Special Case Packed-Bed Inert Membrane Tubular Reactor

4 Special Case Packed-Bed Inert Membrane Tubular Reactor 

By inert it means that the membrane is a separator but not a catalyst. Many membrane reactor modeling studies consider only those cases where the membrane is catalydcally inert and the catalyst is packed most often in the tubular (feed) region but sometimes in the annular (permeate) region. When it is assumed that no reaction takes place in the membrane or membrane/support matrix, the governing equations for the membrane/support matrix are usually eliminated. The overall eff ect of membrane permeation can be accounted for by a permeation term which appears in the macroscopic balance equations for both the feed and permeate sides. Thus, the diffusional gradient term 

Similarly, the term representing heat transfer through the membrane in Equations (10-37) and (10-45) 

Similarly, the mass balance equation for the shell side and the energy balance equations for both regions can be developed. 

For convenience of discussion, modeling studies of packed-bed inert membrane tubular reactors will be divided into two categories depending on the type of inorganic membranes dense or porous. 

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