Trickle-bed reactors

Journal Article · Sun Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1987 · Chem. Eng. Prog.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5541696

Ng, K M; Chu, C F

Trickle-bed reactors can be defined as a fixed bed of catalyst particles, contacted by a gas-liquid, two-phase flow. The flow may be cocurrent (downflow or upflow) or countercurrent. In this article, we will focus on cocurrent downflow, which, because of its relatively lower pressure drop and the absence of flooding, is by far the most common mode of operation in industrial practice. Trickle-bed reactors are used primarily in the petroleum industry for hydrocracking, hydrodesulfurization, and hydrodenitrogenation. It is estimated that a significant fraction of all the petroleum processed passes through a trickle-bed reactor in one way or another. Other commercial applications of trickle-bed reactors can be found in the petrochemical industry, involving mainly hydrogenation and oxidation of organic compounds. Because of the industrial significance of this reactor type, a large number of review papers and monographs have appeared in the literature, stressing primarily the development and use of various empirical correlations. For this reason, this aspect of trickle-beds, despite its significance, is not emphasized in this article. Instead, the authors intend to offer an overview of the key concepts and design considerations of this reactor type. They also focus on relevant physical phenomena, particularly particle-level physics, which provides insights for evaluating existing correlations or a given design procedure.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003
• OSTI ID: 5541696
• Journal Information: Chem. Eng. Prog.; (United States), Journal Name: Chem. Eng. Prog.; (United States) Vol. 83:11; ISSN CEPRA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020400* -- Petroleum-- Processing
020500 -- Petroleum-- Products & By-Products
CHEMICAL PLANTS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMICAL REACTORS
CORRELATIONS
CRACKING
DECOMPOSITION
DENITRIFICATION
DESIGN
DESULFURIZATION
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUID FLOW
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROCRACKING
HYDROGENATION
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INTERACTIONS
PACKED BED
PETROCHEMICAL PLANTS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM REFINERIES
PLANNING
PYROLYSIS
REVIEWS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TWO-PHASE FLOW