Electrically heated reactor

Abstract

An electrically heated reactor is disclosed. The electrically heated reactor may comprise: a housing having a housing inlet on one side in a first direction through which a reactant flows in and a housing outlet on the other side in the first direction through which a reacted product is discharged; a heating plate that is disposed on the one side or the other side of the housing and generates heat by receiving a current from a power source; and at least one heat transfer member that extends from the heating plate toward the other side or the one side in the first direction, has a catalyst coated on the surface thereof, and transfers the heat generated by the heating plate to the other side or the one side in the first direction to heat the catalyst.

Description

Electrically heated reactor

[0001] Cross-citation with related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0031402, filed March 5, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The present invention relates to an electrically heated reactor, and more particularly, to an electrically heated reactor that directly heats a catalyst by coating the catalyst on a heat transfer member thermally connected to an electrically heated heating plate.

[0004] In the chemical industry, natural gas is used as fuel to maintain high temperatures in various equipment (e.g., crackers, reformers, reactors, boilers, etc.). However, heating through natural gas combustion is not only inefficient in terms of energy consumption, but also a major contributor to carbon emissions, making it difficult to address the climate change crisis.

[0005] Conventional reactors that heat a catalyst using combustion heat include at least one reaction tube filled with a solid catalyst. The solid catalyst within the reaction tube is heated by heating a heat exchange medium (e.g., gas) using an external heat source and introducing the heated heat exchange medium into the reactor. These conventional reactors, however, are not energy efficient because they heat the solid catalyst through heat exchange with the heat exchange medium.

[0006] 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.

[0007] An embodiment of the present invention is to provide an electrically heated reactor that directly heats a catalyst by coating the catalyst on a heat transfer member thermally connected to an electrically heated heating plate.

[0008] An electric heating reactor according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a housing having a housing inlet formed at one side in a first direction through which a reactant is introduced, and a housing outlet formed at the other side in the first direction through which a reacted product is discharged; a heating plate disposed at one or the other side of the housing and generating heat by receiving current from a power source; and at least one heat transfer member extending from the heating plate toward the other side or one side in the first direction, the heat transfer member having a catalyst coated on the surface, and transferring heat generated from the heating plate to the other side or one side in the first direction to heat the catalyst.

[0009] The above electric heating reactor may further include a distribution plate arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on one side of the housing, and having a plurality of distribution plate penetration holes through which reactants pass, to evenly distribute reactants introduced into the housing inlet.

[0010] In one aspect, the housing includes a top plate disposed on the other side of the housing and closing the other side of the housing, the heating plate is positioned on the other side of the top plate, and at least one heat transfer member can extend through the top plate into the interior of the housing.

[0011] A first insulator may be placed between the above heating plate and the top plate.

[0012] Each heat transfer member can be a solid rod shape, a tube shape, a honeycomb shape, or a metal foam shape.

[0013] In some other aspects, the electric heating reactor further comprises at least one reaction tube disposed inside the housing, each reaction tube surrounding each heat transfer member, and having a tube inlet formed on one side thereof such that a reactant introduced into the housing inlet is introduced into each reaction tube through the tube inlet, moves in the first direction to the other side within each reaction tube, and reacts by contacting a catalyst coated on the surface of the heat transfer member, and having a tube outlet formed on the other side such that a reacted product can flow out of each reaction tube.

[0014] The housing may include a lower plate mounted on one inner side of the housing to support one side of at least one reaction tube; or an upper plate mounted on the other inner side of the housing to support the other side of at least one reaction tube.

[0015] In another aspect, the heating plate is disposed on the other side of the housing, at least one heat transfer member extends toward one side in the first direction, and the electric heating reactor may further include a first insulator connecting the heating plate to the housing so as to insulate the housing from the heating plate.

[0016] In another aspect, the heating plate is disposed on one side of the housing, at least one heat transfer member extends toward the other side in a first direction, and the electric heating reactor may further include a first insulator connecting the heating plate to the housing so as to insulate the housing from the heating plate.

[0017] The above heating plate may be formed with at least one heating plate through hole connected to a tube inlet.

[0018] The housing may include both an upper plate and a lower plate, and the electric heating reactor may further include a second insulator disposed between the upper plate and the lower plate within the housing.

[0019] Inert beads may be placed inside each reaction tube.

[0020] According to the present invention, energy efficiency can be improved by directly heating the catalyst by coating the catalyst on a heat transfer member thermally connected to an electrically heated heating plate.

[0021] Additionally, energy consumption can be reduced because only the catalyst is heated without heating the entire housing or reaction tube.

[0022] Furthermore, the temperature of the catalyst on the heat transfer member can be maintained uniformly, thereby suppressing the occurrence of hot spots or cold spots.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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 refer to identical or functionally similar elements.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an electric heating reactor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an electric heating reactor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an electric heating reactor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating one example of a reaction tube used in embodiments of the present invention.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] 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.

[0032] Additionally, the controller of the present disclosure 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 across 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).

[0033] According to the present invention, an electric heating reactor may include a housing having a housing inlet formed on one side in a first direction through which a reactant flows, and a housing outlet formed on the other side in the first direction through which a reacted product flows out; a distribution plate formed on one side of the housing in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and having a plurality of distribution plate through-holes formed therein through which the reactant passes, so as to evenly distribute the reactant flowing into the housing inlet; a heating plate formed on one or the other side of the housing and generating heat by receiving current from a power source; and at least one heat transfer member extending from the heating plate in the first direction toward the other or one side, having a catalyst coated on its surface, and transferring heat generated from the heating plate to the other or one side to heat the catalyst. Since the heat generated from the heating plate is directly transferred to the catalyst coated on the surface of the heat transfer member through the heat transfer member, energy efficiency can be improved. In addition, since only the catalyst coated on the surface is heated through the heat transfer member rather than heating the entire housing, energy consumption can be reduced. Additionally, the temperature of the catalyst can be maintained or controlled uniformly by controlling the current supplied to the heating plate.

[0034]

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0036] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an electric heating reactor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] As illustrated in Fig. 1, an electric heating reactor (10) according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing (11). The housing (11) is generally provided in a hollow cylindrical shape, but the shape of the housing (11) is not limited to a hollow cylindrical shape.

[0038] A housing inlet (16) is formed on one side (e.g., the lower side) of the housing (11) in the first direction (e.g., the vertical direction), and the housing inlet (16) is connected to an inlet line (12), so that a gaseous reactant is supplied into the interior of the housing (11) through the inlet line (12) and the housing inlet (16). The gaseous reactant moves upward within the housing (11), comes into contact with a catalyst (70), and reacts by the catalyst (70) to be converted into a product. A housing outlet (18) is formed on the other side (e.g., the upper side) of the housing (11) in the first direction, and the housing outlet (18) is connected to an outlet line (14). A product that has reacted by coming into contact with a catalyst (70) within the housing (11) is discharged through the housing outlet (18) to the outlet line (14).

[0039] The above housing (11) includes a top plate (26) that is arranged on the other side of the housing (11) and closes the other side of the housing (11). The top plate (26) closes the other side of the housing (11), thereby preventing the reacted product from leaking out of the other side of the housing (11) and allowing it to be discharged through the housing outlet (18) to the discharge line (14).

[0040] In order for the reactants to react by the catalyst (70), the temperature of the catalyst (70) must be raised above a set activation temperature (e.g., 600°C to 700°C). In order to raise the temperature of the catalyst (70), the electric heating reactor (10) further includes a heating plate (40) and a heat transfer member (60).

[0041] The heating plate (40) is arranged on the other side of the housing (11), particularly on the other side of the upper plate (26), and extends in a second direction (e.g., horizontal direction) perpendicular to the first direction. The heating plate (40) is electrically connected to a power source (50) and receives current 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 applied from the power source (50). A first insulator (80) may be arranged between the heating plate (40) and the upper plate (26) so as to prevent heat generated from the heating plate (40) or current applied to the heating plate (40) from flowing into the housing (11).

[0042] The heat transfer member (60) is generally in the shape of a solid rod and includes one side and the other side in the first direction. The other side of the heat transfer member (60) is connected to the heating plate (40) by penetrating the upper plate (26) and the first insulator (80), and one side of the heat transfer member (60) extends from the heating plate (40) to one side. The shape of the heat transfer member (60) is not limited to the shape of a solid rod, and may be in the shape of a tube, a honeycomb, or a metal foam to increase the surface area.

[0043] A catalyst (70) is coated on the surface of the heat transfer member (60). The heat transfer member (60) can transfer heat generated from the heating plate (40) to the catalyst (70) on its surface, thereby uniformly maintaining or controlling the temperature of the catalyst (70). To this end, the heat transfer member (60) can be made of a material with high thermal conductivity.

[0044] The above electric heating reactor (10) may further include a distribution plate (30). The distribution plate (30) is disposed inside the housing (11) close to the housing inlet (16), i.e., on one side of the housing (11), and extends in a second direction. At least one distribution plate through hole (32) is provided in the distribution plate (30), and a reactant introduced into the interior of the housing (11) through the housing inlet (16) passes through the distribution plate through hole (32) and moves to the other side (e.g., the upper side) of the distribution plate (30). In this process, the reactant introduced into the interior of the housing (11) is dispersed in the second direction and moves in the first direction. Therefore, the reactant and the catalyst (70) come into even contact, so that the reaction efficiency can be improved.

[0045] The above electric heating reactor (10) further includes a power source (50). The power source (50) is electrically connected to the heating plate (40) via a wire (52) to apply current to the heating plate (40). A connector (54) to which the wire (52) is connected is provided on the heating plate (40). The power source (50) may be an AC power source or a DC power source.

[0046] Meanwhile, the temperature of the catalyst (70) can be controlled according to the target reaction, and the temperature of the catalyst (70) can be controlled by adjusting the method of applying current from the power source (50) to the heating plate (40).

[0047] In one example, when a constant magnitude of current is continuously applied to the heating plate (40), the temperature of the catalyst (70) can be maintained constant regardless of its location. That is, the temperature of the catalyst (70) close to the heating plate (40) and the temperature of the catalyst (70) far from the heating plate (40) can be the same. This method of applying current can be advantageous for reactions such as endothermic reactions in which the temperature of the catalyst (70) must be maintained constant.

[0048] In another example, when a peak current of a certain size is periodically applied to the heating plate (40), the temperature of the catalyst (70) can gradually decrease according to the distance from the heating plate (40). That is, a temperature gradient is implemented from the temperature of the catalyst (70) close to the heating plate (40) to the temperature of the catalyst (70) far from the heating plate (40), and the temperature of the catalyst (70) close to the heating plate (40) can be higher than the temperature of the catalyst (70) far from the heating plate (40). This current application method can be advantageous when both the preheating of the reactants and the main reaction occur within the housing (11).

[0049] In this way, according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the catalyst (70) is coated on a heat transfer member (60) that is connected to an electrically heated heating plate (40) and transfers heat, the catalyst is directly heated, thereby improving energy efficiency. In addition, since only the catalyst (70) is heated without heating the entire housing (11), energy consumption can be reduced. In addition, since the temperature of the catalyst (70) can be kept constant or adjusted depending on the type of reaction by controlling the current applied to the heating plate (40), the occurrence of hot spots or cold spots can be suppressed.

[0050] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an electric heating reactor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] As illustrated in FIG. 2, an electric heating reactor (10') according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a housing (11), a distribution plate (30), at least one reaction tube (20), a heating plate (40), a heat transfer member (60), and a power source (50).

[0052] A housing inlet (16) is formed on one side (e.g., the lower side) of the housing (11) in the first direction, and the housing inlet (16) is connected to an inlet line (12), so that a gaseous reactant is supplied into the interior of the housing (11) through the inlet line (12) and the housing inlet (16). A housing outlet (18) is formed on the other side (e.g., the upper side) of the housing (11) in the first direction, and the housing outlet (18) is connected to an outlet line (14). The reactant moves to the other side in the first direction inside the housing (11) and reacts, and a product generated as a result of the reaction is discharged to the outlet line (14) through the housing outlet (18).

[0053] The distribution plate (30) is disposed inside the housing (11) close to the housing inlet (16), i.e., on one side of the housing (11), and extends in a second direction. At least one distribution plate through hole (32) is provided in the distribution plate (30), and a reactant introduced into the interior of the housing (11) through the housing inlet (16) passes through the distribution plate through hole (32) and moves to the other side (e.g., the upper side) of the distribution plate (30). In this process, the reactant introduced into the interior of the housing (11) is dispersed in the second direction and moves in the first direction.

[0054] At least one reaction tube (20) is arranged on the other side of the distribution plate (30) inside the housing (10) and extends in the first direction. The at least one reaction tube (20) is mounted inside the housing (10) by an upper plate (26) and a lower plate (28). More specifically, the upper plate (26) is fixed to the other side inside the housing (10), and the other side of each reaction tube (20) passes through the upper plate (26) and is positioned on the other side of the upper plate (26). The lower plate (28) is fixed to one side inside the housing (10), and one side of each reaction tube (20) passes through the lower plate (28) and is positioned on one side of the lower plate (28). That is, each reaction tube (20) is fitted into the upper plate (26) and the lower plate (28), one side of each reaction tube (20) is located on one side of the lower plate (28), and the other side of each reaction tube (20) is located on the other side of the upper plate (26).

[0055] A tube inlet (22) is formed on one side of each reaction tube (20), and the reactant passing through the distribution plate penetration hole (32) flows into the interior of each reaction tube (20) through the tube inlet (22) and to the other side in the first direction. The reactant moves from the interior of each reaction tube (20) to the other side, comes into contact with the catalyst (70), and reacts by the catalyst (70) to be converted into a product. A tube outlet (24) is formed on the other side of each reaction tube (20), and the product flows out into the interior of the housing (11) on the other side of the upper plate (26) through the tube outlet (24), and is discharged to the outlet line (14) through the housing outlet (18). The lower plate (28) fixes one side of each reaction tube (20) to the housing (11) and, at the same time, allows the reactant passing through the distribution plate penetration hole (32) to flow into the tube inlet (22). In addition, the upper plate (26) fixes the other side of each reaction tube (20) to the housing (11) and at the same time allows the product flowing out through the tube outlet (24) to be discharged to the housing outlet (18). A second insulator (82) is arranged between the upper plate (26) and the lower plate (28) inside the housing (11). The second insulator (82) can wrap at least one reaction tube (20) to prevent heat from the at least one reaction tube (20) from escaping to the outside, thereby improving energy efficiency.

[0056] The heating plate (40) is arranged on the other side of the housing (11), particularly on the other side of the upper plate (26), and extends in a second direction (e.g., horizontal direction) perpendicular to the first direction. The heating plate (40) is electrically connected to a power source (50) and receives current 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 applied from the power source (50). The heating plate (40) may be connected to the housing (11) via a first insulator (80) so that heat generated from the heating plate (40) or current applied to the heating plate (40) does not flow to the housing (11).

[0057] The heat transfer member (60) includes one side and the other side in the first direction. The other side of the heat transfer member (60) penetrates the upper plate (26) and is connected to the heating plate (40), and one side of the heat transfer member (60) extends from the heating plate (40) to one side in the first direction. The shape of the heat transfer member (60) is not limited thereto, but may be a solid rod shape, a tube shape, a honeycomb shape, and a metal foam shape. Accordingly, the contact area between the catalyst (70) coated on the surface of the heat transfer member (60) and the reactant can be increased, thereby increasing the reaction efficiency. The heat transfer member (60) can transfer heat generated in the heating plate (40) to the catalyst (70) on its surface, thereby uniformly maintaining or controlling the temperature of the catalyst (70). To this end, the heat transfer member (60) can be made of a material with high thermal conductivity.

[0058] The power source (50) is electrically connected to the heating plate (40) via a wire (52) to apply current to the heating plate (40). The heating plate (40) is provided with a connector (54) to which the wire (52) is connected. The power source (50) may be an AC power source or a DC power source.

[0059] Also, in an electric heating reactor (10') according to another embodiment of the present invention, similarly to the electric heating reactor (10) according to an embodiment of the present invention, the temperature of the catalyst (70) can be controlled according to the target reaction, and the temperature of the catalyst (70) can be controlled by adjusting the method of applying current from the power source (50) to the heating plate (40).

[0060] In one example, when a constant magnitude of current is continuously applied to the heating plate (40), the temperature of the catalyst (70) can be maintained constant regardless of its location. That is, the temperature of the catalyst (70) close to the heating plate (40) and the temperature of the catalyst (70) far from the heating plate (40) can be the same. This method of applying current can be advantageous for reactions such as endothermic reactions in which the temperature of the catalyst (70) must be maintained constant.

[0061] In another example, when a peak current of a certain size is periodically applied to the heating plate (40), the temperature of the catalyst (70) can gradually decrease according to the distance from the heating plate (40). That is, a temperature gradient is implemented from the temperature of the catalyst (70) close to the heating plate (40) to the temperature of the catalyst (70) far from the heating plate (40), and the temperature of the catalyst (70) close to the heating plate (40) can be higher than the temperature of the catalyst (70) far from the heating plate (40). This current application method can be advantageous when both the preheating of the reactants and the main reaction occur within the housing (11).

[0062] In this way, according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the catalyst (70) is coated on a heat transfer member (60) that is connected to an electrically heated heating plate (40) and transfers heat, the catalyst is directly heated, thereby improving energy efficiency. In addition, since only the catalyst (70) is heated without heating the entire housing (11) or at least one reaction tube (20), energy consumption can be reduced. In addition, since the temperature of the catalyst (70) can be kept constant or adjusted depending on the type of reaction by controlling the current applied to the heating plate (40), the occurrence of hot spots or cold spots can be suppressed.

[0063] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an electric heating reactor according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating one example of a reaction tube used in embodiments of the present invention.

[0064] As illustrated in FIG. 3, an electric heating reactor (10'') according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a housing (11), a distribution plate (30), a heating plate (40), at least one reaction tube (20), a heat transfer member (60), and a power source (50).

[0065] A housing inlet (16) is formed on one side (e.g., the lower side) of the housing (11) in the first direction, and the housing inlet (16) is connected to an inlet line (12), so that a gaseous reactant is supplied into the interior of the housing (11) through the inlet line (12) and the housing inlet (16). A housing outlet (18) is formed on the other side (e.g., the upper side) of the housing (11) in the first direction, and the housing outlet (18) is connected to an outlet line (14). The reactant moves to the other side in the first direction inside the housing (11) and reacts, and a product generated as a result of the reaction is discharged to the outlet line (14) through the housing outlet (18).

[0066] The distribution plate (30) is disposed inside the housing (11) close to the housing inlet (16), i.e., on one side of the housing (11), and extends in a second direction. At least one distribution plate through hole (32) is provided in the distribution plate (30), and a reactant introduced into the interior of the housing (11) through the housing inlet (16) passes through the distribution plate through hole (32) and moves to the other side (e.g., the upper side) of the distribution plate (30). In this process, the reactant introduced into the interior of the housing (11) is dispersed in the second direction and moves in the first direction.

[0067] The heating plate (40) is arranged on one side of the housing (11), particularly on the other side of the distribution plate (30), and extends in a second direction (e.g., horizontal direction) perpendicular to the first direction. The heating plate (40) is electrically connected to a power source (50) and receives current 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 applied from the power source (50). The heating plate (40) may be connected to the housing (11) via a first insulator (80) so that heat generated from the heating plate (40) or current applied to the heating plate (40) does not flow to the housing (11). The above heating plate (40) is provided with at least one heating plate penetration hole (42), and the reactant passing through the distribution plate penetration hole (32) moves to the upper part of the heating plate (40) through the heating plate penetration hole (42).

[0068] At least one reaction tube (20) is arranged on the other side of the distribution plate (30) inside the housing (10) and extends in the first direction. The at least one reaction tube (20) is mounted inside the housing (10) by an upper plate (26) and a lower plate (28). More specifically, the upper plate (26) is fixed to the other side inside the housing (10), and the other side of each reaction tube (20) passes through the upper plate (26) and is positioned on the other side of the upper plate (26). The lower plate (28) is fixed to one side inside the housing (10), and one side of each reaction tube (20) passes through the lower plate (28) and is positioned on one side of the lower plate (28). That is, each reaction tube (20) is fitted into the upper plate (26) and the lower plate (28), one side of each reaction tube (20) is located on one side of the lower plate (28), and the other side of each reaction tube (20) is located on the other side of the upper plate (26).

[0069] A tube inlet (22) is formed on one side of each reaction tube (20), and the tube inlet (22) is connected to a heating plate penetration hole (42). Therefore, the reactant passing through the heating plate penetration hole (42) flows into the interior of each reaction tube (20) through the tube inlet (22) and flows to the other side in the first direction. The reactant moves from the interior of each reaction tube (20) to the other side, comes into contact with the catalyst (70), reacts by the catalyst (70), and is converted into a product. A tube outlet (24) is formed on the other side of each reaction tube (20), and the product flows out into the interior of the housing (11) on the other side of the upper plate (26) through the tube outlet (24), and is discharged to the outlet line (14) through the housing outlet (18). The lower plate (28) fixes one side of each reaction tube (20) to the housing (11) and at the same time allows the reactant passing through the heating plate penetration hole (42) to flow into the tube inlet (22). In addition, the upper plate (26) fixes the other side of each reaction tube (20) to the housing (11) and at the same time allows the product flowing out through the tube outlet (24) to be discharged to the housing outlet (18). A second insulator (82) is arranged between the upper plate (26) and the lower plate (28) inside the housing (11). The second insulator (82) can wrap at least one reaction tube (20) to prevent the heat of at least one reaction tube (20) from escaping to the outside, thereby improving energy efficiency.

[0070] The heat transfer member (60) includes one side and the other side in the first direction. One side of the heat transfer member (60) is connected to the heating plate (40), and the other side of the heat transfer member (60) extends from the heating plate (40) to the other side in the first direction. The shape of the heat transfer member (60) is not limited thereto, but may be a solid rod shape, a tube shape, a honeycomb shape, and a metal foam shape. Accordingly, the contact area between the catalyst (70) coated on the surface of the heat transfer member (60) and the reactant can be increased, thereby increasing the reaction efficiency. The heat transfer member (60) can transfer heat generated from the heating plate (40) to the catalyst (70) on its surface, thereby uniformly maintaining or controlling the temperature of the catalyst (70). To this end, the heat transfer member (60) can be made of a material with high thermal conductivity.

[0071] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 4, an inert bead (90) may be provided inside each reaction tube (20). The bead (90) may improve the reaction efficiency by allowing the reactants and the catalyst (70) on the surface of the heat transfer member (60) to better contact each other within each reaction tube (20). The size of the bead (90) may be larger than the size between each heating plate penetration hole (42) and each heat transfer member (60), so that the bead (90) may be prevented from escaping to the outside of each reaction tube (20) through the space between each heating plate penetration hole (42) and each heat transfer member (60).

[0072] The power source (50) is electrically connected to the heating plate (40) via a wire (52) to apply current to the heating plate (40). The heating plate (40) is provided with a connector (54) to which the wire (52) is connected. The power source (50) may be an AC power source or a DC power source.

[0073] Also, in an electric heating reactor (10'') according to another embodiment of the present invention, similarly to the electric heating reactor (10) according to an embodiment of the present invention, the temperature of the catalyst (70) can be controlled according to the target reaction, and the temperature of the catalyst (70) can be controlled by adjusting the method of applying current from the power source (50) to the heating plate (40).

[0074] In one example, when a constant magnitude of current is continuously applied to the heating plate (40), the temperature of the catalyst (70) can be maintained constant regardless of its location. That is, the temperature of the catalyst (70) close to the heating plate (40) and the temperature of the catalyst (70) far from the heating plate (40) can be the same. This method of applying current can be advantageous for reactions such as endothermic reactions in which the temperature of the catalyst (70) must be maintained constant.

[0075] In another example, when a peak current of a certain size is periodically applied to the heating plate (40), the temperature of the catalyst (70) can gradually decrease according to the distance from the heating plate (40). That is, a temperature gradient is implemented from the temperature of the catalyst (70) close to the heating plate (40) to the temperature of the catalyst (70) far from the heating plate (40), and the temperature of the catalyst (70) close to the heating plate (40) can be higher than the temperature of the catalyst (70) far from the heating plate (40). This current application method can be advantageous when both the preheating of the reactants and the main reaction occur within the housing (11).

[0076] In this way, according to an embodiment of the present invention, since the catalyst (70) is coated on a heat transfer member (60) that is connected to an electrically heated heating plate (40) and transfers heat, the catalyst is directly heated, thereby improving energy efficiency. In addition, since only the catalyst (70) is heated without heating the entire housing (11) or at least one reaction tube (20), energy consumption can be reduced. In addition, since the temperature of the catalyst (70) can be kept constant or adjusted depending on the type of reaction by controlling the current applied to the heating plate (40), the occurrence of hot spots or cold spots can be suppressed.

[0077]

[0078] 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 housing having a housing inlet formed on one side through which a reactant flows in a first direction, and a housing outlet formed on the other side through which a reacted product is discharged in the first direction; A heating plate disposed on one side or the other side of the housing and generating heat by receiving current from a power source; and At least one heat transfer member extending from the heating plate in a first direction toward the other side or one side, having a catalyst coated on the surface, and transferring heat generated from the heating plate in the first direction toward the other side or one side to heat the catalyst; An electrically heated reactor comprising:

2. In paragraph 1, An electric heating reactor further comprising a distribution plate having a plurality of distribution plate penetration holes formed on one side of the housing in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and through which reactants pass, to evenly distribute reactants introduced into the housing inlet.

3. In paragraph 1, The above housing includes a top plate disposed on the other side of the housing and closing the other side of the housing, An electric heating reactor in which the heating plate is located on the other side of the upper plate and at least one heat transfer member extends through the upper plate into the interior of the housing.

4. In paragraph 3, An electric heating reactor in which a first insulator is placed between the above heating plate and the top plate.

5. In paragraph 1, Each heat transfer member is an electrically heated reactor having a solid rod shape, tube shape, honeycomb shape, or metal foam shape.

6. In paragraph 1, further comprising at least one reaction tube disposed inside the housing, An electric heating reactor in which each reaction tube surrounds each heat transfer member, a tube inlet is formed on one side thereof, and reactants flowing into the housing inlet flow into each reaction tube through the tube inlet, move in the first direction to the other side within each reaction tube, and react by contacting a catalyst coated on the surface of the heat transfer member, and a tube outlet is formed on the other side thereof, so that reacted products flow out of each reaction tube.

7. In paragraph 6, The above housing A lower plate mounted on one side of the inner surface of the housing to support one side of at least one reaction tube; or A top plate mounted on the inner side of the housing to support the other side of at least one reaction tube; An electrically heated reactor comprising:

8. In paragraph 7, The above heating plate is arranged on the other side of the housing, and at least one heat transfer member extends toward one side in the first direction, An electric heating reactor further comprising a first insulator connecting the heating plate to the housing so as to insulate the housing from the heating plate.

9. In paragraph 7, The above heating plate is arranged on one side of the housing, and at least one heat transfer member extends toward the other side in the first direction, An electric heating reactor further comprising a first insulator connecting the heating plate to the housing so as to insulate the housing from the heating plate.

10. In paragraph 9, An electric heating reactor in which at least one heating plate penetration hole connected to a tube inlet is formed in the heating plate.

11. In paragraph 7, The above housing includes both an upper plate and a lower plate, An electric heating reactor further comprising a second insulator disposed between the upper plate and the lower plate inside the housing.

12. In paragraph 6, An electrically heated reactor in which inert beads are placed inside each reaction tube.

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