Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
5-31-1990
Degree Name
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering - (M.S.)
Department
Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
First Advisor
Anthony E. Cerkanowicz
Second Advisor
John Vincent Droughton
Third Advisor
Henry Shaw
Abstract
Catalytic reactors provide a potentially important tool in the control of process emissions to the environment. This work provides a detailed chemical/physical model for analysing the operational characteristics of packed bed catalytic reactors. Mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations are written for the gas and solid phases. Heterogeneous and homogeneous reactions are used to convey the required stoichiometry, reaction rate, and heat release rate. Reaction in each phase is modeled as a one-step, global reaction. Heat and mass transfer, fluid friction, and axial heat conduction in the solid phase are modeled using suitable literature correlations. The resulting non-linear, first-order differential equations are solved using a computer based, finite difference scheme. Model predictions are compared to catalytic reactor experimental data, showing excellent agreement. The experimental data was obtained from a colleagues research on the catalytic oxidation of methylene chloride over MnO2 catalyst. Model results provide determination of the catalytic surface kinetic rate constants and indicate that only about 4% of the BET measured catalyst surface area is not accessible to the reactants. Further, the results also indicate that axial diffusion of reactants and/or flow channeling effects influence reactor operation.
Recommended Citation
Yang, Jing, "Modeling packed bed catalytic reactors" (1990). Theses. 3008.
https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/3008
