Reactors process operation

Modem processes operate reactors with the catalyst packed into 1- to 2-in tubes that are cooled by suitable heat transfer liquids ... 

If air is used, then a single pass with respect to each feedstock is used and no recycle to the reactor (Fig. 10.4a).-Thus the process operates at near stoichiometric feed rates to achieve high conversions. Typically, between 0.7 and 1.0 kg of vent gases are emitted per kilogram of dichloroethane produced. ... 

The third source of process waste after the reactor and separation and recycle systems is process operations. 

Sasol produces synthetic fuels and chemicals from coal-derived synthesis gas. Two significant variations of this technology have been commercialized, and new process variations are continually under development. Sasol One used both the fixed-bed (Arge) process, operated at about 240°C, as weU as a circulating fluidized-bed (Synthol) system operating at 340°C. Each ET reactor type has a characteristic product distribution that includes coproducts isolated for use in the chemical industry. Paraffin wax is one of the principal coproducts of the low temperature Arge process. Alcohols, ketones, and lower paraffins are among the valuable coproducts obtained from the Synthol process. 

Fig. 1. General process operations for hydrothermal synthesis. Feedstocks may be oxides, hydroxides or salts, gels, organic materials, or acids or bases. The atmosphere within the reactor may be oxidising or reducing. To convert MPa to psi, multiply by 145.

The process operates at 1200°C and < 400 Pa (3 tort) and has a cycle time of 20—24 hours. The reactor is opened at the flange and the metal removed. Energy usage in the furnace is 7-7.3 kWh/kg magnesium. A similar process is used by Brasmag (Minas Givras, Bra2il) (56). 

Process Description. Reactors used in the vapor-phase synthesis of thiophene and aLkylthiophenes are all multitubular, fixed-bed catalytic reactors operating at atmospheric pressure, or up to 10 kPa and with hot-air circulation on the shell, or salt bath heating, maintaining reaction temperatures in the range of 400—500°C. The feedstocks, in the appropriate molar ratio, are vaporized and passed through the catalyst bed. Condensation gives the cmde product mixture noncondensable vapors are vented to the incinerator. 

NAA is well suited for Si semiconductor impurities analysis. The sensitivity and the bulk mode of analysis make this an important tool for controlling trace impurities during crystal growth or fer monitoring cleanliness of various processing operations for device manufacturing. It is expected that research reactors will ser e as the central analytical facilities for NAA in the industry. Since reactors are already set up to handle radioactive materials and waste, this makes an attractive choice over installing individual facilities in industries. 

The effect of physical processes on reactor performance is more complex than for two-phase systems because both gas-liquid and liquid-solid interphase transport effects may be coupled with the intrinsic rate. The most common types of three-phase reactors are the slurry and trickle-bed reactors. These have found wide applications in the petroleum industry. A slurry reactor is a multi-phase flow reactor in which the reactant gas is bubbled through a solution containing solid catalyst particles. The reactor may operate continuously as a steady flow system with respect to both gas and liquid phases. Alternatively, a fixed charge of liquid is initially added to the stirred vessel, and the gas is continuously added such that the reactor is batch with respect to the liquid phase. This method is used in some hydrogenation reactions such as hydrogenation of oils in a slurry of nickel catalyst particles. Figure 4-15 shows a slurry-type reactor used for polymerization of ethylene in a sluiTy of solid catalyst particles in a solvent of cyclohexane. 

Reactive distillation is a technique for combining a number of process operations in a single device. One company has developed a reactive distillation process for the manufacture of methyl acetate that reduces the number of distillation columns from eight to three, also eliminating an extraction column and a separate reactor (Agreda et al., 1990 Doherty and Buzad, 1992 Siirola, 1995). Inventory is reduced... 

With regard to mistakes, two separate mechanisms operate. In the rule-based mode, an error of intention can arise if an incorrect diagnostic rule is used. For example, a worker who has considerable experience in operating a batch reactor may have learned diagnostic rules that are inappropriate for continuous process operations. If he or she attempts to apply these rules to evaluate the cause of a continuous process disturbance, a misdiagnosis could result, which could then lead to an inappropriate action. In other situations, there is a tendency to overuse diagnostic rules that have been successful in the past. 

This chapter provides details on a number of commonly used process units reactors, heat exchangers, columns of various types (distillation, absorption, adsorption, evaporation, extraction), dryers, and grinders. The purpose of each unit or operation and the many configurations in which the units can be found are also discussed. 

Kinetically Limited Process. Basically, this system limits the temperature rise of each adiabatically operated reactor to safe levels by using high enough space velocities to ensure only partial approach to equilibrium. The exit gases from each reactor are cooled in external waste heat boilers, then passed forward to the next reactor, and so forth. This resembles the equilibrium-limited reactor system as shown in Figure 8, except, of course, that the catalyst beds are much smaller. 

Irradiated Fuel A historically important and continuing mission at the Hanford site is to chemically process irradiated reactor fuel to recover and purify weapons-grade plutonium. Over the last 40 years, or so, several processes and plants— Bismuth Phosphate, REDOX, and PUREX—have been operated to accomplish this mission. Presently, only the Hanford PUREX Plant is operational, and although it has not been operated since the fall of 1972, it is scheduled to start up in the early 1980 s to process stored and currently produced Hanford -Reactor fuel. Of nine plutonium-production reactors built at the Hanford site, only the N-Reactor is still operating. 

As a rule, sulfonation takes place continually in a cascade or a falling film reactor (Table 14) at about 50-70°C. The S03 is steadily diluted to a concentration of 5-10 vol % with air or an inert gas. The LAB conversion reaches a value between 92% and 98% [156,157]. Mixing of the already formed alkyl-benzenes with fresh S03 leads to undesired highly sulfonated byproducts. In order to prevent these side reactions, all processes operate concurrently. 

---