Periodic Operation of Trickle Bed Reactors: Towards the development of a systematic design strategy

M. ALEJANDRA AYUDE; MIRYAN C. CASSANELLO; OSVALDO M. MARTINEZ; PATRICIA M. HAURE

Nueva Delhi, India

Congreso; Indian Chemical Engineering Congress (CHEMCON); 2005

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS

The effect of modulating the liquid flow rate with an ON-OFF strategy on the behavior ofa trickle bed reactor is studied via application of a phenomenological model proposed atthe particle scale (Ayude et al., 2005) and from experiments in a pilot scale cold mock-up,to get information on the transient hydrodynamics. For the modeling, constanttemperature is assumed to focus the analysis on the influence of accumulation, masstransfer and reaction dynamics, uncoupled from the thermal effects. Influence of cyclingand system parameters on reactant starvation, and how it is reflected on the enhancementfactor for periodic operation, is examined. From the experiments, the time evolution ofapproximate liquid holdup axial profiles is determined. The influence of the operatingvariables on the holdup temporal profiles at different column heights is analyzed.