Apparatus for close temperature control of catalyzed gas reactions

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR CONTACTING FLUID REACTANT MATERIALS WITH A FIXED BED SOLID CATALYST THEREFOR, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF VERTICAL REACTOR VESSELS OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL VOLUME SYMMETRICALLY DISPOSED IN ARCUATELY SPACED RELATION ONE TO ANOTHER, EQUIDISTANT RADIALLY FROM A COMMON CENTER, A HEAT EXCHANGE CHAMBER IN EACH VESSEL, A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL, ELONGATED, TUBULAR REACTOR ELEMENTS EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED AMONG SAID VESSELS, SYMMETRICALLY DISPOSED IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION INTERIORLY OF EACH VESSEL, EXTENDING VERTICALLY THROUGH THE HEAT EXCHANGE CHAMBER THEREIN, SAID ELEMENTS INCOMMUNICATION ABOVE AND BELOW SAID CHAMBER, A COMMON RESERVOIR VESSEL FOR A HEAT EXCHANGE FLUID, A COMMON RESERVOIR VESSEL FOR A FLUID REACTANT MATERIAL, AND A COMMON RECEIVER VESSEL FOR SAID MATERIAL AFTER PASSAGE THROUGH SAID REACTION ELEMENTS, ALL DISPOSED IN A VERTICAL LINE THROUGH SAID CENTER POINT, AND CONDUIT CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SAID RESERVOIR AND RECEIVER VESSELS, AND THE REACTOR VESSELS, SAID CONNECTIONS BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL LENGTH AND NATURE BETWEEN THE RESPECTIVE REACTOR VESSELS AND ANY ONE OF SAID RESERVOIR OR RECEIVER VESSELS.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR CONTACTING FLUID REACTANT MATERIALS WITH A FIXED BED SOLID CATALYST THEREFOR, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF VERTICAL REACTOR VESSELS OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL VOLUME SYMMETRICALLY DISPOSED IN ARCUATELY SPACED RELATION ONE TO ANOTHER, EQUIDISTANT RADIALLY FROM A COMMON CENTER, A HEAT EXCHANGE CHAMBER IN EACH VESSEL, A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL, ELONGATED, TUBULAR REACTOR ELEMENTS EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED AMONG SAID VESSELS, SYMMETRICALLY DISPOSED IN SPACED PARALLEL RELATION INTERIORLY OF EACH VESSEL, EXTENDING VERTICALLY THROUGH THE HEAT EXCHANGE CHAMBER THEREIN, SAID ELEMENTS INCOMMUNICATION ABOVE AND BELOW SAID CHAMBER, A COMMON RESERVOIR VESSEL FOR A HEAT EXCHANGE FLUID, A COMMON RESERVOIR VESSEL FOR A FLUID REACTANT MATERIAL, AND A COMMON RECEIVER VESSEL FOR SAID MATERIAL AFTER PASSAGE THROUGH SAID REACTION ELEMENTS, ALL DISPOSED IN A VERTICAL LINE THROUGH SAID CENTER POINT, AND CONDUIT CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SAID RESERVOIR AND RECEIVER VESSELS, AND THE REACTOR VESSELS, SAID CONNECTIONS BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL LENGTH AND NATURE BETWEEN THE RESPECTIVE REACTOR VESSELS AND ANY ONE OF SAID RESERVOIR OR RECEIVER VESSELS.