A NOVEL REACTOR FOR DETERMINATION OF KINETICS FOR SOLID CATALYZED GASREACTIONS

A novel perfectly mixed laboratory reactor for determining kinetics of heterogeneously catalyzed gas-phase reactions has been developed. Per fect mixing is achieved by circulating the gas in the reactor using an axial flow impeller in a well streamlined enclosure. Pellets are fixe d in a rectangular opening in the blades of the impeller. They rotate with the impeller, thus realizing high particle velocities in the reac tor. Interparticle mass transfer was studied experimentally by vaporiz ation of naphthalene pellets. The mass-transfer coefficient in the nov el reactor was found to depend on the velocity of a particle in the re actor. Mass-transfer coefficients in an internal recycle reactor at eq ual impeller tip speeds are 4-6 times lower than those in the novel re actor, and conditions can be chosen easily where at higher rotational speeds the mass- and heat-transfer rates are 8-10 times higher than in classical recycle reactors. The recycle flow rate in a recycle reacto r was found to depend strongly on the resistance to flow caused by the catalyst bed itself. The novel reactor was tested under reacting cond itions using the hydrogenation of ethene.