A numerical comparison of alternative three-phase reactors with a conventional trickle-bed reactor. The advantages of countercurrent flow for hydrodesulfurization
Bw. Van Hasselt et al., A numerical comparison of alternative three-phase reactors with a conventional trickle-bed reactor. The advantages of countercurrent flow for hydrodesulfurization, CHEM ENG SC, 54(21), 1999, pp. 4791-4799
A computer model was developed to compare a conventional cocurrent trickle-
bed reactor with two novel countercurrent three-phase reactors: the three-l
evels-of-porosity reactor and the internally finned monolith reactor. The h
ydrodesulfurization of a vacuum gas oil was taken as a case study. It was f
ound that the application of countercurrent flow in the novel reactors resu
lts in significant increase of conversion. Sensitivity for mass transfer an
d H2S inhibition were investigated. Reduced mass transfer compared to a con
ventional trickle-bed does not limit the reaction. (C) 1999 Elsevier Scienc
e Ltd. All rights reserved.