The invention relates to a tubular reactor for carrying out catalytic gas-phase reactions, containing a catalyst tube bundle (8) that is traversed by the relevant reaction gas mixture, is filled with a catalyst, extends between two tube sheets (4, 148) and around which flows a heat transfer medium contained within a surrounding reactor jacket (6). Said reactor also comprises gas entry and discharge hoods (2; 60) that cover the two tube sheets for supplying the relevant process gas to the catalyst tubes and for discharging the reacted process gas from the catalyst tubes. The reactor is characterised in that together with all the parts that come into contact with the process gas mixture, it is designed to have an appropriate strength for withstanding the deflagration and explosive pressures that are to be taken into account during its operation. The volume available to the process gas mixture prior to its entry into the catalyst tubes is restricted as much as possible in construction and flow engineering terms. The inventive reactor permits a higher charge of an explosion-critical component to be added to the process gas that is to be treated in a risk-free, economical manner and an explosion-critical range in the current gas composition to be traversed during the start-up phase of the reactor. |