Patent ID: 9504978
Filing Date: 2016-11-29
CPC Classification: B01J,C07C

Claim Text:
1. A reactor, comprising: a starting zone; an adiabatic region; a cooled region; a fixed bed zone; and a moderator zone, wherein the reactor is configured to produce dimethyl ether (DME) by heterogeneously catalyzed dehydration of a gaseous feed stream comprising methanol, wherein the dehydration occurs over a solid catalyst suitable to dehydrate methanol to DME under dehydration conditions, wherein the reactor is configured such that a temperature of the gaseous feed stream approaches a desired reactor outlet temperature asymptotically, (a) wherein the reactor is configured such that, in the starting zone, after entry into the reactor, the gaseous feed stream initially flows through the adiabatic region, comprising the catalyst, and a first part of the methanol exothermally reacts to provide DME under methanol dehydration conditions, wherein, in the starting zone, a feed stream temperature is increased with respect to a reactor inlet temperature, and the feed stream temperature does not exceed a target maximum temperature, (b) wherein the reactor is configured such that, in the moderator zone, the gaseous feed stream subsequently passes through at least one cooled region, wherein, in the moderator zone, reaction heat released is at least partly dissipated and a feed stream temperature increase is at least reduced, and (c) wherein the reactor is optionally configured such that, in a conditioning zone, before the gaseous feed stream exits the reactor, the gaseous feed stream flows through a last adiabatic region, comprising the catalyst, and a second part of the methanol comprised in the feed stream exothermally reacts to provide DME under methanol dehydration conditions, and the feed stream temperature is increased to a reactor outlet temperature.