Mathematical modelling of the exothermic packed bed reactor: application to o-xylene partial oxidation

✍ Scribed by D.L. Cresswell; W.R. Paterson

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1970
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 759 KB
• Volume: 25
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-2509(70)85063-1

✦ Synopsis

The influences of "in-pore" diffusion and film heat and mass transfer on catalyst effectiveness and selectivity are examined for a system of highly exothermic parallel and consecutive reactions, typified, for example, by the partial oxidation of o-oxylene to phthalic anhydride. Parametric sensitivity tests reveal a marked.dependence of both effectiveness factor and selectivity on the "in-pore" diffision coefficient, stressing the need for a more accurate estimate of this parameter.

The effect of restricted "in-pore" diffusion-rates on temperature "run-away" in a highly exothermic packed-bed reactor is also explored, and it is shown that the yield of desired product may be considerably improved by inviting an appreciable intraparticle diffusion effect, though at the expense ofreduced selectivity.