Process Intensification
Continuous reactors are a promising alternative to traditional batch reactors as they provide better safety and enable heat integration. We evaluate porous structures as catalyst support for continuous tubular reactors. The selective hydrogenation of 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol, an important reaction in the production chain of vitamins, is used as model reaction. On the one hand we investigate the chemical reaction directly and analyze gas-liquid and liquid-solid mass transfer, as well as the intrinsic kinetics of the reaction. On the other hand we investigate the fluid dynamics inside the structure to get a better understanding of the basics of gas-liquid two-phase flows in porous structures.
Keywords:
axial dispersion, bubbly flow, continuous reactor, gas-liquid two phase flow, hydrogenation, LES, LIF, mass transfer, mixing, multi-phase flow, PIV, porous media, process intensification, PTV, refractive index matching, shadowgraphy, single-phase flow, tubular reactor, wire-mesh sensor, 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol, kinetic modeling,