Precise performance in multiple applications 

Our salt-bath reactors can Operating at 450–650 °C enables endothermic reactions with up to 80 MW electrical input such as reverse water-gas shift. We have built salt-operated reactors for more than 70 different products. This includes exothermic reactions such as partial oxidation (phthalic and maleic anhydride, acrylic acid, acrolein, methyl methacrylate, etc.), dehydrogenation, organic coupling (methanol-to-fuels, acetic acid, etc.), and many others. Our pilot plant is always ready for further developments. 

MAN DWE^® salt-operated reactor:

1. Electric heater
2. Reactor center part
3. Superheater
4. Salt circulation pump
5. Salt control valve
6. Salt cooler
   
   

Unique performance in chemical processes

Successful operation of chemical plants requires the highest level of process control: the better the reactor system can be controlled, the better the selectivity and the higher the yields. Excellent process control is ultimately a function of temperature control, which is enabled in our reactors by the distribution of the heat transfer salt within the system. By adapting the reactor system to the requirements of the chemical process and its catalyst system, we ensure the best possible temperature distribution for safe and reliable operation.

High-temperature catalyst regeneration and activation 

Some chemical processes suffer a gradual but reversible loss of catalyst activity. To regain the activity of the catalyst it can be regenerated by burning the coke from the catalyst. This must be done in a very controlled manner, otherwise the catalyst or the reactor system could be damaged. The use of molten salt as a heat transfer medium enables the in-situ regeneration of catalysts in tubular fixed-bed reactors without modifying the reactor system or changing the heat transfer medium. MAN DWE® salt bath reactors bring the benefits of the tubular reactor to chemical processes requiring catalyst regeneration or activation.

Biodegradable plastic from the world’s largest salt bath reactors 

In 2023, MAN Energy Solutions supplied three salt-powered reactor systems for the production of biodegradable plastic to Wanhua Chemical Group Co. Ltd., a leading supplier of chemical products in China. The world’s largest salt-operated reactors are being used at a new maleic anhydride plant for the production of biodegradable plastic. 

The salt-operated reactors each measure nearly 7 meters in height and around 12 meters in diameter. Each reactor consists of 38,500 tubes. The power consumption of the system is optimized, and a higher process efficiency is achieved through an optimized tube diameter, which leads to a lower pressure drop across the catalyst bed. The reactors reach an operating temperature of up to 450 °C. Thanks to the excellent temperature control provided by the DWE® reactors, the operating conditions for each of the 38,500 tubes are practically identical, maximizing selectivity and yield.

Reactor system for the production of acrylic acid

Between 2021 and 2024, MAN DWE® supplied four salt bath reactors for a BASF acrylic acid production plant. The result is one of the most advanced MAN DWE® reactor systems available, with two separate reaction zones for each stage in combination with removable quench coolers. The reactors are customized to the exact process requirements. In this way we ensure that the temperature and heat transfer system can reach its peak performance and ensure the highest yields and product quality, excellent thermodynamics, easy maintenance, and long-term operability – all in a compact design.

Each reactor contains more than 30,000 tubes, the quench coolers have over 10,000 tubes each. Operating temperatures are 400 °C in the first stage, 375 °C in the second stage and 400 °C in the quench coolers.