Parametric sensitivity and runaway in fixed-bed catalytic reactors

✍ Scribed by Massimo Morbidelli; Arvind Varma

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1986
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 834 KB
• Volume: 41
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-2509(86)87193-7

✦ Synopsis

The sensitivity behavior of fixed-bed catalytic reactors is examined using a heterogeneous one-dimensional plug-flow model, for the case of n-th order irreversible reactions. A novel sensftfvfty criterion. based on the occurrence of a maximum in the value of the normalized sensitivity of the particle temperature wfth respect to any of the input parameters of the model, f s developed. The fntrinsfc nature of the proposed criterion allows the deflnftfon of a generalized sensi tfvf ty region of reactor behavior in the relevant parameter space. The boundaries of the sensitfvfty region for various values of the involved physicochemfcal parameters are reported. These are found to be in good agreement wf th those previously calculated using the classfcal geometrical crf terfon. based on the occurrence of a positive secondorder derivative. before the hot-spot, in the partfcle temperature vs. conversion proffle. The importance of transport liml tatfons on the sensitivity behavior of catalytic reactors is confirmed by comparison with experimental data available In the literature.