Patent ID: 7378059

Claim:
A test unit, particularly for the study of catalysts in short contact time reactions between at least one catalyst and at least one reagent, comprising a reactor ( 4 ) with at least one load inlet ( 13 , 13 a , 13 b ) for loading a feed consisting of at least one reagent and at least one catalyst which has to intervene in the test reaction, and at least one discharge outlet ( 14 ) for the discharge of the catalyst and reaction products resulting from the test reaction, a separator ( 5 ) wherein the catalyst is separated from the reaction products, the reactor ( 5 ) presenting an admission inlet ( 15 ) through which the reaction products and the catalyst gain access to the separator ( 5 ), and at least one evacuation outlet for evacuating at least the reaction products separated from the catalyst, and means of heating ( 1 , 11 , 17 , 17 a ) for heating at least part of the unit, characterized in that the reactor ( 4 ) is a down transported flow reactor, the load inlet ( 13 , 13 a , 13 b ) is arranged in an upper part ( 4 a ) of the reactor ( 4 ) and the discharge outlet ( 14 ) is arranged in a lower part ( 4 b ) of the reactor ( 4 ), the admission inlet ( 15 ) and at least one evacuation outlet ( 16 , 18 ) are arranged in an upper part of the separator ( 5 ), the means of heating ( 1 , 11 , 17 , 17 a ) comprise at least a first preheater ( 1 ) with at least one tank ( 1 a ) housing the catalyst prior to the test reaction for heating the catalyst to the desired temperature before it is loaded into the reactor ( 4 ), the first preheater ( 1 ) presenting at least one outlet ( 2 , 2 a ) connected to the load inlet ( 13 , 13 a , 13 b ) of the reactor ( 4 ) through a load duct ( 42 ) in such a way that, between said outlet ( 2 , 2 a ) from the first preheater ( 1 , 1 a ) and said load inlet ( 13 , 13 a , 13 b ) of the reactor ( 4 ), some obturator means ( 3 , 3 a ) are provided which are closed when the catalyst is being heated to the desired catalyst temperature in the first preheater ( 1 ) and they open when the catalyst has become heated to the desired catalyst temperature for discharging the catalyst into the reactor ( 4 ), the separator ( 5 ) is internally divided by a porous element ( 40 ) into an upper chamber ( 39 ) and a lower chamber ( 41 ), the porous element being permeable to gas and impermeable to solid particles of catalyst, said admission inlet ( 15 ) being linked with the upper chamber ( 39 ), and the discharge outlet ( 14 ) from the reactor ( 4 ) links with said admission inlet ( 15 ).