Intraparticle Modeling of Non-Uniform Active Phase Distribution Catalyst

• Main Authors: Vincenzo Russo, Luca Mastroianni, Riccardo Tesser, Tapio Salmi, Martino Di Serio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-04-01
• Series: ChemEngineering
• Subjects: heterogeneous catalysis; non-uniform catalyst; intraparticle diffusion model; catalyst performance enhancement; in-series reaction modelling
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2305-7084/4/2/24

To maximize the performances of heterogeneous catalytic reactors, it is necessary to consider many parameters. Catalytic particle morphology (dimension, shape, active phase distribution) is generally previously established and seldom considered in the optimization of the catalyst to be specific for a given process. In this work, the influence of active phase distribution within spherical catalytic particles (egg-shell, egg-yolk and egg-white), on the yield and selectivity of a product is shown for a consecutive reaction network; here, the intermediate component is the main product of interest. Intraparticle mass and energy balances under non-steady conditions were implemented. Sensitivity studies lead to the identification of the optimal conditions, thus maximizing the yield of the intermediate for each active phase distribution. It was demonstrated that the egg-shell catalyst can maximize the intermediate yield, with a lower active-phase usage.