Patent ID: 7201883

Claim:
A catalytic reactor comprising a plurality of metal sheets arranged as a stack and bonded together, the sheets defining first flow channels between adjacent sheets, alternating with second flow channels between adjacent sheets for ensuring good thermal contact between fluids in the first and the second flow channels, the orientation of the second flow channels being different from that of the first flow channels, catalyst being provided, within at least the second flow channels, exclusively in the form of fluid-permeable catalyst layers, first and second headers for supplying respective fluids to the flow channels, each first header comprising a chamber attached to the outside of said stack and communicating with a plurality of first flow channels, and each second header comprising a chamber attached to the outside of said stack and communicating with a plurality of second flow channels, wherein after removal of a header the catalyst layers in the corresponding flow channels are removable, and wherein said orientations of adjacent first and second flow channels are in oblique directions and said second flow channels on opposite sides of a first flow channel within said stack have mirror image orientations.