Enhanced Reactor Performance with Pressure and Vacuum Swing Reaction

Author(s):  
Vincent G Gomes

Product separation and regeneration of sorbent was accomplished in a novel pressure swing reactor through pressurisation, adsorption, blowdown and purge steps. The switching from sorption to reaction to regeneration was tested in a two bed sorption/reaction apparatus. Models developed for the mass and momentum transfer in the catalyst bed and sorber, were solved using orthogonal collocation within the method of lines. The effects of operating conditions and cycle configurations on performance were assessed. The results from dynamic experiments with propene metathesis to produce ethene and 2-butene in a fixed-bed catalytic reactor were in agreement with model predictions. Both pressure and vacuum swing demonstrated that conversion and product quality can be enhanced by periodic cycling with greater separation obtained with vacuum swing. The separation of products help reduce the downstream processing costs of exit mixtures, enable reactant utilisation by recycling and improve product handling at subsequent stages. The efficacy of the periodic separating reactor in terms of conversion, product purity and recovery were investigated.

Author(s):  
Saleh Rawadieh ◽  
Vincent G Gomes

Fixed-bed columns containing solid catalysts and adsorbents were employed for simultaneous reaction and separation. The models developed for propene metathesis were validated with experimental data for configurations with and without the effect of pressure swing reaction. The models for the mass and momentum transfer in the catalyst bed and adsorber were solved using orthogonal collocation within the method of lines. The reactor/separator performances were tested for beds with varying numbers of layers of catalysts and adsorbents which were arranged sequentially. The pressure reaction columns behaved as reactor/separators in series. As the number of layers increased, a homogeneous distribution of the catalyst and adsorbent was approached in the limit. These configurations with variable catalyst/adsorbent distributions were investigated for propene metathesis reaction, in terms of product purity, selectivity, conversion, recovery, yield and productivity. Improved reactor performance was observed with a pressure swing separation system and in particular with close to well-mixed reactor/separator configurations.


2002 ◽  
Vol 752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Diakov ◽  
Arvind Varma

ABSTRACTFor methanol oxidative dehydrogenation to formaldehyde, the performance of the packed-bed membrane reactor (PBMR) is compared with that of the conventional fixed-bed reactor (FBR) over a wide range of operating conditions. The reaction was studied in three reactor configurations: the conventional FBR and the packed-bed membrane reactor, with either methanol (PBMR-M) or oxygen (PBMR-O) as the permeating component. The kinetics of methanol and formaldehyde partial oxidation reactions were determined and incorporated in a PBMR model. Both experimental data and model considerations demonstrate that the PBMR enhances reactant conversion and selectivity.Small oscillations in CO production were observed experimentally. Their amplitude was taken as a basis for comparison of packed-bed operation instability. The likely source of oscillatory behavior is the non-uniformity in reaction conditions along the reactor. It was found that membrane distributed feed, by providing a more uniform reactor operation, is an effective remedy from these instabilities.It is found, both by simulations and experimental observations, that relative reactor performance depends strongly on the operating conditions. Using formaldehyde yield as the basis for optimization, optimal reactor performances are determined to be in the order: PBMR-O > FBR > PBMR-M. Further PBMR productivity enhancement is possible by optimizing the membrane feed distribution pattern.


Author(s):  
Diego Sousa Lopes ◽  
Augusto Cezar Cordeiro Jardim ◽  
Diego Estumano ◽  
Emanuel Macêdo ◽  
João Quaresma

1990 ◽  
Vol 22 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 347-352 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Paffoni ◽  
B. Védry ◽  
M. Gousailles

The Paris Metropolitan area, which contains over eight million inhabitants, has a daily output of about 3 M cu.meters of wastewater, the purification of which is achieved by SIAAP (Paris Metropolitan Area Sewage Service) in both Achères and Valenton plants. The carbon pollution is eliminated from over 2 M cu.m/day at Achères. In order to improve the quality of output water, its tertiary nitrification in fixed-bed reactors has been contemplated. The BIOFOR (Degremont) and BIOCARBONE (OTV) processes could be tested in semi-industrial pilot reactors at the CRITER research center of SIAAP. At a reference temperature of 13°C, the removed load is approximately 0.5 kg N NH4/m3.day. From a practical point of view, it may be asserted that in such operating conditions as should be at the Achères plant, one cubic meter of filter can handle the tertiary nitification of one cubic meter of purified water per hour at an effluent temperature of 13°C.


2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 491-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeeshan Nawaz

AbstractThe catalytic dehydrogenation of iso-butane to iso-butylene is an equilibrium limited endothermic reaction and requires high temperature. The catalyst deactivates quickly, due to deposition of carbonaceous species and countered by periodic regeneration. The reaction-engineering constraints are tied up with operation and/or technology design features. CATOFIN® is a sophisticated commercialized technology for propane/iso-butane dehydrogenation using multiple adiabatic fixed-bed reactors having Cr2O3/Al2O3 as catalyst, that undergo cyclic operations (~18–30m); dehydrogenation, regeneration, evacuation, purging and reduction. It is always a concern, how to maintain CATOFIN® reactor at an optimum production, while overcoming gradual decrease of heat in catalyst bed and deactivation. A homogeneous one-dimensional dynamic reactor model for a commercial CATOFIN® fixed-bed iso-butane dehydrogenation reactor is developed in an equation oriented (EO) platform Aspen Custom Modeler (ACM), for operational optimization and process intensification. Both reaction and regeneration steps were modeled and results were validated. The model predicts the dynamic behavior and demonstrates the extent of catalyst utilization with operating conditions and time, coke formation and removal, etc. The model computes optimum catalyst bed temperature profiles, feed rate, pre-heating, rates for reaction and regeneration, fuel gas requirement, optimum catalyst amount, overall cycle time optimization, and suggest best operational philosophy.


2015 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
RHYS A. PAUL ◽  
LAWRENCE K. FORBES

We consider a two-step Sal’nikov reaction scheme occurring within a compressible viscous gas. The first step of the reaction may be either endothermic or exothermic, while the second step is strictly exothermic. Energy may also be lost from the system due to Newtonian cooling. An asymptotic solution for temperature perturbations of small amplitude is presented using the methods of strained coordinates and multiple scales, and a travelling wave solution with a sech-squared profile is derived. The method of lines is then used to approximate the full system with a set of ordinary differential equations, which are integrated numerically to track accurately the evolution of the reaction front. This numerical method is used to verify the asymptotic solution and investigate behaviours under different conditions. Using this method, temperature waves progressing as pulsatile fronts are detected at appropriate parameter values.


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