Experimental Study and Modeling of an Adiabatic Fixed-bed Reactor for Methanol Dehydration to Dimethyl Ether

One-dimensional heterogeneous plug flow model was employed to model an adiabatic fixed-bed reactor for the catalytic dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether.Longitudinal temperature and conversion profiles predicted by this model were compared to those experimentally measured in a bench scale reactor.The reactor was packed with 1.5mm γ-Al2O3 pellets as dehydration catalyst and operated in a temperature range of 543-603K at an atmospheric pressure.Also,the effects of weight hourly space velocity(WHSV)and temperature on methanol conversion were investigated.According to the results,the maximum conversion is obtained at 603.15K with WHSV of 72.87h-1.

Simulation of biodiesel industrial production via solid base catalyst in a fixed-bed reactor

Biodiesel industrial production based on a solid base catalyst in a fixed-bed was simulated. The lab and bench scale experiments were carded out effectively, in which the kinetic model is established and it can describe the transesterification reaction well. The Antoine equation of biodiesel is regressed with the vapor-liquid data cited of literature. The non-random two liquid （NRTL） model is applied to describe the system of fatty acid methyl ester （FAME）, methanol and glycerol and parameters are obtained. The Ternary phase map is obtained from Aspen Plus via the liquid-liquid equilibrium （LLE） data. In order to describe the production in a fixed-bed performs in industrial scale after being magnified 1 000 times, the Aspen Plus simulation is employed, where two flowsheets are simulated to predict material and energy consumption. The simulation results prove that at least 350. 42 kW energy consumption can be reduced per hour to produce per ton biodiesel compared with data reported in previous references.

Carbon Dioxide Captured from Flue Gas by Modified Ca-based Sorbents in Fixed-bed Reactor at High Temperature

Four kinds of Ca-based sorbents were prepared by calcination and hydration reactions using different precursors： calcium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, calcium acetate monohydrate and calcium oxide. The CO2 absorption capacity of those sorbents was investigated in a fixed-bed reactor in the temperature range of 350-650 ℃. It was found that all of those sorbents showed higher capacity for CO2 absorption when the operating temperature higher than 450 ℃. The CaAc2-CaO sorbent showed the highest CO2 absorption capacity of 299 mg.g-1. The mor- phology of those sorbents was examined by scanning electron microscope （SEM）, and the changes of composition before and after carbonation were also determined by X-ray diffraction （XRD）. Results indicated that those sorbents have the similar chemical compositions and crystalline phases before carbonation reaction [mainly Ca（OH）2], and CaCO3 is the main component after carbonation reaction. The SEM morphology shows clearly that the sorbent pores were filled with reaction products after carbonation reaction, and became much denser than before. The N2 adsorption-desorption isotherms indicated that the CaAc2-CaO and CaCO3-CaO sorbents have higher specific surface area. lar2er oore volume and anoropriate pore size distribution than that of CaO-CaO and Ca（OH）2-CaO.

Modeling-based optimization of a fixed-bed industrial reactor for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane

An industrial scale propylene production via oxidative dehydrogenation of propane （ODHP） in multi-tubular re- actors was modeled. Multi-tubular fixed-bed reactor used for ODHP process, employing 10000 of small diameter tubes immersed in a shell through a proper coolant flows. Herein, a theory-based pseudo-homogeneous model to describe the operation of a fixed bed reactor for the ODHP to correspondence olefln over V2O5/γ-Al203 catalyst was presented. Steady state one dimensional model has been developed to identify the operation parameters and to describe the propane and oxygen conversions, gas process and coolant temperatures, as well as other pa- rameters affecting the reactor performance such as pressure. Furthermore, the applied model showed that a double-bed multitubular reactor with intermediate air injection scheme was superior to a single-bed design due to the increasing of propylene selectivity while operating under lower oxygen partial pressures resulting in propane conversion of about 37.3%. The optimized length of the reactor needed to reach 100% conversion of the oxygen was theoretically determined. For the single-bed reactor the optimized length of 11.96 m including 0.5 m of inert section at the entrance region and for the double-bed reactor design the optimized lengths of 5.72 m for the first and 7.32 m for the second reactor were calculated. Ultimately, the use of a distributed oxygen feed with limited number of injection points indicated a significant improvement on the reactor performance in terms of propane conversion and propylene selectivity. Besides, this concept could overcome the reactor run- away temperature problem and enabled operations at the wider range of conditions to obtain enhanced propyl- ene production in an industrial scale reactor.

Changes in char reactivity due to char-oxygen and char-steam reactions using Victorian brown coal in a fixed-bed reactor

This study was to examine the influence of reactions of char–O2and char–steam on the char reactivity evolution.A newly-designed fixed-bed reactor was used to conduct gasification experiments using Victorian brown coal at800 °C. The chars prepared from the gasification experiments were then collected and subjected to reactivity characterisation(ex-situ reactivity) using TGA(thermogravimetric analyser) in air. The results indicate that the char reactivity from TGA was generally high when the char experienced intensive gasification reactions in 0.3%O2in the fixed-bed reactor. The addition of steam into the gasification not only enhanced the char conversion significantly but also reduced the char reactivity dramatically. The curve shapes of the char reactivity with involvement of steam were very different from that with O2 gasification, implying the importance of gasifying agents to char properties.

Scale up and stability test for oxidative coupling of methane over Na_2WO_4-Mn/SiO_2 catalyst in a 200 ml fixed-bed reactor

The study of scale up for the oxidative coupling of methane （OCM） has been carried out in a 200 ml stainless steel fixed-bed reactor over a 5wt% Na2WO4-1.9wt% Mn/SiO2 （W-Mn/SiO2） catalyst. The effects of reaction conditions were investigated in detail. The results showed that, with increasing reaction temperature, the gas-phase reaction was enhanced and a significant amount of methane was converted into COx; with the CH4/O2 molar ratio of 5, the highest C2 （ethylene and ethane） yield of 25% was achieved; the presence of steam （as diluent） had a positive effect on the C2 selectivity and yield. Under lower methane gaseous hourly space velocity （GHSV）, higher selectivity and yield of C2 were obtained as the result of the decrease of released heat energy. In 100 h reaction time, the C2 selectivity of 66%-61% and C2 yield of 24.2%-25.4% were achieved by a single pass without any significant loss in catalytic performance.

Conversion enhancement of tubular fixed-bed reactor for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis using static mixer

Recently, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis （FTS） has become an interesting technology because of its potential role in producing biofuels via Biomass- to-Liquids （BTL） processes. In Fischer-Tropsch （FT） section, biomass-derived syngas, mainly composed of a mixture of carbon monoxide （CO） and hydrogen （H2）, is converted into various forms of hydrocarbon products over a catalyst at specified temperature and pressure. Fixed-bed reactors are typically used for these processes as conventional FT reactors. The fixed-bed or packed-bed type reactor has its drawbacks, which are heat transfer limitation, i.e. a hot spot problem involved highly exothermic characteristics of FT reaction, and mass transfer limitation due to the condensation of liquid hydrocarbon products occurred on catalyst surface. This work is initiated to develop a new chemical reactor design in which a better distribution of gaseous reactants and hydrocarbon products could be achieved, and led to higher throughput and conversion. The main goal of the research is the enhancement of a fixed-bed reactor, focusing on the application of KenicsTM static mixer insertion in the tubular packed-bed reactor. Two FTS experiments were carried out using two reactors i.e., with and without static mixer insertion within catalytic beds. The modeled syngas used was a mixed gas composed of H2/CO in 2 ： 1 molar ratio that was fed at the rate of 30 mL（STP）·min^- 1 （GHSV ≈ 136 mL·gcat^-1 ·h^-1） into the fixed Ru supported aluminum catalyst bed of weight 13.3 g. The reaction was carried out at 180 ℃ and atmospheric pressure continuously for 36 h for both experiments. Both transient and steady-state conversions （in terms of time on stream） were reported. The results revealed that the steady-state CO conversion for the case using the static mixer was approximately 3.5 times higher than that of the case without static mixer. In both cases, the values of chain growth probability of hydrocarbon products （α） for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis were 0.92 and 0.89 for the case with and without static mixer, respectively.

On-Line Prediction of a Fixed-Bed Reactor Using K-L Expansion and Neural Networks

An on-line prediction scheme combining the Karhunen-Love expansion and a recurrent neural network for a wall-cooled fixed-bed reactor is presented.Benzene oxidation in a pilotscale,single tube fixed-bed reactor is chosen as a working system and a pseudo-homogeneous twodimensional model is used to generate simulation data to investigate the prediction scheme presentedunder randomly changing operating conditions.The scheme consisting of the K-L expansion andneural network performs satisfactorily for on-line prediction of reaction yield and bed temperatures.

A Simulation Study of the Steam Reforming of Methaneina Fixed-Bed Reactor

In this work a one-dimensional mathematical model was developed to simulate methane conversion and hydrogen yield in a fixed-bed reactor filled with catalyst particles. For the reason that reforming reactions are sorely endothermic process, the heat is supplied to the reactor through electrical heating. The reforming reactions have been investigated from a modelling view point considering the effect of different temperatures ranging from 500℃ and 977℃ on the conversion of methane and hydrogen yield. Simulation results show that the steam reforming of methane in a fixed-bed reactor can efficiently store high temperature end thermal energy. When the operating temperature is increased to 977℃, the conversion of methane is 97.48% and the hydrogen yield is 2.2408. As a conclusion, the maximum thermochemical efficiency will be obtained under optimal operating temperature (977℃) and the steam/methane (3.86) ratio.

Suiting Dynamic Models of Fixed-Bed Catalytic Reactors for Computer-Based Applications

This work investigated the applicability of heterogeneous and pseudo-homogeneous models to predict the dynamic behavior of a fixed-bed catalytic reactor. Some issues concerning the dynamic behavior of the system were discussed, such as the prediction of the inverse response phenomenon. The proposed models (Het- erogeneous I and II and Pseudo-homogeneous) were able to predict with qualitative similarity the main characteristics of the dynamic behavior of a fixed-bed catalytic reactor, including the inverse response. The computational time demanded for the solution of the heterogeneous models was 10 to 50% longer than in the case of the pseudo-homogeneous model, making the use of the former suitable for applications where computational time is not the major restriction (off-line applications). On the other hand, when on-line applications are required, the simplified model (Pseudo-homogeneous model) showed to be a good alternative because this model was able to predict (qualitatively) the dynamics of the reactor using a faster and easier numerical solution.

基于临界半衰期的连续流反应热安全风险评估方法

为了更好地评估连续流反应热安全风险,研究以通道式反应器为例,通过构建基于热量衡算和物料衡算的反应体系模型,对连续流反应体系的实际传热量和热安全风险进行了研究。针对通道式反应器进口端的绝热温升反应现象,提出了临界半衰期作为热安全判据的方法,获得了具有热安全高风险的两大反应条件,分别为:当目标反应产热总量大于800 J·g^(-1),且该反应在反应温度下半衰期小于临界半衰期;当分解反应产热总量大于800 J·g^(-1),且目标反应在反应温度下半衰期小于临界半衰期,同时分解反应在100%MTSR(工艺反应能够达到的最高温度)下半衰期也小于临界半衰期。并且通过氯苯硝化反应验证其准确性和实用性,结果显示,通道式反应器在该条件下可发生分解爆炸反应,证实了该评估方法可用于确定连续流反应热安全的高风险条件。

A three dimensional CFD simulation and optimization of direct DME synthesis in a fixed bed reactor

In this study, a comprehensive three-dimensional dynamic model was developed for simulating the flow behavior and catalytic coupling reactions for direct synthesis of dimethyl ether （DME） from syngas including CO2 in a fixed bed reactor at commercial scale under both adiabatic and isothermal conditions. For this purpose, a computational fluid dynamic （CFD） simulation was carried out through which the standard κ-ε model with 10% turbulence tolerations was implemented. At first, an adiabatic fixed bed reactor was simulated and the obtained results were compared with those of an equivalent commercial slurry reactor. Then the concentration and temperature profiles along the reactor were predicted. Consequently, the optimum temperature, pressure, hydrogen to carbon monoxide ratio in the feedstock and the reactor height under different operation conditions were determined. Finally, the results obtained from this three-dimensional dynamic model under appropriate industrial boundary conditions were compared with those of others available in literature to verify the model. Next, through changing the boundary conditions, the simulation was performed for an isothermal fixed bed reactor. Furthermore, it was revealed that, under isothermal conditions, the performed equilibrium simulations were done for a single phase system. Considering the simultaneous effects of temperature and pressure, the optimum operation conditions for the isothermal and adiabatic fixed bed reactors were investigated. The results of the H2＋CO conversions indicated that, under isothermal condition, higher conversion could be achieved, in compared with that under adiabatic conditions. Then, the effects of various operating parameters, including the pressure and temperature, of the reactor on the DME production were examined. Ultimately, the CFD modeling results generated in the present work showed reasonable agreement with previously obtained data available in the literature.

A sensitivity analysis and multi-objective optimization to enhance ethylene production by oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane in a membrane-assisted reactor

Owing to the importance of process intensification in the natural gas associated processes, the present contribution aims to investigate the production of an important natural gas downstream product in an improved system.Accordingly, a membrane-assisted reactor for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane is presented. The presented system includes a membrane for axial oxygen dosing into the reaction side. Such a strategy would lead to optimum oxygen distribution along the reactor length and prevention of hot spot formation as well. A feasibility study is conducted by developing a validated mathematical model composed of mass and energy balance equations. The effects of various operating variables are investigated by a rigorous sensitivity analysis.Then, by applying the genetic algorithm, a multi-objective optimization procedure is implemented to obtain the optimum operating condition. Considerable increase in the ethane conversion and ethylene yield are the advancements of membrane-assisted oxidative dehydrogenation reactor working under the optimum condition.More than 30% increase in the ethane conversion is obtained. Furthermore, the ethylene yield is enhanced up to 0.45.

Methane Conversion to C_2 Hydrocarbons in Solid State Oxide Electrolyte Membrane Reactor

Provskite-type catalysts, Ln0.6 Sr0.4 FexCo1-x O3 (Ln = Nd,Pr, Gd, Sm, La, 0＜x＜1) and Ln0.8Na0.2CoO3(Ln= La,Gd, Sm) were synthesized, their catalytic properties in the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) were examined in a fixed-bed reactor. The former group presented higher activity in the OCM, but the main product was carbon dioxide. While the later group showed lower activity but much higher selectivity to C2 hydrocarbons compared with the former. Electrochemical measurements were conducted in a solid oxide membrane reactor with La0.8 Na0.2CoO3 as catalyst. The results showed that methane was oxidized to carbon dioxide and ethane by two parallel reactions. Ethane was oxidized to ethene and carbon dioxide. A fraction of ethene was oxidized deeply to carbon dioxide. The total selectivity to C2 hydrocarbons exceeded 70%. Based on the experimental results, a kinetic model was suggested to describe the reaction results.

Heterogeneous numerical modelling for the auto thermal reforming of crude glycerol in a fixed bed reactor

A mathematical model for the catalytic autothermal reforming(ATR)reaction of synthetic crude glycerol to hydrogen in a fixed bed tubular reactor(FBTR)and over an in-house developed metal oxide catalyst is presented in this work.The heterogeneous model equations account for a two-phase system of solid catalyst and bulk feed gas.Also,the ATR of crude glycerol reaction scheme and intrinsic kinetic rate model over an active,selective,and stable nickel-based catalyst were integrated in the developed model.Also,the model was validated using experimental data generated in our labs for the ATR of synthetic crude glycerol.The modelling results adequately described the detailed gas product composition and distribution,temperature profiles,and conversion propagation in the axial direction of the fixed bed reactor over a wide range of reaction temperature(773–923 K)and mass-time(12.71–158.23 g cat·min·(mol C)^(-1)).The crude glycerol conversion predicted with the model showing a close resemblance to those obtained experimentally with an average absolute deviation(AAD)of less than 8%.The maximum crude glycerol conversion and hydrogen yield were found to be 92%and 3 mol hydrogen/mol crude glycerol,respectively.Also,the gas product concentration profile in the reactor was adequately described(90%)accuracy with a hydrogen concentration of 39%(volume).

Constructing S-scheme 2D/0D g-C_(3)N_(4)/TiO_(2) NPs/MPs heterojunction with 2D-Ti3AlC2 MAX cocatalyst for photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction to CO/CH_(4) in fixed-bed and monolith photoreactors

Exfoliated 2D MAX Ti_(3) AlC_(2) conductive cocatalyst anchored with g-C_(3)N_(4)/TiO_(2) to construct 2D/0D/2D het-erojunction has been explored for enhanced CO_(2) photoreduction in a fixed-bed and monolith photoreac-tor.The TiO_(2) particle sizes(NPs and MPs)were systematically investigated to determine effective metal-support interaction with faster charge carrier separation among the composite materials.When TiO_(2) NPs were anchored with 2D Ti_(3) AlC_(2) MAX structure,10.44 folds higher CH_(4) production was observed com-pared to anchoring TiO_(2) MPs.Maximum CH_(4) yield rate of 2103.5μmol g^(−1) h^(−1) achieved at selectivity 96.59%using ternary g-C_(3)N_(4)/TiO_(2)/Ti_(3) AlC_(2)2D/0D/2D composite which is 2.73 and 7.45 folds higher than using binary g-C_(3)N_(4)/Ti_(3) AlC_(2) MAX and TiO_(2) NPs/Ti_(3)AlC_(2) samples,respectively.A step-scheme(S-scheme)photocatalytic mechanism operates in this composite,suppressed the recombination of useful electron and holes and provides higher reduction potential for efficient CO_(2) conversion to CO and CH_(4).More im-portantly,when light intensity was increased by 5 folds,CH_(4) production rate was increased by 3.59 folds under visible light.The performance of composite catalyst was further investigated in a fixed-bed and monolith photoreactor and found monolithic support increased CO production by 2.64 folds,whereas,53.99 times lower CH_(4) production was noticed.The lower photocatalytic activity in a monolith photore-actor was due to lower visible light penetration into the microchannels.Thus,2D MAX Ti_(3) AlC_(2) composite catalyst can be constructed for selective photocatalytic CO_(2) methanation under visible light in a fixed-bed photoreactor.

Deactivation and regeneration of TS-1/SiO2 catalyst for epoxidation of propylene with hydrogen peroxide in a fixed-bed reactor

TS-1/SiO2 catalyst for the epoxidation of propylene with hydrogen peroxide in a fixed-bed reactor has been investigated. The catalyst activity decreases gradually with the online reaction time, but the selectivity of propylene epoxide is kept at about 93%. The fresh, deactivated and regenerated catalysts were characterized with X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectro- scopy, ultra-violet-visible diffuse reflectance, Brunner- Emmett-TeUer method and thermogravimetric analysis, and the deactivated catalyst was regenerated with H2O2/ methanol solution. Compared with the fresh catalyst, both the framework structure and the content of titanium in the framework of the deactivated and regenerated TS-1/SiO2 catalysts were not changed. The major reason of the catalyst deactivation was the blockage of the channels of the catalyst by bulky organic by-products, which covered the active centers of titanium in TS-1. The deposited materials on the deactivated TS-1/SiO2 catalyst could be removed by treatment with hydrogen peroxide/methanol solution or pure methanol; the higher the treatment temperature and the higher the concentration of H2O2 in methanol, the higher the extent of the regeneration. The regeneration treatment did not influence the product selectivity in the propylene epoxidation.

均温型反应器在二甲醚装置改造中的应用

针对湖北远大富驰医药化工股份有限公司二甲醚反应器存在的已达设计使用年限、催化剂选择性下降、甲醇消耗增加等问题,决定用均温型反应器替代原两段绝热中间冷激型二甲醚反应器进行技术改造。介绍了甲醇脱水制二甲醚的技术原理、工艺流程、均温型二甲醚反应器的结构及特点;详细分析、对比了改造前后气体换热器及二甲醚反应器的运行参数。改造结果表明,均温型二甲醚反应器在控温方面具有一定的优势,改造达到了节能降耗的目的。

正丙醛气相绝热加氢反应的研究

丙醛加氢技术有液相加氢与气相加氢两种,国内丙醛加氢技术多为气相加氢。丙醛气相加氢技术又分为列管式固定床与绝热固定床两种。在绝热式固定床中分为单段与多段式两类。本文重点介绍多段式丙醛气相绝热加氢制正丙醇的工艺研究及工业应用情况。

Palladium nanoparticles supported on amine-functionalized glass fiber mat for fixed-bed reactors on the effective removal of hexavalent chromium by catalytic reduction

Palladium nanoparticles were deposited on the amine-grafted glass fiber mat （GFM-NH2） catalyst support by a conventional impregnation process followed by the borohydride reduction in aqueous solution at room temperature to create the designed Pd/GFM-NH2 catalyst. By the use of large size glass fiber mat without nano/mesopores as the catalyst support, the internal mass transfer limitations due to the existence of nano/mesopores on the catalyst support were eliminated and the Pd/GFM-NH2 catalyst could be easily separated from treated water due to the large size of the catalyst support. Batch experiments demonstrate its good catalytic reduction performance of Cr（VI） with formic acid as the reducing agent. It also demonstrated an efficient Cr（VI） removal and stability in a lab-prepared, packed fixed-bed tube reactor for the continuous treatment of Cr（VI）-containing water. Thus, it has a good potential for the catalytic reduction of Cr（VI） in the water treatment practice.