Reverse Flow Reactors: Process Intensification for High Temperature Reactions

for High Temperature Reactions

Federico Barrai², Dhaval Bhandari¹, Charlie Chun¹, James R. Lattner², Elizabeth Mahoney², Brian Weiss¹

¹ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Co., Corporate Strategic Research, ²ExxonMobil Chemical Co., Global Process Research

Global chemicals demand is expected to surpass 200 million metric tons by the end of this decade, with a growth pace faster than the global GDP. The precursors to these chemicals are often manufactured using high temperature endothermic reactions such as reforming and pyrolysis. Substantial energy is consumed to heat feed streams to reaction temperatures, and ineffectively captured as product streams are further processed. Additionally, the significant capital, physical and carbon footprint requirements make these processes ideal for a process intensification (PI) play.

We describe a reverse flow reactor (RFR) approach that efficiently integrates heat-transfer, chemical reactions and cyclical in-situ de-coking by alternating flows between reaction (endothermic) and reheat (exothermic) steps in a fixed bed reactor. The use of high surface area, thermally robust ceramic internals allow operating temperatures up to 1500°C enabling higher conversion and short residence times (higher selectivity) long sought out for optimal performance.

This presentation will provide a brief introduction to RFR, discuss the key reactor features and exemplify a few applications. Finally, the need for a multi-disciplinary approach involving interplay of modeling, materials development, and experimental demonstration is advocated for the advancement of new PI technologies.