversed by a central tube with an essentially radial circulation of the gases or other fluids. Said cylindrical part of the solids bed is surmounted by a substantially hemispherical reaction zone permeable to said gases or other fluids. The hemispherical part of the reactive zone is comprised between two substantially hemispherical caps one of which surmounts the central tube and the other bounds the upper periphery of this zone with the pressure drop undergone by the gases or other fluids passing through the hemispherical zone being greater than that undergone by the gases or other fluids passing through the cylindrical zone and therefore the perforations of the hemispherical part of the central tube are calculated to compensate for this difference and equalize the flow of gases or other fluids in the whole of the solids mass.