Patent ID: 6201031
Filing Date: 2001-03-13
Classification: B01J,C07C,C10G

Abstract:
A process for producing liquid and, optionally, gaseous products from gaseous reactants, which process comprises the steps of:feeding, at a low level, gaseous reactants into a slurry bed of solid particles suspended in a suspension liquid;allowing the gaseous reactants to react as they pass upwardly through the slurry bed, thereby to form liquid and, optionally, gaseous products, with the gaseous reactants and any gaseous product assisting in maintaining the solid particles in suspension in the suspension liquid, and with the liquid product forming, together with the suspension liquid, a liquid phase of the slurry bed;allowing any gaseous product and unreacted gaseous reactants to disengage from the slurry bed into a head space above the slurry bed;allowing slurry to pass downwardly from a high level in the slurry bed to a lower level thereof, through at least one downcomer located in a first downcomer region of the slurry bed, as well as through at least one further downcomer located in a second downcomer region of the slurry bed, with the second downcomer region being spaced vertically with respect to the first downcomer region, thereby to redistribute solid particles within the slurry bed;withdrawing any gaseous product and unreacted gaseous reactants from the head space; andwithdrawing liquid phase from the slurry bed, to maintain the slurry bed at a desired level.