Electrically heated reactor

Abstract

An electrically heated fluidized bed reactor is disclosed. The electrically heated fluidized bed reactor comprises: a heating plate disposed at one side of a reactor housing; and a heat transfer member extending from the heating plate to the other side of the reactor housing. The heat generated from the heating plate is transferred to the other side inside the reactor housing through the heat transfer member such that the internal temperature of the reactor housing can be uniformly maintained.

Description

Electrically heated reactor

[0001] Cross-citation with related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0006272, filed January 15, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The present invention relates to an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor, and more particularly, to an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor capable of maintaining the internal temperature of the reactor at a high temperature without deviation.

[0004] A fluidized bed reactor contains a solid catalyst, which helps break down heavy particles into lighter ones. Typically, a gaseous reactant is fed to the bottom of the fluidized bed reactor. The gaseous reactant rises as it passes through the catalyst, causing a reaction to occur. At this time, the gaseous reactant moves at a constant speed, fluidizing the solid catalyst and increasing the contact area between the catalyst and the reactant, thereby promoting the catalytic reaction.

[0005] Fluidized bed reactors typically have very large diameters. When used for endothermic reactions, it can be difficult to maintain high temperatures within the reactor using an external heat source. Furthermore, while heat is well distributed within the fluidized bed reactor due to its inherent characteristics, temperature variations can occur within the reactor due to factors such as varying reactant concentrations and catalyst activity across the reactor's height.

[0006] Recently, attempts have been made to apply electric heating technology to fluidized bed reactors. In particular, research is ongoing to maintain the temperature inside a fluidized bed reactor at a high temperature without deviation using electric heating technology.

[0007] The information contained in this background section is intended to enhance understanding of the background of the invention and may include matters that are not prior art and are already known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention is to provide an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor capable of maintaining the internal temperature of the reactor at a high temperature without deviation by transferring heat generated by an electrical heating method inside the reactor to the entire reactor through a heat transfer member.

[0009] An electric heating fluidized bed reactor according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a reactor housing having an inlet provided on a lower surface through which reactants are introduced, an outlet provided on an upper surface through which reacted products are discharged, and a catalyst filled therein; a heating plate horizontally disposed on an upper surface of the reactor housing, generating heat by receiving current from a power source, and having a heating plate through-hole formed therein through which unreacted reactants or products pass; and a plurality of heat transfer members connected to the heating plate and extending downward from the heating plate to transfer heat generated from the heating plate to a lower portion inside the reactor housing.

[0010] The above heating plate penetration holes may be sized to allow unreacted reactants or products to pass through but not the catalyst.

[0011] The electrically heated fluidized bed reactor may further include an insulator connecting the heating plate to the reactor housing so as to insulate the reactor housing from the heating plate.

[0012] The above electric heating fluidized bed reactor may further include a distribution plate that is horizontally arranged at the bottom of the reactor housing and has a distribution plate through-hole formed therein through which reactants pass to evenly distribute the reactants.

[0013] The above-mentioned dispersion plate penetration holes may have a size that allows reactants to pass through but not catalysts.

[0014] In one aspect, a current of a certain magnitude can be continuously applied to the heating plate to uniformly heat the inside of the reactor housing.

[0015] In another aspect, a peak current of a certain magnitude may be periodically applied to the heating plate to implement a temperature gradient from the internal temperature of the reactor housing close to the heating plate to the internal temperature of the reactor housing far from the heating plate.

[0016] According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor may include a reactor housing having an inlet provided on a lower surface for introducing reactants, an outlet provided on an upper surface for discharging reacted products, and filled with a catalyst therein; a heating plate horizontally disposed on a lower surface of the reactor housing, generating heat by receiving current from a power source, and having a heating plate through-hole formed therein for passing reactants; and a plurality of heat transfer members connected to the heating plate and extending upward from the heating plate to transfer heat generated from the heating plate to an upper portion inside the reactor housing.

[0017] The above heating plate penetration hole may have a size that allows the reactants to pass through but not the catalyst.

[0018] The electrically heated fluidized bed reactor may further include an insulator connecting the heating plate to the reactor housing so as to insulate the reactor housing from the heating plate.

[0019] The electrically heated fluidized bed reactor may further include a cyclone provided on the upper portion of the reactor housing and connected to the interior and outlet of the reactor housing to suck in products, unreacted reactants and catalyst, separate the catalyst from the products and unreacted reactants, return the catalyst to the interior of the reactor, and discharge the catalyst and products to the outside of the reactor housing through the outlet.

[0020] In one aspect, a current of a certain magnitude can be continuously applied to the heating plate to uniformly heat the inside of the reactor housing.

[0021] In another aspect, a peak current of a certain magnitude may be periodically applied to the heating plate to implement a temperature gradient from the internal temperature of the reactor housing close to the heating plate to the internal temperature of the reactor housing far from the heating plate.

[0022] According to the present invention, the temperature inside the reactor housing can be maintained at a high temperature evenly by transferring heat generated from a heating plate mounted on one side of the reactor housing to the other side of the reactor housing through at least one heat transfer member extending from the heating plate to the other side.

[0023] Depending on the current application method, a desired temperature gradient can be generated along the length of the reactor housing.

[0024] Depending on the type of reaction and the characteristics of the catalyst, a required temperature gradient can be created, and the heating plate penetration holes can act as baffles to prevent catalyst particles from being lost to the outside of the reactor.

[0025] In addition, the effects that can be obtained or expected from embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed directly or implicitly in the detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention. That is, the various effects expected according to embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed in the detailed description that follows.

[0026] Embodiments of the present disclosure may be better understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals designate identical or functionally similar elements.

[0027] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 is an example of a current application method.

[0029] Figure 3 is another example of a current application method.

[0030] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] The drawings referenced above are not necessarily drawn to scale, but should be understood to present rather simplified representations of various preferred features that illustrate the fundamental principles of the present disclosure. For example, specific design features of the present disclosure, including specific dimensions, orientations, positions, and shapes, will be determined in part by the specific intended application and usage environment.

[0032] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It will also be understood that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any one or all combinations of the associated listed items.

[0033] Additionally, it is understood that one or more of the methods or aspects thereof below may be implemented by at least one controller. The term "controller" may refer to a hardware device comprising a memory and a processor. The memory is configured to store program instructions, and the processor is specifically programmed to execute the program instructions to perform one or more processes described in more detail below. The controller may control the operation of units, modules, components, devices, or the like, as described herein. It is also understood that the methods below may be implemented by a device comprising the controller in conjunction with one or more other components, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

[0034] Additionally, the controller of the present invention may be implemented as a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium containing executable program instructions executed by a processor. Examples of computer-readable recording media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), compact disc (CD) ROM, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, flash drives, smart cards, and optical data storage devices. The computer-readable recording medium may also be distributed throughout a computer network so that the program instructions are stored and executed in a distributed manner, such as on a telematics server or a Controller Area Network (CAN).

[0035] According to one aspect of the present invention, an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor comprises a reactor housing having an inlet formed on one side in a first direction through which a reactant flows in and an outlet formed on the other side in the first direction through which a reacted product flows out, a distribution plate formed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction at one side of the reactor housing and having a plurality of distribution plate through-holes through which reactants pass, a heating plate formed in the second direction at the other side of the reactor housing and receiving current from a power source to generate heat and having a plurality of heating plate through-holes through which products pass, and at least one heat transfer member connected to the heating plate so as to extend toward one side from the heating plate and transferring heat generated by the heating plate to one side and transferring it into the interior of the reactor housing.

[0036] According to another aspect of the present invention, an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor comprises a reactor housing having an inlet formed on one side in a first direction through which a reactant flows in and an outlet formed on the other side in the first direction through which a reacted product flows out, a heating plate disposed in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on one side of the reactor housing, the heating plate receiving current from a power source, generating heat, and having a plurality of heating plate penetration holes through which reactants pass, and at least one heat transfer member connected to the heating plate so as to extend from the heating plate toward the other side and transferring heat generated in the heating plate to the other side and transferring it into the interior of the reactor housing.

[0037] According to the present invention, heat generated from a heating plate provided on one side or the other side of the reactor housing is transferred to the entire interior of the reactor housing through at least one heat transfer member, so that the temperature inside the reactor housing can be maintained at a high temperature without deviation.

[0038]

[0039] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0040] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 1, an electric heating fluidized bed reactor (10) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a reactor housing (20). The reactor housing (20) is generally provided in a hollow cylindrical shape, but the shape of the reactor housing (20) is not limited to a hollow cylindrical shape. The interior of the reactor housing (20) is filled with a solid catalyst (70) that promotes a reaction (e.g., thermal decomposition, etc.) of a gaseous reactant. The catalyst (70) can be fluidized by the gaseous reactant.

[0042] The reactor housing (20) may include a lower surface, an upper surface, and a side surface connecting the lower surface and the upper surface. An inlet (22) is formed on the lower surface of the reactor housing (20), and the inlet (22) is connected to an inlet line (12), so that a gaseous reactant is supplied at a constant rate into the interior of the reactor housing (20) through the inlet line (12) and the inlet (22). The gaseous reactant moves upward within the reactor housing (20), causes a catalyst (70) to flow, and is converted into a product by reacting with the catalyst (70). An outlet (24) is formed on the upper surface of the reactor housing (20), and the outlet (24) is connected to an outlet line (14), so that a product that has reacted by contacting the catalyst (70) within the reactor housing (20) is discharged through the outlet (24) to the outlet line (14).

[0043] In order for the reactants to react by the catalyst (70), the internal temperature of the reactor housing (20) must rise above a set reaction temperature (e.g., 600°C to 700°C). In order to raise the internal temperature of the reactor housing (20), the electrically heated fluidized bed reactor (10) further includes a heating plate (40) and a heat transfer member (60).

[0044] The heating plate (40) is placed on the upper part of the reactor housing (20) and extends in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. The heating plate (40) is electrically connected to a power source (50) and receives a current (I) from the power source (50). The heating plate (40) may be manufactured from an alloy material (e.g., Ni-Cr, Fe-Cr, Fe-Ni-Cr, Fe-Cr-Al, etc.) having a high resistivity so as to generate heat by the current (I) applied from the power source (50). At least one heating plate through-hole (42) is provided in the heating plate (40), and the reacted product or unreacted reactant may pass through the heating plate through-hole (42) to move to the upper part of the heating plate (40) and be discharged to the outlet line (14) through the outlet (24). However, the above heating plate penetration hole (42) has a size that prevents a solid catalyst (70) from passing through the heating plate penetration hole (42), thereby preventing the catalyst (70) flowing by the reactant or product from passing through the heating plate penetration hole (42) and entering the outlet (24). To prevent the current (I) applied to the heating plate (40) from flowing to the reactor housing (20), the heating plate (40) may be connected to the reactor housing (20) via an insulator (80).

[0045] The heat transfer member (60) has a rod shape and includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion of the heat transfer member (60) is connected to the heating plate (40), and the lower portion of the heat transfer member (60) extends downward from the heating plate (40). The heat transfer member (60) transfers heat generated from the heating plate (40) to the lower portion of the reactor housing (20), thereby maintaining a uniform temperature inside the reactor housing (20) and reducing a temperature deviation depending on the location inside the reactor housing (20). To this end, the heat transfer member (60) is made of a material having high thermal conductivity, and a plurality of heat transfer members (60) may be provided in parallel and at equal intervals. However, the number and arrangement of the heat transfer members (40) are not limited to the number and arrangement exemplified herein, and may have any number and arrangement that can evenly transfer heat generated from the heating plate (40) into the inside of the reactor housing (20).

[0046] The above-described electric heating fluidized bed reactor (10) may further include a distribution plate (30). The distribution plate (30) is disposed within the reactor housing (20) close to the inlet (22), i.e., at the lower portion of the reactor housing (20), and extends in a horizontal direction. At least one distribution plate through-hole (32) is provided in the distribution plate (30), and the reactant introduced into the reactor housing (20) through the inlet (22) passes through the distribution plate through-hole (32) and moves to the upper portion of the distribution plate (30). In this process, the reactant introduced into the reactor housing (20) is dispersed in the horizontal direction and moves in the vertical direction. Therefore, the contact area between the reactant and the catalyst (70) increases, so that the reaction efficiency can be improved. Meanwhile, the above-mentioned distribution plate penetration hole (32) has a size that prevents the solid catalyst (70) from passing through the distribution plate penetration hole (32), thereby preventing the catalyst (70) from passing through the distribution plate penetration hole (32) and entering the inlet (22).

[0047] The above-described electric heating fluidized bed reactor (10) further includes a power source (50). The power source (50) is electrically connected to the heating plate (40) via a wire (52) and applies current (I) to the heating plate (40). The power source (50) may be an AC power source or a DC power source.

[0048] Meanwhile, the internal temperature of the reactor housing (20) can be controlled according to the target reaction, and the internal temperature of the reactor housing (20) can be controlled by adjusting the method of applying current (I) from the power source (50) to the heating plate (40).

[0049] In one example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, when a current (I) of a constant magnitude is continuously applied to the heating plate (40), the internal temperature of the reactor housing (20) can be maintained constant regardless of the location. That is, the internal temperature (T1) of the reactor housing (20) close to the heating plate (40) and the internal temperature (T2) of the reactor housing (20) far from the heating plate (40) can be the same. The current application method illustrated in FIG. 2 can be advantageous for reactions such as endothermic reactions in which the internal temperature of the reactor housing (20) must be maintained constant.

[0050] In another example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, when a peak current (I) of a certain size is periodically applied to the heating plate (40), the internal temperature of the reactor housing (20) may gradually decrease depending on the distance from the heating plate (40). That is, a temperature gradient is implemented from the internal temperature (T1) of the reactor housing (20) close to the heating plate (40) to the internal temperature (T2) of the reactor housing (20) far from the heating plate (40), and the internal temperature (T1) of the reactor housing (20) close to the heating plate (40) may be higher than the internal temperature (T2) of the reactor housing (20) far from the heating plate (40). The current application method illustrated in FIG. 3 may be advantageous when both preheating of the reactant and the main reaction occur within the reactor housing (20).

[0051] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] As illustrated in FIG. 4, an electrically heated fluidized bed reactor (10) according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a reactor housing (20), a heating plate (40), a heat transfer member (60), a cyclone (90), and a power source (50).

[0053] The reactor housing (20) is generally provided in a hollow cylindrical shape, and an inlet (22) is formed on the lower surface of the reactor housing (20), and the inlet (22) is connected to an inlet line (12), so that a gaseous reactant is supplied at a constant speed into the interior of the reactor housing (20) through the inlet line (12) and the inlet (22). An outlet (24) is formed on the upper surface of the reactor housing (20), a cyclone (90) is arranged on the upper portion of the reactor housing (20), and an outlet line (14) passes through the outlet (24) and is connected to the cyclone (90). The above cyclone (90) is configured to suck in the product, unreacted reactants, and catalyst (70) from the upper portion of the reactor housing (20), separate the catalyst (70) from the product and unreacted reactants through centrifugal force, discharge the product and unreacted reactants to the outside of the reactor housing (20) through the outlet line (14), and send the separated catalyst (70) back into the reactor housing (20). In an embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of heating plate penetration holes (42) formed in the heating plate (40) can perform the same function as the cyclone (90) of another embodiment of the present invention by allowing only the product and unreacted reactants to pass through.

[0054] The heating plate (40) is placed at the bottom of the reactor housing (20) and extends horizontally. The heating plate (40) is electrically connected to a power source (50) and receives a current (I) from the power source (50). The heating plate (40) may be made of an alloy material (e.g., Ni-Cr, Fe-Cr, Fe-Ni-Cr, Fe-Cr-Al, etc.) having a high resistivity so as to generate heat by the current (I) applied from the power source (50). At least one heating plate through-hole (42) is provided in the heating plate (40), and the reactant introduced into the interior of the reactor housing (20) through the inlet (22) passes through the heating plate through-hole (42) and moves to the upper portion of the heating plate (40). Therefore, the heating plate (40) in which the heating plate through-hole (42) is formed also performs the same role as the distribution plate (30) according to the embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the heating plate penetration hole (42) is sized to prevent a solid catalyst (70) from passing through the heating plate penetration hole (42), thereby preventing the catalyst (70) from passing through the heating plate penetration hole (42) and entering the inlet (22). The heating plate (40) can be connected to the reactor housing (20) through an insulator (80).

[0055] The heat transfer member (60) has a rod shape and includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion of the heat transfer member (60) is connected to the heating plate (40), and the upper portion of the heat transfer member (60) extends upward from the heating plate (40). The heat transfer member (60) transfers heat generated from the heating plate (40) to the upper portion of the reactor housing (20), thereby maintaining a uniform temperature inside the reactor housing (20) and reducing a temperature deviation depending on the location inside the reactor housing (20). To this end, the heat transfer member (60) is made of a material having high thermal conductivity, and a plurality of heat transfer members (60) may be provided in parallel with each other and at equal intervals.

[0056] The power source (50) is electrically connected to the heating plate (40) via a wire (52) and applies current (I) to the heating plate (40). The power source (50) may be an AC power source or a DC power source. In another embodiment of the present invention, the internal temperature of the reactor housing (20) can be controlled by adjusting the method of applying current (I) from the power source (50) to the heating plate (40).

[0057] In one example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, by continuously applying a current (I) of a constant size to the heating plate (40), the internal temperature of the reactor housing (20) can be maintained constant regardless of position.

[0058] In another example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, a peak current (I) of a certain size may be periodically applied to the heating plate (40) to gradually decrease the internal temperature of the reactor housing (20) according to the distance from the heating plate (40). The current application method illustrated in FIG. 3 may be advantageous when the temperature of the reactant may rise above the activation temperature range as the exothermic reaction progresses.

[0059]

[0060] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and includes all changes that can be easily modified and deemed equivalent by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains from the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A reactor housing having an inlet for introducing reactants on the lower surface, an outlet for discharging reacted products on the upper surface, and a catalyst filled inside; A heating plate is horizontally placed on the upper part of the reactor housing, receives current from a power source, generates heat, and has a heating plate penetration hole formed through which unreacted reactants or products pass; and A plurality of heat transfer members connected to the above heating plate and extending downward from the heating plate to transfer heat generated from the heating plate to the lower part of the reactor housing; An electrically heated fluidized bed reactor comprising:

2. In paragraph 1, An electrically heated fluidized bed reactor in which the above heating plate penetration holes are sized to allow unreacted reactants or products to pass through but not catalyst.

3. In paragraph 1, An electrically heated fluidized bed reactor further comprising an insulator connecting the heating plate to the reactor housing so as to insulate the reactor housing from the heating plate.

4. In paragraph 1, An electrically heated fluidized bed reactor further comprising a distribution plate disposed horizontally at the lower portion of the reactor housing and having a distribution plate penetration hole through which reactants pass to evenly distribute reactants.

5. In paragraph 4, An electrically heated fluidized bed reactor in which the above-mentioned dispersion plate penetration holes are sized to allow the reactants to pass through but not the catalyst.

6. In paragraph 1, An electrically heated fluidized bed reactor in which a constant size of electric current is continuously applied to the heating plate to uniformly heat the inside of the reactor housing.

7. In paragraph 1, An electrically heated fluidized bed reactor in which a peak current of a predetermined size is periodically applied to the heating plate to implement a temperature gradient from the internal temperature of the reactor housing close to the heating plate to the internal temperature of the reactor housing far from the heating plate.

8. A reactor housing having an inlet for introducing reactants on the lower surface, an outlet for discharging reacted products on the upper surface, and a catalyst filled inside; A heating plate horizontally placed at the bottom of the reactor housing, receiving current from a power source to generate heat, and having a heating plate penetration hole formed through which reactants pass; and A plurality of heat transfer members connected to the above heating plate and extending upward from the heating plate to transfer heat generated from the heating plate to the upper part of the inside of the reactor housing; An electrically heated fluidized bed reactor comprising:

9. In paragraph 8, An electrically heated fluidized bed reactor in which the above heating plate penetration holes are sized to allow reactants to pass through but not catalysts.

10. In paragraph 8, An electrically heated fluidized bed reactor further comprising an insulator connecting the heating plate to the reactor housing so as to insulate the reactor housing from the heating plate.

11. In paragraph 8, An electrically heated fluidized bed reactor further comprising a cyclone provided on the upper portion of the reactor housing and connected to the interior and outlet of the reactor housing to suck in products, unreacted reactants, and catalyst, separate the catalyst from the products and unreacted reactants, return the catalyst to the interior of the reactor, and discharge the catalyst and products to the exterior of the reactor housing through the outlet.

12. In paragraph 8, An electrically heated fluidized bed reactor in which a constant size of electric current is continuously applied to the heating plate to uniformly heat the inside of the reactor housing.

13. In paragraph 8, An electrically heated fluidized bed reactor in which a peak current of a predetermined size is periodically applied to the heating plate to implement a temperature gradient from the internal temperature of the reactor housing close to the heating plate to the internal temperature of the reactor housing far from the heating plate.

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