Experimental studies of the Progressing Batch Reactor

Abstract

The data obtained in the single reactor experiments has shown the use of 1/2-in. chips to produce results that are reliable and repeatable. These data are not sensitive to variations in wood chip packing or prehydrolysis procedures. The latter is important since multireactor studies will try various prehydrolysis strategies while investigating the operational characteristics of a multireactor system. The possible importance of hydrodynamics within the wood chip bed was demonstrated by the data from the 1/4- and 1/8-in. chip experiments. The importance of shrinking wood chip bed was demonstrated by the reactor’s inferior performance in the upflow versus the downflow mode. A hydrodynamic study should be undertaken to investigate these phenomena. This study can proceed concurrently with work on a tworeactor system that can give a preliminary glimpse at the operation and benefits of a multireactor system.