Diffusion Transfer in the Course of Benzene Alkylation with Propylene over a β-Zeolite Catalyst

Abstract

By simulating benzene alkylation with propylene over β-zeolite in a fixed-bed bubble reactor, suitable external mass-transfer correlation equations were chosen from the literature to calculate the coefficients and the external mass-transfer resistance. The internal mass-transfer resistance was derived from the experimental efficiency factor of catalyst pellets. When the catalyst pellet is 3 mm in diameter and consists of 0.2-μm zeolite crystals, the mass-transfer resistance in the alkylation process decreases in the following order: gas–liquid film > liquid–solid film > macropore diffusion > intrinsic kinetics > intracrystalline diffusion.