Effect of pulsing on reaction outcome in a gas–liquid catalytic packed-bed reactor

• Published in: Catalysis today Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 195 - 198
• Main Authors: Wu, Ruiyun, McCready, Mark J., Varma, Arvind
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 1999; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Catalysis; Catalysts: preparations and properties; Chemistry; Exact sciences and technology; Gas-liquid flow in packed beds; General and physical chemistry; Pulsing flow; Theory of reactions, general kinetics. Catalysis. Nomenclature, chemical documentation, computer chemistry; Trickle bed reactors; Gas-liquid flow in packed beds; Pulsing flow; Trickle bed reactors; Fluidized bed reactor; Theoretical study; Catalytic reactor; Trickle bed reactor; Chemical engineering; Reaction engineering
• ISSN: 0920-5861; 1873-4308
• DOI: 10.1016/S0920-5861(98)00373-3

A novel experiment is described for studying the effect of flow regime on reaction outcome for a consecutive-parallel reaction. By taking advantage of the convective nature of disturbances that grow into pulses in gas–liquid packed-bed reactors, it is shown that it is possible to compare reaction behavior for pulsing and trickling at the same flow rates. This contrasts previous studies where effects of regime were found, but at different flow rates. This experiment is accomplished by packing the column with mostly inert particles and confining the catalytically active region either near the inlet, where pulses have not yet formed, or near the end where they have developed. It is found that for the reaction of phenylacetylene to styrene and ethylbenzene over a platinum/alumina catalyst, where pulses are present in the bottom of the reactor but not at the top, about a 15% increase in styrene concentration, as an intermediate, occurs under pulsing conditions.