Diffusion/Hougen-Watson kinetics

Exemplary results of modeling processes inside the catalytic layer are presented in Fig. 9. The solid lines show the dependency of the overall effectiveness factor on the relative distribution of the catalyst between the comers and the side regions. The two cases represent two levels of the first-order rate constants, with the faster reaction in case (b). As expected, the effectiveness factor of the first reaction drops as more catalyst is deposited in the comers. The effectiveness factor for the second reaction increases in case (a) but decreases in case (b). The latter behavior is caused by depletion of B deep inside the catalytic layer. What might be surprising is the rather modest dependency of the effectiveness factor on the washcoat distribution. The explanation is that internal diffusion is not important for slow reactions, while for fast reactions the available external surface area becomes the key quantity, and this depends only slightly on the washcoat distribution for thin layers. The dependence of the effectiveness factor on the distribution becomes more pronounced for consecutive reactions described by Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson kinetics [26]. 

We use the collocation method to solve the next example, which involves five species, two reactions with Hougen-Watson kinetics, both diffusion and external mass-transfer limitations, and nonconstant fluid temperature, pressure and volumetric flowrate. 

Two-dimensional diffusion occurs axially and radially in cylindrically shaped porous catalysts when the length-to-diameter ratio is 2. Reactant A is consumed on the interior catalytic surface by a Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism that is described by a Hougen-Watson kinetic model, similar to the one illustrated by equation (15-26). This rate law is linearized via equation (15-30) and the corresponding simulationpresented in Figure 15-1. Describe the nature of the differential equation (i.e., the mass transfer model) that must be solved to calculate the reactant molar density profile inside the catalyst. 

The most important characteristic of this problem is that the Hougen-Watson kinetic model contains molar densities of more than one reactive species. A similar problem arises if 5 mPappl Hw = 2CaCb because it is necessary to relate the molar densities of reactants A and B via stoichiometry and the mass balance with diffusion and chemical reaction. When adsorption terms appear in the denominator of the rate law, one must use stoichiometry and the mass balance to relate molar densities of reactants and products to the molar density of key reactant A. The actual form of the Hougen-Watson model depends on details of the Langmuir-Hinshelwood-type mechanism and the rate-limiting step. For example, consider the following mechanism ... 

Many theoretical embellishments have been made to the basic model of pore diffusion as presented here. Effectiveness factors have been derived for reaction orders other than first and for Hougen and Watson kinetics. These require a numerical solution of Equation (10.3). Shape and tortuosity factors have been introduced to treat pores that have geometries other than the idealized cylinders considered here. The Knudsen diffusivity or a combination of Knudsen and bulk diffusivities has been used for very small pores. While these studies have theoretical importance and may help explain some observations, they are not yet developed well enough for predictive use. Our knowledge of the internal structure of a porous catalyst is still rather rudimentary and imposes a basic limitation on theoretical predictions. We will give a brief account of Knudsen diffusion. 

This is a mathematical expression for the steady-state mass balance of component i at the boundary of the control volume (i.e., the catalytic surface) which states that the net rate of mass transfer away from the catalytic surface via diffusion (i.e., in the direction of n) is balanced by the net rate of production of component i due to multiple heterogeneous surface-catalyzed chemical reactions. The kinetic rate laws are typically written in terms of Hougen-Watson models based on Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanisms. Hence, iR ,Hw is the Hougen-Watson rate law for the jth chemical reaction on the catalytic surface. Examples of Hougen-Watson models are discussed in Chapter 14. Both rate processes in the boundary conditions represent surface-related phenomena with units of moles per area per time. The dimensional scaling factor for diffusion in the boundary conditions is... 

NUMERICAL SOLUTIONS FOR DIFFUSION AND HOUGEN-WATSON CHEMICAL KINETICS IN ISOTHERMAL CATALYTIC PELLETS... 

TABLE 19-1 Numerical Solution of the Mass Transfer Equation for One-Dimensional Diffusion and Hougen-Watson Chemical Kinetics with Dissociative Adsorption of Reactant A2 in Porous Catalysts with Rectangular Symmetry"... 

Churchill, London (1946), Chapter 1 8) H.S, Harned, ChemRevs 40, 461-522 (1947) (Quantitative aspect of diffusion in electrolytic solutions) 9) R.B. Dean, ChemRevs 41, 503-23(1947) (Effects produced by diffusion in aqueous systems containing membranes) 10) D.A. Hougen K.M. Watson, "Chemical Process principles , Part 3, "Kinetics Catalysts , Wiley, NY (1947), Chap 20 11) Perry (1950), pp 522-59 (by... 

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