A thermal-hydrodynamic model to evaluate the potential of different tray designs for production of renewable aviation fuel through reactive distillation

Abstract

Reactive distillation is an intensified technology that has demonstrated interesting economical and operational advantages in the production of renewable aviation fuel. In tray distillation columns with heterogeneous catalyst, the arrangement of the latter determines flow characteristics that can influence the trays performance. This paper presents a CFD-based model for the simulation of a sieve tray with catalyst containers, which works under the operating conditions of a reactive distillation column used for production of renewable aviation fuel. Modeling of a non-isothermal liquid-vapor flow through the system was considered. The model was used to analyze the effect of geometric design of sieve trays and catalyst containers on important hydraulic parameters, mixing and heat transfer between phases. Profiles of clear liquid height and flow patterns estimated for different designs follow a similar behavior to that reported in available experimental studies. Additionally, the applied modeling approach makes possible the prediction of undesired phenomena, like downcomer flooding and excessive displacement of liquid phase. From these points, it is concluded that the model can serve as a basis for the development of a CFD modeling strategy to evaluate the performance of different tray designs with a similar catalyst configuration for production of renewable aviation fuel.