Catalytic vapor deposition, hydrocarbons

Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) [27] of hydrocarbons over a metal catalyst is a method that has been used to synthesize carbon fibers, filaments, etc. for over 20 years. Large amounts of CNTs can be formed by catalytic CVD of acetylene over Co and Fe catalysts on silica or zeolite. 

There are many chemically reacting flow situations in which a reactive stream flows interior to a channel or duct. Two such examples are illustrated in Figs. 1.4 and 1.6, which consider flow in a catalytic-combustion monolith [28,156,168,259,322] and in the channels of a solid-oxide fuel cell. Other examples include the catalytic converters in automobiles. Certainly there are many industrial chemical processes that involve reactive flow tubular reactors. Innovative new short-contact-time processes use flow in catalytic monoliths to convert raw hydrocarbons to higher-value chemical feedstocks [37,99,100,173,184,436, 447]. Certain types of chemical-vapor-deposition reactors use a channel to direct flow over a wafer where a thin film is grown or deposited [219]. Flow reactors used in the laboratory to study gas-phase chemical kinetics usually strive to achieve plug-flow conditions and to minimize wall-chemistry effects. Nevertheless, boundary-layer simulations can be used to verify the flow condition or to account for non-ideal behavior [147]. 

CHC CHCC CNC coc CP AC CPR CPU CVD CW Catalytic hydrogen combustion Catalytic hydrocarbon combustion Computerized Numeric Control Cyclo olefin copolymer Center for Process Analytical Chemistry Catalytic plate reactor Central processing unit Chemical vapor deposition Continous wave... 

Chemical vapor deposition a monolith is exposed to volatiles, for example (fragments of), hydrocarbons which form a deposit on the surface. The most widely encountered underlying chemistry is free radical chemistry or catalytic growth. 

The synthesis of CNTs is reeeiving considerable interest and the main goal is to obtain large scale produetion of highly pure CNTs. There are three basic methods for synthesis of SWCNTs and MWCNTs eleetrical arch discharge, laser ablation (laser vaporization) and ehemical vapor deposition (CVD) (or catalytic decomposition of hydrocarbons) [1,7, 9,10, 25,26],... 

The mechanism of nanotube formation in chemical vapor deposition features characteristics rather distinct from those found for the synthesis by arc discharge or laser ablation. Contrary to the latter, a solution of small carbon clusters in and subsequent diffusion through catalyst particles play a minor role in the deposition from the gas phase. The employed hydrocarbons decompose directly on the surface of the catalytic particle. The carbon, therefore, becomes immediately available for nanotube growth. 

CVD method. Chemical vapor deposition of hydrocarbons or catalytic growth from the gas phase is performed on a ceramic or metallic monolith. 

The catalytic decomposition of carbon-contaming compounds is an extensively investigated method, also known as catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CCVD). One of the advantages of this method is the potential for large-scale production at a lower energy consumption and overall cost than with other methods. The CCVD method is essentially the same as that used for a long time in the synthesis of other filamentous forms of carbon, such as nanofibers or fibrils. The CCVD method involves the catalytic decomposition of hydrocarbons or carbon monoxide on transition metal particles. The major difference with those processes that produce nanofibers is in the structure of the catalyst. To produce SWNT, the size of the metal cluster needs to be very small. Therefore, the success of a CCVD method lies in the design of the catalyst. 

The primary synthesis methods for single and multi-walled carbon nanotubes include arc-discharge [203, 204], lase ablation [205], gas-phase catalytic growth from carbon monoxide [206], and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) from hydrocarbons [207-209], The scale-up limitation of arc discharge and laser ablation methods would make them cost prohibitive. One unique aspect of CVD technique is its ability to synthesize aligned arrays of carbon nanotubes with controlled diameter and length. The details on these methods go beyond the scope of this chapter. 

In this unit, hot catalyst is introduced into a dilute-phase riser where it is contacted with crude oil. The hot solids vaporize the oil and catalytically crack it into lower molecular weight hydrocarbons in the riser. The catalyst reactivity is significantly reduced by carbon deposition during this step. Therefore the... 

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