Lecture 7

Diffusion and Reaction in Porous Catalysts

Usually internal diffusion is more important than external diffusion,

because De is much less than DAB, and the average diffusion distance
inside the particle is greater than the external film thickness.

The overall rate per pellet (or per unit volume or mass of pellet) divided
by the rate that would exist if there were no diffusion limitations is
defined as the effectiveness factor,
Rate of A taking into account the resistance to internal pore diffusion
η=
Rate of A neglecting the resistance to internal pore diffusion

rA
η=
rºA

Effectiveness factor = f(Φ), and Φ is the Thiele modulus

Resistance to internal pore diffusion of A
Φ=
Resistance to reaction of A

The actual reaction rate is the effectiveness factor times the ideal rate.

Figure : single catalyst pellet

Effectiveness Factors for Isothermal Catalyst Pellets

This section is concerned with analyses of simultaneous
reaction and mass transfer within porous catalysts under
1
 isothermal conditions.
1. The Effectiveness Factor for a Straight Cylindrical Catalyst
Pore: First-Order Reaction
It is assumed that there is no change in the number of moles of
gas-phase species during reac-tion (δ=0).

If the catalyst pellet is assumed to contain np identical pores of this type.

Then:

Material balance over the differential element of pore length shown in

Figure:

2
Where Dc represents combined Knudsen and ordinary molecular
diffusivity.

(1)

B.C.

equation (1) may be rewritten as:

(2)

(3)

So that equation (2) may be rewritten as:

(4)

3
Equation (3) may be rewritten as

(5)

(6)

From equation (4), the concentration gradient at the pore mouth is:

(7)

The reaction rate that would be observed within the catalyst pore is
given by a combination of equations (6) and (7):

(8)

(9)

4
 From the definition of the effectiveness factor and equations (8)
and (9):

(10)

Equation (3) indicates that the term in parentheses on the right is

1/h2T. Hence,

(11)

(12)