Intensification of hydrodesulphurization process with a structured bed spiral mini-reactor

Abstract

The procedure followed for the study of the characteristics of the intensification of catalytic hydrodesulphurization process with a structured bed spiral reactor is presented in the current work. This procedure consists of two parallel experimental methods investigating the mechanisms involved in the operation of the reactors. The first method aims at the study of the process mechanisms with mock up experiments at ambient conditions using systems with inorganic or organic liquids, water or heptane, and oxygen or nitrogen as gas phase. The second one focuses on the mechanisms at reaction conditions using simple model reactions, like benzene hydrogenation. The studied mechanisms with the methods followed are the fluid dynamic characteristics of the operation of spiral reactor, flow regime, axial dispersion and mass transfer limitations. The mass transfer limitations were also studied with desulphurization experiments taking into account the impact of the inhibitors hydrogen sulphide and ammonia on the desulphurization reaction.