Patent ID: 7754935

Claim:
A method of dehydrogenating a hydrocarbon, comprising: flowing a first process stream comprising a first gaseous hydrocarbon into a first reaction channel in an integrated reactor; wherein the first reaction channel comprises a first preheat zone, a first reaction chamber, and a first exhaust zone; wherein the first reaction chamber comprises a first dehydrogenation catalyst; wherein the integrated reactor comprises a stack comprising a first reaction channel, a heat exchange channel, and a second reaction channel; dehydrogenating the hydrocarbon within the first reaction chamber to form a first stream comprising a first unsaturated compound; flowing a second process stream comprising a second gaseous hydrocarbon into a second reaction channel in an integrated reactor; wherein the second reaction channel comprises a second preheat zone, a second reaction chamber, and a second exhaust zone; wherein the second reaction chamber comprises a second dehydrogenation catalyst; dehydrogenating the second hydrocarbon within the second reaction chamber to form a second stream comprising a second unsaturated compound; wherein the first process stream flows in a first direction and the second process stream flows in a second direction, wherein the first direction is opposite the second direction; flowing a heating stream in a heat exchange channel; wherein the heat exchange channel is disposed between the first channel and the second channel, and wherein flow of the heating stream in the heat exchange channel is perpendicular to the first and second directions; wherein the heat exchange channel is adjacent to the first reaction chamber and is adjacent to the second reaction chamber, but is not adjacent to: the first preheat zone, the second preheat zone, the first exhaust zone, and the second exhaust zone; wherein heat in the heating stream is transferred to the first and second reaction chambers; wherein the temperature of the first process stream in the first preheat zone is less than the temperature of the second unsaturated compound in the second exhaust zone; and wherein the temperature of the second process stream in the second preheat zone is less than the temperature of the first unsaturated compound in the first exhaust zone.