EXPANDING CENTERS FOR STACKABLE STRUCTURAL REACTORS

• Main Authors: WHITTENBERGER WILLIAM A, WHITTENBERGER JOSEPH W, DAVIS BRAIN L, RUNDO JAMES A
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Korean
• Published: 18.12.2014
• Subjects: BLASTING; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OFGENERAL APPLICATION; HEAT EXCHANGE IN GENERAL; HEATING; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS

Described herein are expandable center arrangements for use in a tubular reactor, such as a reformer, for enhancing heat transfer and reactor efficiency. The expandable center arrangement can include a cone being expandable in the radial direction and an expansion weight for promoting expansion of the cone. The cone and expansion weight can be slidably arranged on a center support. Expansion of the cones in the radial direction forces reactor components radially outward to an outer tube that houses the reactor components and expandable center arrangement. Expansion of reactor components towards the outer tube promotes heat for carrying out catalytic reactions.