A periodic separating reactor for propene metathesis

Abstract

Periodic product separation and regeneration of sorbent were accomplished in a novel reactor application through pressurisation, adsorption, blowdown and purge steps. The switching from sorption to reaction to regeneration was accomplished in a two-bed sorption/reaction apparatus. Models developed for the mass and momentum transfer in the catalyst bed and sorber were solved using orthogonal collocation within the method of lines. The effects of operating conditions and cycle configurations on performance were assessed. The results from dynamic experiments with propene metathesis to produce ethene and 2-butene in a fixed-bed catalytic reactor were in agreement with model predictions, demonstrating that conversion and product quality can be enhanced by periodic cycling reactors. Further, the separation of the products help reduce the downstream processing costs of exit mixtures, enabling utilisation of reactant through recycling and improved product handling at subsequent stages. The efficacy of the periodic separating reactor in terms of product purity, conversion, recovery, yield and productivity were demonstrated for obtaining ethene by propene metathesis.