Simulation of a Reactor for the Partial Oxidation of o-Xylene to Phthalic Anhydride Packed with Ceramic Foam Monoliths
Year: 2006
Type: article
Abstract: The potential of ceramic foams as fixed bed catalyst carriers in the partial oxidation ofo-xylene to phthalic anhydride was evaluated by means of numerical simulations. One- and two-dimensional, pseudohomogeneous reactor models were used to compare the performances affixed bed reactors filled with foam packings and with spherical catalvst bodies, both of which coated with the same catalyst. The results show that foam packings enable a highly selective and more efficient operation of PA reactors. The improved heat transfer properties, higher specific surface areas and higher porosities of foam packings allow for a stretching of the operational window to more severe process conditions while the danger of catalyst deactivation and thermal runaways is reduced. The results indicate that the space-time-yield of phthalic anhydride could be more than doubled, if conventional fixed beds of catalyst particles would be replaced by foam packings.
Language: English
Subfield: Computational Mechanics
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2493069913