Analysis of multicomponent reversible reactions in an isothermal fixed bed reactor with axial dispersion

Abstract

A methodology for studying a multicomponent catalytic fixed bed reactor having a significant axial dispersion is discussed in this paper. A technique of finite integral transform is used to obtain analytical solutions to our model coupled linear partial differential equations resulting from the assumption of linear kinetics for all reversible reactions involved. An example of C 6 isomerization reactions occurring inside a fixed bed reactor is applied to study the effect of axial dispersion on the conversion. Our theoretical solutions agree well with the experimental data of Christoffel and this could suggest that there is some degree of dispersion in his short laboratory reactor. The superficial velocity u , the reactor length L, the ratio L/ u and the ratio L/d p are parametrically studied.