When a trickle-bed reactor (TBR) is operated periodically

The catalytic hydrogenation of alpha-methylstyrene to cumene is studied in a laboratoy trickle-bed reactor operated at low liquid flow rates. Under this condition, wetting is not complete, vaporization of the liquid phase may occur, and reaction could proceed via liquid-solid and gas-solid catalysis, which increase the hydrogenation rate sign$-cantly. To determine and quantih the eflect of the gas-solid catalyzed reaction, we propose the use of post-packing sections of increasing lengths. The inert bed acts as an absorber of the gas-phase-produced cumene. The liquid and gas effluent were monitored. Experimental global rates determined fiom liquid cumene concentrations varied with the post-packing length. A simple one-dimensional model developed shows that theoretical and experimental results agree well.

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