Mass transfer properties

In chemical engineering, the primary application of the diffusivity is to calculate the Schmidt number ( l/pD) used to correlate mass transfer properties. This number is also used in reaction rate calculations involving transport to and away from catalyst surfaces. 

Gas logging, the adherence of small bubbles to particles, causing them to rise to the surface in the reactor and form an inefficient packed bed with poor mass transfer properties, can be a problem in various fermentations and in wastewater treatment. A double entry fluidized bed reactor has been developed with simultaneous top (inverse) and bottom (conventional) inlets to overcome this problem (Gilson and Thomas, 1993). 

The high surface-to-volume ratio can also significantly improve both thermal and mass transfer conditions within micro-channels in two ways firstly, the convective heat and mass transfers, which take place at the multi-phase interface, are improved via a significant increase in heat and mass transfer area per unit volume. Secondly, heat and mass transfers within a small volume of fluid take a relatively short time to occur, enabling a thermally and diffusively homogeneous state to be reached quickly. The improvement in heat and mass transfer can certainly influence overall reaction rates and, in some cases, product selectivity. Perhaps one of the more profound effects of the efficient heat and mass transfer property of micro-reactors is the ability to carry potentially explosive or highly exothermic reactions in a safe way, due to the relatively small thermal mass and rapid dissipation of heat. 

The effects of added C02 on mass transfer properties and solubility were assessed in some detail for the catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of 2-(6 -meth-oxy-2 -naphthyl) acrylic acid to (Sj-naproxen using Ru-(S)-BINAP-type catalysts in methanolic solution. The catalytic studies showed that a higher reaction rate was observed under a total C02/H2 pressure of ca. 100 bar (pH2 = 50bar) than under a pressure of 50 bar H2 alone. Upon further increase of the C02 pressure, the catalyst could be precipitated and solvent and product were removed, at least partly by supercritical extraction. Unfortunately, attempts to re-use the catalyst were hampered by its deactivation during the recycling process [11]. 

Gekas, V., Gonzalez, C., Sereno, A., Chiralt, A., and Fito, P. 1998. Mass transfer properties of osmotic solutions. Int. J. Food Prop. 1, 181-195. 

In order to compare a number of different zeolite preparations we have found it convenient to determine not the diffusivity of o-xylene per se, but to characterize the samples by measuring the time (tQ 3) it takes to sorb 30% of the quantity sorbed at infinite time. The characteristic diffusion time, t0 3, is a direct measure of the critical mass transfer property r2/D ... 

Due to the severe operating conditions (high temperature and high flow rates), typical of short contact time reactions, heat and mass transfer properties are expected to play a decisive role in the behavior of the reactor. Thus, in principle, the choice of catalyst support can greatly affect the reactor performance [69]. 

Calderbank, P. H. and M. B. Moo-Young, "The Continuous Phase Heat and Mass-Transfer Properties of Dispersions," Chem. Eng. Sci. 16 (1961) 39-54. 

From the previous paragraph it can be discerned that the half-life of a biocatalyst is determined not only by the deactivation properties of the free enzyme but also by the mass-transfer properties of an immobilisate. Figure 19.7 reveals the factor by which the dependence on temperature increases operating stability in the case of immobilized enzyme. 

Complexity in multiphase processes arises predominantly from the coupling of chemical reaction rates to mass transfer rates. Only in special circumstances does the overall reaction rate bear a simple relationship to the limiting chemical reaction rate. Thus, for studies of the chemical reaction mechanism, for which true chemical rates are required allied to known reactant concentrations at the reaction site, the study technique must properly differentiate the mass transfer and chemical reaction components of the overall rate. The coupling can be influenced by several physical factors, and may differently affect the desired process and undesired competing processes. Process selectivities, which are determined by relative chemical reaction rates (see Chapter 2), can thenbe modulated by the physical characteristics of the reaction system. These physical characteristics can be equilibrium related, in particular to reactant and product solubilities or distribution coefficients, or maybe related to the mass transfer properties imposed on the reaction by the flow properties of the system. 

During a discharge, the composition of the gas at the outlet is a consequence of the multi-component adsorption equilibria between the previously adsorbed phase and the gas phase. The ratio profiles are necessarily linked to the dynamic working mode of the vessel (like the flow rates during charge and discharge) and the heat and mass transfer properties of the composite adsorbent. Nevertheless, general tendencies can be observed. 

The heat and mass transfer properties can be represented by heat and mass transfer coefficients, which are commonly given in empirical or semiempirical correlation form. The transfer coefficient is defined in terms of flow models under specific flow conditions and geometric arrangements of the flow system. Thus, when applying the correlations, it is necessary to employ the same flow model to describe the heat and mass transfer coefficients for conditions comparable to those where the correlations were obtained. An accurate characterization of the heat and mass transfer can be made only when the hydrodynamics and underlying mechanism of the transport processes are well understood. 

Catalytically active particles can be formed from various palladium sources under supercritical reaction condition, which could be helpful for the particle dispersion. Therefore, those materials show high catalytic activity, selectivity, and stability for a broad range of substrates. Additionally, the PEG matrix effectively stabilizes and immobilizes the catalytically active particles, whereas the unique solubility and mass transfer properties of scC02 allow continuous processing at mild conditions, even with low-volatility substrates. 

The electrochemical reduction of nitrobenzene to produce p-aminophenol has attracted industrial interest for several decades. However, some limitations may be met in this process regarding overall reaction rate, selectivity and current efficiency using a two-dimensional electrode reactor. These restrictions are due to the organic electrode reaction rate being slow and to the low solubility of nitrobenzene in an aqueous solution. In this example, a packed bed electrode reactor (PBER), which has a large surface area and good mass transfer properties, was used in order to achieve a high selectivity and a reasonable reaction rate for the production of p-aminophenol. The reaction mechanism in an acid solution can be simplified as... 

In principle, TPD can also be applied to high-surface area catalysts in a reactor, and this may yield useful qualitative information. Deriving quantitative information from TPD on supported catalysts is also possible, but requires that mass transfer properties such as intraparticle diffusion are properly taken into account. For details of this approach, the reader is referred to an interesting discussion by Kanervo et al. [38],... 

An alternative route to hybrid nanostructures with controlled release or mass transfer properties entails the modification of the pore network surface with photo-isomerizable molecules such as azobenzene (Fig. 18.5a). Azobenzene exists in two conformations, trans (the most stable isomer) and cis irradiation with light... 

Jakobs, E. (1996). Modification and characterization of mass-transfer properties of gamma-alumina membranes, Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas at Austin. 

Besides using microreactor devices for efficient screening of biocatalysts, these can also be applied for enzymatic synthesis. Biocatalyzed reactions have recently received much attention because of the efficiency and selectivity that enzymes have to offer, combined with their ability to act under mild conditions [422,423]. Microreactors offer in this respect the advantage that enzymes can be more optimally used as a result ofthe higher mass-transfer properties of microchannels and the high surface-... 

Note that, from steady-state considerations, in order to remove an appreciable amount of impurity from the recycle loop via the purge stream (whose flow rate is small), the mole fraction of the impurity in the vapor phase in the condenser, 2/i, has to be 0(1). This implies that O(e) moles of impurity enter and leave the system through the feed and purge streams. Note also that our assumption concerning the mass-transfer properties of the component I implies that a negligible amount of impurity leaves the recycle loop through condensation, exiting the process with the liquid stream from the bottom of the condenser. 

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