Modeling and Simulation of an Industrial Trickle-Bed Reactor for Benzene Hydrogenation: Model Validation against Plant Data

Abstract

A heterogeneous three-phase reactor model is used to simulate an industrial trickle-bed reactor for benzene hydrogenation, and simulated temperature profiles are compared to actual plant data. The agreement of model predictions with measured data is excellent. Analysis of the results shows that the process is limited by gas-liquid mass transfer of hydrogen. The simulation results show high sensitivity toward the liquid film mass transfer coefficient k L a. Some correlations for k L a are tested, and their validity is evaluated. The estimated values of k L a and k G a are comparable to measured values from a bench-scale reactor reported in the literature.

Improving the fractionated catalytic oxidation of lignocellulosic biomass to formic acid and cellulose by using design of experiments

“…Trickle-bed loop: A reactor concept for kinetic measurements of heterogeneously catalyzed liquid-phase hydrogenation H. Held 1) , Prof. H.-J. Freund 1) (E-Mail: hannsjoerg.freund@fau.de) 1) Friedrich-Alexander-Universitä t Erlangen-Nü rnberg, Lehrstuhl fü r Chemische Reaktionstechnik, Egerlandstr.…”

“…Liquid-phase hydrogenation reactions of aromatic hydrocarbons are often limited by mass transfer in the liquid phase or between liquid and gas phase [1]. For planning and design of industrial-scale multiphase hydrogenation reactors it is therefore not possible to disregard the mass transfer.…”

Large-Scale Exploitation of Bimodal Reaction Sequences Including Degradation: Comparison of Jet Loop and Trickle Bed Reactors

“…12 Heterogeneously catalyzed reactions not involving any bulkphase reactions are typically performed in three-phase trickle bed reactors, such as for aromatics hydrogenation. 13 In this case, mass transfer from the gas to the liquid phase was identified as rate-limiting in the initial stage of the reaction. Similar conclusions were obtained for hydrotreatment reactions in trickle bed reactors, the limitations being even more pronounced on the pilot plant scale than on the industrial scale as higher liquid velocities are reached on the latter scale.…”

“…Heterogeneously catalyzed reactions not involving any bulk-phase reactions are typically performed in three-phase trickle bed reactors, such as for aromatics hydrogenation . In this case, mass transfer from the gas to the liquid phase was identified as rate-limiting in the initial stage of the reaction.…”

Microkinetic Modeling: A Tool for Rational Catalyst Design

“…Specifically, the LHHW rate expression assumes that all active sites for adsorption and reaction are identical and that interactions between adsorbed species are negligible. LHHW rate expressions are extensively used to model the performance of industrial reactors. − Improved reaction kinetics models are obtained when interaction between the surface species, atomic processes, and surface nonidealities are incorporated. A noteworthy example is the Temkin-Pyzhev equation wherein the rate of adsorption and desorption of nitrogen molecule is strongly dependent on the fraction of the catalyst surface covered by adsorbed atomic nitrogen. − …”