On shape normalization for non-uniformly active catalyst pellets

Abstract

The possibility of shape normalization of catalyst pellets with non-uniform catalytic activity profiles is examined. A first order isothermal reaction occurring in slab or spherical catalyst pellets, with a variety of activity profiles, is considered. Analytic solutions for the effectiveness factor are reported in all cases. When the catalytic activity at the external surface of the pellet is non-zero, a physically significant normalization of the Thiele modulus is suggested which makes the asymptotic behavior of the effectiveness factor identical for all pellet shapes and all activity profiles. For an operational range intermediate between kinetic and diffusion control, however, the normalization can lead to significant errors. No such normalization exists when the surface catalytic activity is zero.