ANGULAR TEMPERATURE-VARIATIONS IN A WALL-COOLED PACKED-BED REACTOR

The significance of the statistical character of wall-cooled packed-be d reactors was studied by measuring angular temperature variations whi ch result from the random nature of the packing. These are neglected i n present-day mathematical models designed to describe the reactor beh avior The amplitude of these variations was determined experimentally as a function of the mass flux and the position in the tube, under con ditions of heat transfer as well as of reaction. Angular variations ar e significant whenever radial temperature gradients are large. Differe nt methods used to average observed variations were surveyed. For the system presented, the angular variations have only a limited influence on the reaction rates if the angular averaged temperature is used. Th us, a two-dimensional deterministic continuum model can be used, notwi thstanding the statistical character of the packed bed.