Reactor comprising cooling modules

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.

1 . 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. 
     
     
         2 . A reactor according to  claim 1 , wherein at least some of the skirts are provided with an individual gas supply. 
     
     
         3 . A reactor according to  claim 2 , wherein the gas supplies comprise pipes running below and parallel to the skirts and are provided with orifices or nozzles directed towards the cavities defined by the skirts. 
     
     
         4 . A reactor according to  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the cooling modules comprises a coolant inlet, a coolant distribution chamber, a plurality of cooling tubes, a coolant collection chamber, and a coolant discharge. 
     
     
         5 . A reactor according to  claim 4 , wherein at least 80% of the cooling tubes of the cooling modules are arranged separately with a distance to the nearest cooling tube of at least 1 cm. 
     
     
         6 . A reactor according to  claim 4 , wherein one or more of the cooling modules comprises one or more passages extending 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 the cooling module comprises one or more passages extending through the collection chamber to enable fluid communication between the space between the cooling tubes and the space above the collection chamber. 
     
     
         7 . A reactor according to  claim 4 , wherein a structured catalyst is placed between the cooling tubes. 
     
     
         8 . A reactor according to  claim 4 , wherein the cooling tubes are enveloped by one or more walls to contain reactants and product within the module. 
     
     
         9 . A reactor according to  claim 1 , wherein the cooling module comprises one or more baffles along the height of the module, the baffles preferably comprising perforations to redistribute the reactants over the cross-section of the module.