Water cooled tubular reactor WCTR

The water cooled tubular reactor (WCTR) represents the optimal solution for the etherification because it is the best compromise between kinetics and thermodynamics [7]. The Snamprogetti (now Saipem) WCTR (Figure 11.5) is a bundle-type heat exchanger with the catalyst in the tube side and the tempered cooling water flowing co-current or counter-current in the shell side. The catalyst is self-supporting in the bottom shell of the reactor, in the tubes and above the upper tube sheet. 

Figure 11.5 Saipem water cooled tubular reactor (WCTR).

Description A typical MTBE/ETBE unit using FCC cut is based on a single-stage scheme, with a tubular (1) and an adiabatic (2) reactor. The front-end reactor uses the proprietary water-cooled tubular reactor (WCTR). The WCTR Is a very flexible reactor and can treat all C cuts on a once-through basis. 

A high conversion level of isobutene (99%) can be reached with a double-stage configuration where, in both stages, water-cooled tubular reactors (WCTR), (1,2), are used for the isobutene dimerization to maintain optimal temperature control inside the catalytic bed. 

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See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

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