Patent ID: 9132403
Filing Date: 2015-09-15
Classification: B01J,F28F,G01K,G05D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A chemical reactor, comprising: a tubular shell having an inlet and an outlet, each formed through a wall of the tubular shell; three or more tubes disposed in the shell, made from a thermally conductive material, and containing a catalyst bed; first and second tube sheets, each tube sheet fixed to each of the tubes and coupled to the shell, thereby isolating bores of the tubes from the reactor chamber; first and second heads coupled to the shell, each head having an inlet and an outlet formed through a wall of the tubular shell; two or more temperature sensors, each temperature sensor disposed through the shell, into the bores of respective tubes, and in communication with the catalyst bed; a coolant; and a controller in communication with the temperature sensors and configured to perform an operation, comprising: inputting temperature measurements from the temperature sensors, and calculating a fraction of the catalyst bed greater than a predetermined maximum temperature limit using a probability distribution generated using the temperature measurements, wherein calculating the fraction comprises: subtracting a temperature of the catalyst bed adjacent an inlet of the reactor or a control temperature of the coolant from each of the temperature measurements, thereby obtaining temperature differences, subtracting a temperature of the catalyst bed adjacent an inlet of the reactor or a temperature of the coolant from the maximum temperature limit, thereby obtaining a maximum temperature limit difference, calculating a logarithm of each temperature difference, thereby obtaining log temperature differences, and the probability distribution is generated using the log temperature differences; and comparing the calculated fraction to a predetermined maximum fraction; and reducing the reactant stream if the calculated fraction exceeds the maximum fraction or increasing the reactant stream if the calculated fraction is less than the maximum fraction.