Problems with Batch Pyrolysis

Problems with batch pyrolysis plants are often mechanical in nature and are related to residue extraction problems, coking/fouling of heat exchanging surfaces, corrosion by 

---

Even if the above problems can be resolved, batch reactors can measure with accuracy the intrinsic rates of slow pyrolysis reactions. For faster reactions, the time required to heat the sample up to reaction temperature and then cool it down becomes an appreciable fraction of the total, and thus the accuracy with which data can be obtained becomes progressively poorer. If, however, the temperature history is well-defined, the non-isothermal data can be corrected using the "equivalent reaction time" concept (Hougen and Watson, 1947), which can provide, in some cases, a reasonable accuracy. The equivalent reaction time is the time required at a reference temperature to produce the same conversion as that obtained in the actual non-isothermal operation. 

---