Patent ID: 8747656

Claim:
A process, comprising: flowing reactants comprising a hydrocarbon reactant and hydrogen in a process microchannel in contact with a catalyst to form one or more products, the hydrocarbon reactant comprising a liquid; and removing the product from the process microchannel; wherein: (a) the hydrocarbon reactant comprises a hydrocarbon with a first hydrocarbon chain length, the hydrocarbon reactant being converted to two or more hydrocarbon products, the hydrocarbon products having chain lengths that are shorter than the first hydrocarbon chain length; or (b) the hydrocarbon reactant comprises one or more heteroatoms bonded to the hydrocarbon reactant and at least one of the heteroatoms reacts with the hydrogen to form a heteroatom containing compound, the product comprising a hydrocarbon product characterized by the absence of heteroatoms or a reduced heteroatom content as compared to the hydrocarbon reactant; wherein the process is conducted in a microchannel reactor comprising a plurality of the process microchannels, the microchannel reactor further comprising a distribution apparatus for flowing the hydrocarbon reactant and hydrogen into the plurality of process microchannels, the distribution apparatus being positioned at the entrance to the process microchannels, the distribution apparatus comprising a separation plate and a redistribution plate, the separation plate overlying the redistribution plate, the hydrocarbon reactant and hydrogen contacting the separation plate and separating into a vapor phase and a liquid phase, the vapor phase and the liquid phase flowing to the redistribution plate; the redistribution plate comprising a plurality of openings, the openings in the redistribution plate being aligned with the entrances to the process microchannels, the vapor phase contacting the liquid phase in the openings in the redistribution plate and forming a vapor/liquid mixture, the vapor/liquid mixture flowing into the process microchannels.