Abstract:

The influences of the various unsteady-state operating modes, such as the operation under pulsing regimes, periodic packing mode and periodic feed, on the performance of the trickle-bed reactor (TBR) were investigated experimentally by using the hydrogenation of 2-ethylanthraquinone over Pd/Al₂O₃ as a model reaction on a laboratory-scale TBR. It was found that the mass space-time yields of TBR was increased by 50% under pulsing regimes due to the enhancement of inter-phase mass transfer, which was confirmed by apparent kinetics research. The mass space-time yield of catalyst was increased by 40% for using the periodic packing mode due to the significant enhancement of gas-liquid mass transfer rates under the interested conditions. The periodic operation of TBR, which improved inter-phase mass transfer and eliminated the external static liquid holdup, increased conversion and selectivity by 10%.