Influence of product adsorption on the operation of a reverse-flow reactor

✍ Scribed by Rohit Garg; Abdul Garayhi; Dan Luss

• Publisher: American Institute of Chemical Engineers
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 589 KB
• Volume: 48
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0001-1541
• DOI: 10.1002/aic.690480217

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The adsorption on the catalyst surface of the product of an exothermic reaction in a reverse‐flow reactor (RFR) may lead to large variations in the temporal effluent product concentration. Using a dilute reactant feed, the adsorbed product effluent concentration is low following each flow reversal, but it eventually exceeds the feed reactant concentration. The product adsorption may decrease the range of operating conditions (parameter values) for which the RFR can attain an ignited state. A cooled RFR may attain, for certain parameter values, complex dynamic states such as quasi‐periodic and chaotic states. An increase in the adsorption capacity of the catalyst decreases the range of parameter values for which complex dynamic states exist. The desired period‐1 operation of the RFR is more robust in the presence of product adsorption. Product adsorption may lead to surprising dynamic features, such as the coexistence of up to three stable quasi‐periodic states for the same operating conditions.