Patent ID: 8524156

Claim:
A tube bundle reactor for carrying out endothermic or exothermic gas phase reactions, comprising a tube bundle of reactor tubes filled with catalyst, having their ends fastened tightly in tube sheets, a fluid heat carrier flowing around the tubes during operation, a shell enclosing the tube bundle, a gas inlet head spanning one of the tube sheets, a gas outlet head spanning the other tube sheet, the reactor tubes being in fluid communication with the gas inlet and outlet heads, at least one stage thermometer installed in a thermometer tube disposed in the tube bundle for determining temperature profiles, wherein the at least one stage thermometer ( 9 ) is axially movable inside the thermometer tube ( 2 ), and the tube bundle reactor ( 1 ) comprises a mechanical positioning means ( 8 ) to effect the axial movement of the stage thermometer ( 9 ) in predetermined steps, and the at least one stage thermometer ( 9 ) comprises a teletransmission means ( 29 a ) adapted to transmit the measured values to a remote control center ( 30 ), and that the mechanical positioning means ( 8 ) comprises means for the reception of control signals from that control center ( 30 ); and wherein the at least one stage thermometer ( 9 ) in the thermometer tube ( 2 ) is arranged inside a protective tube ( 23 ); and wherein the at least one stage thermometer ( 9 ) inside the protective tube ( 23 ) is arranged in a heat protection tube ( 33 ) which is axially movable in the protective tube ( 23 ); and wherein the thermometer tube is in fluid communication with the gas inlet head ( 6 ) and the gas outlet head ( 7 ) and comprises a catalyst therein, the reactive effect of which corresponds to that of the reactor tubes, and that the protective tube ( 23 ) extends through at least part of the catalyst, and the heat protection tube ( 33 ), including the at least one stage thermometer ( 9 ) passes and is movable through, respectively, at least part of the catalyst; and wherein the spacings (x(TM)) of adjacent individual thermometers (TM) of the at least one stage thermometer ( 9 ) are smaller in the area of a hot spot than in the remaining area.