reator catalìtico, método para realizar reações quìmicas entre gases e processamento de metano

A catalytic reactor 10 comprises a plurality of fluid-impermeable elements (tubes or plates) 12 defining flow channels 15 between them. Tight fitting within each flow channel 15 is a sheet 16 of corrugated material whose surfaces are coated with catalytic material. At each end of the reactor 10 are headers 18 to supply gas mixtures to the flow channels 15, the headers communicating with adjacent channels being separate. The reactor 10 enables different gas mixtures to be supplied to adjacent channels 15, which may be at different pressures, and the corresponding chemical reactions are also different. Where one of the reactions is endothermic while the other reaction is exothermic, heat is transferred through the wall of the tube 12 separating the adjacent channels 15, from the exothermic reaction to the endothermic reaction. The reactor 10 may be used in a compact plant to perform steam/methane reforming, obtaining the necessary heat by catalytic methane combustion, and also for Fischer-Tropsh synthesis.