Patent ID: 8430556

Claim:
An apparatus for combining heat exchange and mixing, comprising: a plurality of first process inlet tubes, where each inlet tube has an inlet and an outlet; a mixing chamber with a plurality of inlets and outlets, where each first process inlet tube outlet is in fluid communication with a mixing chamber inlet; at least one first process outlet tube, where the outlet tube has an inlet in fluid communication with a mixing chamber outlet, and an outlet; a housing surrounding the first process inlet tubes, the mixing chamber and the first process outlet tubes; at least one heating source for heating the first process inlet and outlet tubes; an intermediate shell disposed within the housing and in a surrounding relationship to the mixing chamber, where the intermediate shell has a plurality of inlets and at least one outlet; a plurality of second process inlet tubes, where each second process inlet tube has in inlet and an outlet, and where each second process inlet tube outlet is in fluid communication with and inlet of the intermediate shell; and at least one second process outlet tube having in inlet in fluid communication with an outlet of the intermediate shell and an outlet; wherein the apparatus comprises a hot zone and a cold zone, with the mixing chamber inlet tubes passing through the cold zone, and the mixing chamber outlet tubes passing through the hot zone, and with the second process inlet tubes passing through the hot zone and the second process outlet tubes passing through the cold zone.