EVALUATION OF TRICKLE-BED REACTOR MODELS FOR A LIQUID LIMITED REACTION

The isothermal decomposition of hydrogen peroxide on a CuCr catalyst i n laboratory scale trickle bed reactor was used to test model predicti ons of the dependence of liquid reactant conversion on space time for different operating conditions. It is assured that the decomposition o f hydrogen peroxide is a first order liquid-limited reaction. Comparis on of model predictions and experimental data indicates that both exte rnal mass transfer effects and incomplete external catalyst wetting ne ed to be accounted for. Dudukovic's (1977) approximate model for the c atalyst effectiveness factor adequately simulates both effects.