Fixed-bed Macrostructuring

Macrostructuring measures are a well-known concept for the suppression of hotspots by local dilution of catalyst in multitubular reactors, for example [53]. It is also intuitively obvious that the need for adsorption to enhance an equilibrium reaction is much lower at the front end of the reactor, where kinetics rather than equilibrium are decisive, than downstream. The converse, however is not true in the outlet of such an adsorptive reactor both catalyst and adsorbent are required for maximal conversion. By a judicious selection of the ratio between the two, one can ameliorate the front broadening effects that arise in the reactor outlet. 

Glucose isomerization with high-purity product recovery 

---

Fig. 7.18. Adsorptive reactor with fixed-bed macrostructuring and temperature profiling for steam reforming of methane according to Xiu et al. [28],...

---