Claims
- 1. A reaction medium comprising a fluid reactant containing a uniform suspension of uniformly-sized, hollow, gas-impervious catalyst spheres in the form of a gas-impervious shell containing a gas at a pressure greater than atmospheric and having a layer of catalyst on the surface thereof, said spheres having a preselected density not varying more than .+-.10 percent of the density of the fluid reactant.
- 2. A reaction medium according to claim 1 in which the spheres have a density within .+-.0.5 percent of the density of the fluid reactant and form a uniform stationary suspension therein.
- 3. A reaction medium according to claim 1 in which the spheres have a density less than the density of the fluid reactant by 0.5 to 10 percent and form a suspension that slowly rises therethrough.
- 4. A reaction medium according to claim 1 in which the spheres have a density greater than the density of the fluid reactant by 0.5 to 1.0 percent and form a suspension that slowly falls therethough.
- 5. In a method of catalytically converting a fluid reactant into a product, the improvement comprising the steps of:
- forming a uniform suspension of uniformly sized, hollow, gas-impervious catalytic spheres within a body of the fluid reactant, said spheres being in the form of a gas-impervious shell containing a gas at a pressure above atmospheric, having a layer of catalyst on the surface thereof and having a preselected density within .+-.10 percent of the density of the fluid reactant;
- catalytically reacting the reactant by means of the catalyst layer to form a reaction product; and
- separating the catalyst spheres from the reaction product.
- 6. A method according to claim 5 in which the spheres have a density within .+-.0.5 percent of the density of the fluid reactant and form a uniform stationary suspension therein.
- 7. A method according to claim 5 in which the spheres have a density less than the density of the fluid reactant by 0.5 to 10 percent and form a suspension that slowly rises therethrough.
- 8. A method according to claim 5 in which the spheres have a density greater than the density of the fluid reactant by 0.5 to 10 percent and form a suspension that slowy falls therethrough.
- 9. A method according to claim 5 in which the diameter of the spheres is from 0.20 mm to 5.0 mm.
- 10. A method according to claim 9 in which the spheres are formed of metal.
- 11. A method according to claim 5 in which the catalyst layer includes a transition metal or noble metal catalyst and the catalyst further includes an activator or promoter.
- 12. A method according to claim 11 in which the activator or promoter is present as a separate layer.
Parent Case Info
This a division of application Ser. No. 602,901, filed Apr. 23, 1984, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,926.
ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION
The invention described herein was made in the performance of work under a NASA contract and is subject to the provisions of Section 305 of the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, Public Law 83-568 (72 Stat 435; 42 USC 2457).
Divisions (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
602901 |
Apr 1984 |
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