Abstract
In this paper, a steady state rigorous mathematical model based on the dusty gas model is implemented to investigate the performance of a novel multi-shell fixed bed membrane reactor for simultaneous production of styrene and cyclohexane. Catalyst patterns for reaction coupling and multi-shell configurations as strong means for shifting the thermodynamic barrier are employed. The simulations show that the complete conversion of ethylbenzene is satisfied only by the combined effect of the membrane and reaction coupling together. The results indicate that effective operating regions with optimal conditions exist. Effective length criteria are used for evaluating the optimal regions. It is shown that these regions are sensitive to changes of catalyst bed composition, feed temperature and pressure. It is also found that the feed temperature has strong influence on the optimal shell ratio. It is also concluded that the multi-shell configuration is superior to the single shell configuration.
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