Synthesis of tertiary amyl methyl ether (TAME): Influence of internal and external mass transfer resistance

✍ Scribed by Dipl.-Chem. Carsten Oost; Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ulrich Hoffmann

• Book ID: 102795481
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 600 KB
• Volume: 18
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0930-7516
• DOI: 10.1002/ceat.270180309

✦ Synopsis

An experimental set-up is presented for the measurement of reaction rates in the liquid phase synthesis of tertiary amyl methyl ether (TAME) from methanol and a mixture of 2-methyl-1 -butene and 2-methyl-2-butene using an acidic ion exchange resin (Lewatit SPC 1 1 8) as catalyst. The reaction was performed in a continuous-flow recycle reactor at a temperature of 333.15 K and a pressure of 1.6 MPa. Determination of the age distribution (Fcurve) of the reactor showed that mixed flow is approached at a recycle ratio of R = 10. Experiments were performed to reveal the limits of operating conditions where the various resistances do not affect the rate. i n agreement with estimation of Reynolds numbers, hindrance by external mass transfer can be excluded at a volumetric flow rate of 10 ml/min and a recycle ratio of R = 10. The maximum temperature increase of the whole particle resulting from limitation of external heat transfer was estimated to be about 3 K. Variation of the size of resin particles revealed the existence of a critical methanol concentration, above which reaction rates can be determined without influence of internal mass transport phenomena. The maximum temperature increase in the particle was estimated to be 0.3 K.