A counter-current heat-exchange reactor for high temperature partial oxidation reactions

A multifunctional reactor with integrated heat-exchange between the hot effluent gases and the cold feed gases was developed and tested for catalytic high temperature partial oxidation reactions. Particular care was taken in the reactor design to minimize the danger of explosions which is a major concern in the practical application of these reactions. The reactor was tested using the direct catalytic oxidation of methane to synthesis gas over Pt and Rh catalysts. It is shown that the internal heat exchange leads to an increase in selectivity and conversion and a diminished sensitivity of the reactor to changes in reaction conditions. However, due to the high temperature conditions, material problems in the reactor construction remain to be solved. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.