Pellet thermal conductivity

In-depth analytical studies and irradiation experiments to examine the degradation of fuel pellet thermal conductivity under increased bum-up, swelling of the fission product gas pores generated around Pu-rich spots, and fuel rod deformation behaviour... 

It is common practice to omit the second summation on the right hand side of (11.118) on the groiands that it is small compared with the contribution of the conductive flux, which appears on the left hand side. However, this may not be so If the reactions are rapid and the thermal conductivity of the pellet material is low. One should, therefore, at least be aware of the approximation involved in the fona of the enthalpy balance most commonly seen in the literature. 

Catalyst pellets often operate with internal temperatures that are substantially different from the bulk gas temperature. Large heats of reaction and the low thermal conductivities typical of catalyst supports make temperature gradients likely in all but the hnely ground powders used for intrinsic kinetic studies. There may also be a him resistance to heat transfer at the external surface of the catalyst. 

Effective Thermal Conductivities of Porous Catalysts. The effective thermal conductivity of a porous catalyst plays a key role in determining whether or not appreciable temperature gradients will exist within a given catalyst pellet. By the term effective thermal conductivity , we imply that it is a parameter characteristic of the porous solid structure that is based on the gross geometric area of the pellet perpendicular to the direction of heat transfer. For example, if one considers the radial heat flux in a spherical pellet one can say that... 

The physical properties of the catalyst (specific surface area, porosity, effective thermal conductivity, effective diffusivity, pellet density, etc.). 

ILLUSTRATION 12.7 DETERMINATION OF THE EFFECTIVE THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY OF A PACKED BED OF CATALYST PELLETS... 

In Illustrations 12.5 and 12.6, some data on the catalytic oxidation of S02 were used to determine composition and temperature differences between the bulk fluid and the fluid at the pellet-gas interface. Use the data and results of these illustrations and the new data given below to predict the effective thermal conductivity of the bed. 

The overall heat transfer coefficient for thermal energy exchange between the tube wall and the reacting fluid may be taken as 1.0 x 10 3 cal/cm2-sec-°K. The effective thermal conductivity of the catalyst pellets may be taken as equal to 6.5 x 1CT4 cal/(sec-cm-°C). 

When the effects of heats of adsorption cannot be ignored—the situation in most industrial adsorbers—equations representing heat transfer have to be solved simultaneously with those for mass transfer. All the resistances to mass transfer will also affect heat transfer although their relative importance will be different. Normally, the greatest resistance to mass transfer is found within the pellet and the smallest in the external boundary film. For heat transfer, the thermal conductivity of the pellet is normally greater than that of the boundary film so that temperatures through a pellet are fairly uniform. The temperature... 

On the other hand, it has been argued that the resistance to heat transfer is effectively within a thin gas film enveloping the catalyst particle [10]. Thus, for the whole practical range of heat transfer coefficients and thermal conductivities, the catalyst particle may be considered to be at a uniform temperature. Any temperature increases arising from the exothermic nature of a reaction would therefore be across the fluid film rather than in the pellet interior. 

McLaren [82] determined the thermal conductivity of pressed pellets of azides and obtained a value of 4xl0-4 (c.g.s. units) at 45°C, the density of the pellets being 3.62 g/cmL... 

Thiele(I4>, who predicted how in-pore diffusion would influence chemical reaction rates, employed a geometric model with isotropic properties. Both the effective diffusivity and the effective thermal conductivity are independent of position for such a model. Although idealised geometric shapes are used to depict the situation within a particle such models, as we shall see later, are quite good approximations to practical catalyst pellets. 

If we are dealing with mutual diffusion of gases which are close in molecular weight (e.g., carbon monoxide and air), it may be shown that the temperature of the flame pellet will prove to be equal to the theoretical combustion temperature of the mixture. This equality depends on the existence in the kinetic theory of gases of a simple relation between the diffusion coefficient (on which the supply of reagents and heat release rate depend) and the thermal conductivity (on which the heat evacuation depends). 

Here we consider a spherical catalyst pellet with negligible intraparticle mass- and negligible heat-transfer resistances. Such a pellet is nonporous with a high thermal conductivity and with external mass and heat transfer resistances only between the surface of the pellet and the bulk fluid. Thus only the external heat- and mass-transfer resistances are considered in developing the pellet equations that calculate the effectiveness factor rj at every point along the length of the reactor. 

The catalytic CO oxidation by pure oxygen was selected as a model reaction. The Pt/alumina catalyst In the form of 3.4 mm spherical pellets was used. The CO used In this study was obtained by a thermal decomposition of formic acid In a hot sulphuric acid. The reactor was constructed by three coaxial glass tubes. Through the outer jacket silicon oil was pumped, while air was blown through the inner jacket as a cooling medium. The catalyst was placed in the central part of the tube. The axial temperature profiles were measured by a thermocouple moving axially in a thermowell. Gas analysis was performed by an infrared analyzer or by a thermal conductivity cell. [7]. 

To increase thermal conductivity of powder layer metal powders of copper, aluminium are added. Composites are compacted in pellets, which can be sintered in addition. Their main characteristics are coefficient of effective thermal conductivity and coefficient of gas-permeability. The weight fraction of powder in such compacts serves as the controlled parameter, and it has the optimum, when gas-permeability does not worsen sharply at acceptable thermal conductivity. Encapsulation of hydride powder by material with high thermal conductivity followed by compaction of pellets and their sintering is also used. 

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