Process reactor modeling

However, with regard to catalytic reactors, these simulators usually contain nothing. This state of alfairs is due to the fact that each catalytic reactor has its own characteristics. The development of catalytic reactor models needs a deep understanding of catalysis, kinetics, kinetic modeling, mass and heat transfer processes, reactor modeling, and advanced numerical techniques. The development of models for these catalytic reactors needs a modeler with long experience in a number of fields related to catalytic processes and it is also a time-consuming process. 

In using a spreadsheet for process modeling, the engineer usually finds it preferable to use constant physical properties, to express reactor performance as a constant "conversion per pass," and to use constant relative volatiHties for distillation calculations such simplifications do not affect observed trends in parametric studies and permit the user quickly to obtain useful insights into the process being modeled (74,75). 

Empirical grey models based on non-isothermal experiments and tendency modelling will be discussed in more detail below. Identification of gross kinetics from non-isothermal data started in the 1940-ties and was mainly applied to fast gas-phase catalytic reactions with large heat effects. Reactor models for such reactions are mathematically isomorphical with those for batch reactors commonly used in fine chemicals manufacture. Hopefully, this technique can be successfully applied for fine chemistry processes. Tendency modelling is a modern technique developed at the end of 1980-ties. It has been designed for processing the data from (semi)batch reactors, also those run under non-isothermal conditions. 

Esterification over Amberlyst BD20 was evaluated by processing a model mixture in a fixed-bed reactor. The model reaction mixture was prepared by dissolving 10 wt.% of pure stearic acid (> 97%, Fluka, Germany) in a low-acid vegetable oil (0.04 %) bought in the supermarket. Methanol (> 99.5%) was used without any preliminary treatment. 

Mathematical models of the electron-capture process are based on the stirred reactor model of Lovelock [145] and the kinetic model of Wentworth [117,142,146] as further modified by others [129,134-136,147-150]. The ionization ch2uaber is considered... 

As with continuous processes, the heart of a batch chemical process is its reactor. Idealized reactor models were considered in Chapter 5. In an ideal-batch reactor, all fluid elements have the same residence time. There is thus an analogy between ideal-batch reactors and plug-flow reactors. There are four major factors that effect batch reactor performance ... 

Example 14.1 Consider again the chlorination reaction in Example 7.3. This was examined as a continuous process. Now assume it is carried out in batch or semibatch mode. The same reactor model will be used as in Example 7.3. The liquid feed of butanoic acid is 13.3 kmol. The butanoic acid and chlorine addition rates and the temperature profile need to be optimized simultaneously through the batch, and the batch time optimized. The reaction takes place isobarically at 10 bar. The upper and lower temperature bounds are 50°C and 150°C respectively. Assume the reactor vessel to be perfectly mixed and assume that the batch operation can be modeled as a series of mixed-flow reactors. The objective is to maximize the fractional yield of a-monochlorobutanoic acid with respect to butanoic acid. Specialized software is required to perform the calculations, in this case using simulated annealing3. 

General. In this section, a mathematical dynamic model will be developed for emulsion homopolymerization processes. The model derivation will be general enough to easily apply to several Case I monomer systems (e.g. vinyl acetate, vinyl chloride), i.e. to emulsion systems characterized by significant radical desorption rates, and therefore an average number of radicals per particle much less than 1/2, and to a variety of different modes of reactor operation. 

Another approach to scale-up is the use of simplified models with key parameters or lumped coefficients found by experiments in large beds. For example, May (1959) used a large scale cold reactor model during the scale-up of the fluid hydroforming process. When using the large cold models, one must be sure that the cold model properly simulates the hydrodynamics of the real process which operates at elevated pressure and temperature. 

The application of CFD to packed bed reactor modeling has usually involved the replacement of the actual packing structure with an effective continuum (Kvamsdal et al., 1999 Pedernera et al., 2003). Transport processes are then represented by lumped parameters for dispersion and heat transfer (Jakobsen... 

The types of systems we deal with are primarily gas-solid (Section 9.1) and gas-liquid (Section 9.2). In these cases, we assume first- or second-order kinetics for the intrinsic reaction rate. This enables analytical expressions to be developed in some situations for the overall rate with transport processes taken into account. Such reaction models are incorporated in reactor models in Chapters 22 and 24. 

In this chapter, we develop matters relating to the process design or analysis of reactors for fluid-solid noncatalytic reactions that is, for reactions in which the solid is a reactant. To construct reactor models, we make use of ... 

In Figure 2.4, data for the equilibrium constants of esterification/hydrolysis and transesterification/glycolysis from different publications [21-24] are compared. In addition, the equilibrium constant data for the reaction TPA + 2EG BHET + 2W, as calculated by a Gibbs reactor model included in the commercial process simulator Chemcad, are also shown. The equilibrium constants for the respective reactions show the same tendency, although the correspondence is not as good as required for a reliable rigorous modelling of the esterification process. The thermodynamic data, as well as the dependency of the equilibrium constants on temperature, indicate that the esterification reactions of the model compounds are moderately endothermic. The transesterification process is a moderately exothermic reaction. 

Figure 2.11 Equilibrium constant for the formation of DEG from EG as a function of temperature, calculated by using the Gibbs Reactor model of the commercial process simulator Chemcad (Chemstations)...

The IWA (International Water Association), formerly known as the IWQA, has had several task forces working on model development for various types of processes. I believe that these reactor models have a good potential application for remedial treatment. The subject of the models is extremely complex and too involved for this discussion, as it is a Master s Level course in Environmental Engineering. However, let me indicate that there are several types of models which may have some application to the bioremediation field. The principal models are... 

Another important effect that can be analyzed is the relation between the equilibrium reactor temperature and the equilibrium jacket temperature. It is known that temperature difference between cooling jacket and the reactor must be increased as the volume of the reactor increases. Figure 8 shows this effect clearly. When the reactor has a small volume the difference Tg — Tj is very small, consequently the heat transfer process is slower and the operation control is easier. Table 2 quantitatively summarizes the effects previously commented for a typical reactor modelled by Eq.(23) with the parameters defined in table 1. As the reactor volume varies from 0.0126 to 42.41 m , lower jacket temperatures are required and the operation control is more difficult. 

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