MODELING AND OPTIMIZATION OF SEMIBATCH AND CONTINUOUS NITRATION OF CHLOROBENZENE FROM SAFETY AND TECHNICAL VIEWPOINTS

Performing nitration reactions in a semi-batch plant is potentially ha zardous due to the handling of large quantities of unstable reaction m ixture. This risk may be reduced by performing the nitration in a cont inuous way in a small well-stirred multi-stage reaction column. Based on new calorimetric measurements and data from the literature, the het erogeneous synthesis of dinitrochlorobenzene can be modelled and simul ated in different types of reactors. The calculations show that a cont inuous process may be a favourable alternative to the semi-batch proce ss both from an economic and a safety point of view.