Application of Computational Mass Transfer IV Fixed-Bed Catalytic Reaction

Application of Computational Mass Transfer (IV) Fixed-Bed Catalytic Reaction 

Abstract In this chapter, an exothermic catalytic reaction process is simulated by using computational mass transfer (CMT) models as presented in Chap. 3. The difference between the simulation in this chapter from those in Chaps. 4,5, and 6 is that chemical reaction is involved. The source term in the species conservation equation represents not only the mass transferred from one phase to the other, but also the mass created or depleted by a chemical reaction. Thus, the application of the CMT model is extended to simulating the chemical reactor. The simulation is carried out on a wall-cooled catalytic reactor for the synthesis of vinyl acetate from acetic acid and acetylene by using both c — Sc model and Reynolds mass flux model. The simulated axial concentration and temperature distributions are in agreement with the experimental measurement. As the distribution of lx shows dissimilarity with Dj and the Sci or Pri are thus varying throughout the reactor. The anisotropic axial and radial turbulent mass transfer diffusivities are predicted where the wavy shape of axial diffusivity D, along the radial direction indicates the important influence of catalysis porosity distribution on the performance of a reactor. 

Keywords Simulation of chemical reactors Exothermic catalytic reaction Concentration profile Turbulent mass transfer diffusivity profile 

Model parameters in k — s model equations Model parameters in — Sc model equations Model parameters in — Bt model equations Specific heat, J kg  

Mass concentration of reactive species at the smface of catalyst 

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