High shear rotary fixed bed reactor

Abstract

A reactor comprising at least one contact surface made from, coated with, or impregnated by a catalyst, wherein the contact surface comprises a sintered metal or a ceramic, and wherein the reactor is configured to subject a reactant stream to shear. A system for carrying out a heterogeneously catalyzed reaction, the system comprising a reactor as described above and a pump configured for delivering reactants to the at least one reactor. A method for carrying out a heterogeneously-catalyzed reaction by introducing reactants into a reactor comprising at least one contact surface made from, coated with, or impregnated by a catalyst under conditions which promote production of a desired product, wherein the contact surface comprises a sintered metal or a ceramic, and forming a dispersion of reactants within the reactor, wherein the dispersion comprises droplets or gas bubbles of reactant with an average diameter of less than about 5 μm.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A reactor comprising at least one contact surface made from, coated with, or impregnated by a catalyst, wherein the contact surface comprises a sintered metal or a ceramic, and wherein the reactor is configured to subject a reactant stream to shear. 
     
     
         2 . The reactor of  claim 1  comprising at least one rotor and at least one stator. 
     
     
         3 . The reactor of  claim 2  wherein the contact surface is at least a portion of the at least one rotor, at least a portion of the at least one stator, or at least a portion of both the at least one rotor and the at least one stator. 
     
     
         4 . The reactor of  claim 3  wherein the at least a portion comprising the contact surface is porous. 
     
     
         5 . The reactor of  claim 4  wherein the porous portion of the contact surface comprises sintered catalyst material through which substantially all of the reactant stream must pass during operation. 
     
     
         6 . The reactor of  claim 4  wherein the at least a portion comprising the contact surface comprises at least a portion of the rotor. 
     
     
         7 . The reactor of  claim 6  comprising a first generator comprising a first rotor and a first stator, and further comprising a second generator comprising a second rotor and a second stator, wherein the second rotor comprises a second porous contact surface. 
     
     
         8 . The reactor of  claim 7  wherein an average pore size of the pores of the contact surface of the rotor of the first generator is different from an average pore size of the pores of the second porous contact surface of the second rotor. 
     
     
         9 . The reactor of  claim 2  wherein the rotor and the stator are ring-shaped. 
     
     
         10 . The reactor of  claim 2  wherein the at least one rotor is rotatable at a tip speed of at least 22.9 m/s (4,500 ft/min), wherein the tip speed is defined as πDn, where D is the diameter of the rotor and n is the frequency of revolution. 
     
     
         11 . The reactor of  claim 2  wherein the at least one rotor is separated from the at least one stator by a shear gap in the range of from 1 μm (0.00004 inch) to about 4 mm (0.016 inch), wherein the shear gap is the minimum distance between the at least one rotor and the at least one stator. 
     
     
         12 . The reactor of  claim 11  wherein the shear rate provided by rotation of the at least one rotor during operation is at least 20,000 s −1 , wherein the shear rate is defined as the tip speed divided by the shear gap, and wherein the tip speed is defined as πDn, where D is the diameter of the rotor and n is the frequency of revolution. 
     
     
         13 . The reactor of  claim 12  wherein a local pressure of at least about 1034.2 MPa (150,000 psi) is produced at a tip of the at least one rotor during operation. 
     
     
         14 . The reactor of  claim 2  wherein at least a portion of the at least one stator is made from, coated with, or impregnated by a catalyst and at least a portion of the at least one rotor is made from, coated with, or impregnated by a different catalyst. 
     
     
         15 . The reactor of  claim 1  wherein the reactor comprises at least two contact surfaces made from, coated with, or impregnated by catalyst. 
     
     
         16 . The reactor of  claim 15  wherein at least one contact surface is made from, coated with, or impregnated by a different catalyst than at least one other contact surface. 
     
     
         17 . The reactor of  claim 1  wherein the reactor comprises at least two generators, wherein each generator comprises a rotor and a complementarily-shaped stator. 
     
     
         18 . The reactor of  claim 17  wherein a contact surface of a first generator is made from, coated with, or impregnated by a catalyst different from the catalyst used to make, coat, or impregnate a contact surface of a second generator. 
     
     
         19 . The reactor of  claim 17  wherein a shear rate provided by one generator is greater than a shear rate provided by another generator. 
     
     
         20 . The reactor of  claim 1  wherein the catalyst is selected from the group consisting of hydrogenation catalysts, hydroxylation catalysts, partial oxidation catalysts, hydrodesulfurization catalysts, hydrodenitrogenation catalysts, hydrofinishing catalysts, reforming catalysts, hydration catalysts, hydrocracking catalysts, Fischer-Tropsch catalysts, dehydrogenation catalysts, and polymerization catalysts. 
     
     
         21 . A system for carrying out a heterogeneously catalyzed reaction, the system comprising at least one reactor according to  claim 1  and a pump configured for delivering reactants to the at least one reactor. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21  comprising at least two reactors according to  claim 1 .