Structured Catalyst Monolith Arrays for Uniform Endothermic Reactions

The patent replaces conventional thermal convection and conduction heating mechanisms with electrical resistance heating. Electrically conductive particles or structured catalysts are heated directly by passing electric current through them, converting electrical energy to thermal energy at the catalyst itself rather than relying on external heat transfer through walls or gas convection. This substitution eliminates heat transfer resistance and temperature gradients, achieving uniform heating throughout the catalyst bed.

The patent merges the catalyst particles with electrically conductive materials into a single integrated component. The catalyst is either coated on conductive particles or the conductive particles themselves serve as the catalyst support, eliminating the need for separate heating elements and complex electrical connection infrastructure. This consolidation simplifies the system while maintaining effective internal heating capability.

The patent replaces external thermal heating through tube walls with internal electrical resistance heating of the catalyst particles themselves. This eliminates the heat transfer bottleneck through tube walls and catalyst bed convection, allowing large scale production with significantly reduced energy consumption since heat is generated directly where needed rather than being transferred from an external source.

The patent changes the thermal parameters of the system by implementing internal electrical heating, which dramatically improves heat transfer efficiency to the catalyst particles. This allows the reaction to proceed at high rates with much lower overall energy input because the heat is delivered directly to the catalyst without losses through convection, conduction, or radiation barriers. The effective utilization of energy enables reduced catalyst loading while maintaining high productivity.