Design methodology and operation of a simulated moving bed reactor for theinversion of sucrose and glucose-fructose separation

This work presents a detailed mathematical model and design methodology for a simulated moving bed reactor (SMBR) intended to invert sucrose by enzyma tic action and simultaneously separate the products glucose and fructose. E xperimental results for the operation of a SMBR are shown and very good agr eement with simulated results was obtained. The design/optimisation package is based on an algorithm, previously developed for non-reactive SMB, used to define both the geometric parameters (column length and diameter), enzym e concentration and operating conditions of a simulated moving bed reactor. In this strategy, a detailed model is used instead of a simple equilibrium stage model. The objective of the strategy is to calculate minimum column lengths and enzyme concentrations for given feed flowrates, constrained by a reaction conversion not <99% and purities not <95% for both extract and r affinate products. Optimisation is achieved by defining the enzyme producti vity as the objective function to be maximised. Design algorithm results ar e shown for different values of fluid/solid velocity ratios on Sections 1 a nd 4. This way, the effects of the safety margin applied to gamma (1) and g amma (4) have been investigated on the reaction conversion and separation p erformance. The results have been compared with predictions from the equili brium theory for a non-reactive system and the observed deviations have bee n evidenced and discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserv ed.