Fluid dynamics and reaction assessment of diesel oil hydrotreating reactors via CFD

Abstract

In this work, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used to investigate diesel hydrotreating (Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and Hydrodearomatization (HDA)) in a laboratory scale trickle bed reactor (TBR). In order to investigate these reactions, the 3D model was developed using a multi-phase Eulerian-Eulerian approach, an inter-phase interaction model, a porosity distribution model for the trilobe particles, mass transfer and chemical reactions model. Due to the small dimensions of the reactor, the simulations are carried out at isothermal and transient conditions and the catalyst bed is considered to be fully wetted. In this first phase of the work, a reaction model was used, which was later validated. Then, a counter-current reactor is simulated and the results are compared with a co-current reactor. The analyzed parameters are conversion, pressure drop and liquid holdup and a special attention was given in order to verify how operational changes on pressure, temperature, velocity and gas and liquid flows influence the reactor performance. The influence of porosity on fluid velocity and volume fraction of liquid is also investigated. Finally, the influence of the liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV), temperature, gas-liquid ratio and partial pressure of H2S are also discussed. The results for the two types of reactors are similar despite the fact that the counter-current arrangement has achieved lower conversions.