CHAPTER NO.

6 Reactor Design

REACTOR DESIGN

6.1 Theory of Reactor Design:

Heterogeneous catalytic reactors are the most important single class of reactors
utilized by chemical industry. Whether their importance is measured by the whole sale
value of goods produced, the processing capacity or the overall investment in the reactors
and associated peripheral equipment, there is no doubt as to prime economic role that
reactors of this type play in modern technology society.
The types of reactors used in industry for carrying out heterogeneous catalytic
reactions may be classified in terms of relatively small numbers of categories. One simple
means of classification is in terms of relative motion of the catalyst particles and
reactants.
 Reactors in which the solid catalyst particles remain in a fixed position relative to
one another (fixed bed, trickle bed and moving bed reactors).
 Reactors in which the particles are suspended in a fluid and are constantly moving
about (fluidized bed and slurry reactors).

6.1.1 Fixed Bed Reactors:

In its most basic form a fixed bed reactor consists of a cylindrical tube filled with
catalyst pellets. Reactants go through the catalyst bed and are converted in to products.
Fixed bed reactors are often referred to as packed bed reactors. They may be regarded as
the work horse of the chemical industry with respect to number of reactors employed and
the economic value of materials produced. Ammonia synthesis, sulphuric acid production
(by oxidation of SO2 to SO3) and nitric acid production (by ammonia oxidation) are only
a few of the extremely high tonnage process that make extensive use of various forms of
packed bed reactors.
The catalyst constituting the fixed bed will generally be employed in one
of the following configurations:

67
CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

» A single large bed

» Multiple horizontal beds supported on trays arranged in a Vertical stack
» Multiple parallel packed tubes in a single shell
» Multiple beds each in their own shell
The use of multiple catalyst sections usually arises because of the need to maintain
adequate temperature control with in the system. Other constraints leading to the use of
multiple beds include those of pressure drop or adequate fluid distribution. In addition to
the shell and tube configuration, some of possibilities for heat transfer to or from fixed
bed reactors include the use of internal heat exchangers, annular cooling spaces or
cooling thimbles are circulation of a portion of the reacting gases through an external heat
exchanger.
The packing itself may consist of spherical, cylindrical or randomly shaped pellets,
weir screens or gauzes, crushed particles or a variety of other physical configurations.
The particles usually are 0.25 to 1.0 cm in diameter. The structure of the catalyst pellets
is such that the internal surface area far exceeds the superficial (external) surface area so
that the contact area is in principle, independent of pellet size. To make effective use of
the internal surface area, one must use a pellet size that minimizes diffusional resistance
with in the catalyst pellet but that also gives rise to an appropriate pressure drop across
the catalyst bed.
The most commonly used direction of reactant. Flow is down ward through the bed.
This approach gives a stable bed that will not fluidize, dance or lift out of the reactor.
This approach minimizes catalyst attrition and potential entrainment of catalyst fines.
When processing conditions are such that the reactor is subjected to wide variations in
feed flow rates or when the feed is a dense fluid, it is imperative that the flow direction be
downward. The attendant advantages of-downward flow is the tendency of bed to
compress itself and the gravitation of catalyst fines (resulting from attrition) down
through the bed. Both phenomena may lead to increased pressure drop and channeling or
mal distribution of the flow. Up flow has the advantage of lifting catalyst fines or
fragmented particles from the bed there by avoiding channeling and blockage of bed.
However, this mode of operation is disadvantageous because it may lead to unstable beds

68
CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

at high flow rates. It leads to dancing in a pulsating flow that caused catalyst abrasion and
in unusual circumstances may lead to fluidization.
A fixed bed reactor has many unique and value able advantages relative to other
reactor types. One of its prime attributes is its simplicity, with the attendant consequence
of low costs for construction, operation and maintenance relative to moving bed or
fluidized bed operation. It requires a minimum of auxiliary equipment and is particularly
appropriate for use in small commercial units when investments of large sums for control,
catalyst handling and supporting facilities would be economically prohibitive-. Another
major advantage of this mode of operation is implicit in "fixed bed reactor" is that there
are no problems in separating the catalyst from the reactor effluent stream. In many
fluidized bed systems catalyst recovery can be quite troublesome and require substantial
equipment costs. Another important attribute of fixed bed reactors is the wide variation in
space times at which they can be operated. This flexibility is extremely important in
situations where one is likely to encounter wide variations in the quantity or quality of the
feed stock to be processed. For example high temperatures or high pressure reactions
employing solid catalyst, economic considerations usually dictate that the process
becomes commercially viable only when a fixed bed reactor is employed.
For economical production of large amounts of product, fixed bed reactors are
usually the first choice, particularly for gas-phase reactions. Many catalyzed gaseous
reactions are amenable to long catalyst life (1-10 years); and as the time between catalyst
changes outs increases, annualized replacement costs decline dramatically, largely due to
savings in shutdown costs. It is not surprising, therefore, that fixed-bed reactors now
dominate the scene in large-scale chemical-product manufacture.
Fixed-bed reactors may also be classified into two major categories according to
the heat requirements:
» Adiabatic fixed bed reactors
» Non-adiabatic fixed bed reactors

6.1.2 Selection of Reactor Type:

After analyzing different configuration of fixed bed reactors we have concluded
that for our system the most suitable reactors are multi tube fixed bed reactor. Because

69
 Feed Stream

CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

Different reactor configuration for fixed bed reactors are shown in table.

Classification Use Typical Applications

Moderately exothermic or
Mild hydrogenation
Single adiabatic bed endothermic non-equilibrium
limited
Where low ΔP is essential
Radial flow and useful where change Styrene from ethyl benzene
in moles is large
Adiabatic beds in SO2 oxidation, Catalytic
High conversion, equilibrium
series with reforming, Ammonia
limited reactions
intermediate cooling synthesis, Hydro cracking,
or heating Styrene from ethyl benzene
Many hydrogenations
Highly endothermic or
Ethylene oxidation to
Multi-tabular exothermic reactions requiring
ethylene oxide, formaldehyde
non-adiabatic close temperature control to
by methanol oxidation,
ensure high selectivity
phthalic anhydride production
Direct-fired Highly endothermic, Steam reforming
non-adiabatic high temperature reactions

Table 6.1: Fixed-Bed Reactor Configurations for Gas-Phase Reactions

oxidation of benzene is highly exothermic reaction, so cooling will be required otherwise

the temperature of reactor will rise and due to rise in temperature the catalyst activity and
selectivity will be affected and in turn, the formation of by-products will increase which
is direct loss of productions.
As reaction temperature is already high 350 oC if we keep the process adiabatic
temperature of reactor will rise and the structure of the catalyst will be changed and
catalyst will be damaged. For such a situation the best reactor is multi-tube fixed bed
reactor.

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CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

6.1.3 Construction and Operation of Multi-Tube Fixed Bed

Reactor:
Because of the necessity of removing or adding heat, it may not be possible to use
a single large-diameter tube packed with catalyst. In this event the reactor may be built up

of a number of tubes encased in a single body as illustrated in figure below. The energy
exchange with the surroundings is obtained by circulating, or perhaps boiling, a fluid in
the space between the tubes. If the heat effect is large, each catalyst tube must be small
(tubes as small as 1.0 in. diameter are widely used) in order to prevent excessive

71
CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

temperatures within the reaction mixture. A disadvantage of this method of cooling is that
the rate of heat transfer to the fluid surrounding the tubes is about the same all along the
tube length, but the major share of the reaction usually takes place near the entrance. For
example, in an exothermic reaction the rate will be relatively large at the entrance to the
reactor tube owing to the high concentrations of reactants existing there. It will become
even higher as the reaction mixture moves a short distance into the tube, because the heat
liberated by the high rate of reaction is greater than that which can be transferred to the
cooling fluid. Hence the temperature of the reaction mixture will rise, causing an increase
in the rate of reaction. This continues as the mixture moves up the tube, until the
disappearance of reactants has a larger effect on the rate than the increase in temperature.
Farther along the tube the rate will decrease. The smaller amount of heat can now be
removed through the wall with the result that the temperature decreases. This situation
leads to a maximum in the curve of temperature versus reactor-tube length.

6.2 Effect of Variables on Multi-Tube Fixed Bed Reactor:

Different parameters that affect the performance of fixed bed multi-tube reactor
are:

Particle Diameter:
The overall heat transfer coefficient declines with decrease in particle size in the
usual practical range. Redial gradients increase markedly with decrease in particle size.
Small size, however, may improve rate or selectivity in some case by making catalyst
inner surface more accessible.

Tube Diameter:
Reducing tube diameter reduces the radial profile. Heat transfer area per unit
volume is inversely proportional to the tube diameter and reaction temperature is affected
by a change in this area.

72
CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

Outside Wall Coefficient:

Improvement up to the point where this resistance becomes negligible is
worthwhile. Boiling liquids are advantageous because of the high heat transfer
coefficient.

Heat of Reaction and Activation Energy:

Accurate values should be used since calculated temp. is sensitive to both of
these, particularly to the value of energy of activation. This must be determined carefully
over the range of interests, but calculated results should be obtained based on different
activation energies over the probable range of accuracy for the data so that final
equipment sizing can be done with a feel for uncertainties.

Particle Thermal Conductivity:

One of the mechanisms of radial heat transfer in a bed, conduction through the
solid packing which must quite logically depend on the thermal conductivity of the bed,
can be reasoned to have some dependence on the thermal conductivity of the solid. But
since it only affects one of the several mechanisms, the proportionally cannot be direct.
Differences in effective conductivity and the wall heat transfer coefficient h between beds
of packing having high and low solid conductivity may be in the range of a factor of
2-3. The largest difference will occur at lower Reynolds numbers. Most catalyst carriers
have low conductivities, but some such as carbides have high conductivities.

73
CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

6.3 Preliminary Data for Reactor Design Calculations:

Material Balance along the Reactor:
Reactor Inlet Reactor outlet

Temperature 363 oC 400 oC

Pressure 202 kPa 138 kPa

Mass Flow Rates (Kg/hr)

Benzene 2766 221

Nitrogen 50664 50664

Oxygen 15384 10155

Water 1162 2437

Maleic Anhydride ………… 2535

Carbon Dioxide ………… 3902

Quinone …………. 61

Total flow rate 69976 69976

Energy Balance along the Reactor:

Ref state: 30 oC and 101 kPa

Enthalpy of Reactants = 1.30 x 107 kJ/hr

Enthalpy of products = 4.87 x 107 kJ/hr

Total Heat generated by reactions = -6.33 x 107 kJ/hr

Heat duty for cooling media = 2.76 x 107 kJ/hr

Reaction Phase:
Reactions are occurring in gaseous phase at 363oC and 202kPa in the
presence of solid catalyst mixture of V2O5 (70%) and MoO3 (30%).

74
CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

6.4 Design Calculations:

6.4.1 Preliminary Calculations:

Reaction Kinetics: ‡

C6H6 + 4.5O2 K1 C4H2O3 + 2CO2 + 2H2O (R1)

C6H6 + 4.5O2 K2 6C0 + 3H2O (R2)

C4H2O3 + 3O2 K3 4C02 + H2O (R3)

r1 (kmole/kgcat.sec) = k1CB K1 = 0.0595 (m3/kgcat.sec)

r2 (kmole/kgcat.sec) = k2CB K2 = 0.01288 (m3/kgcat.sec)
r3 (kmole/kgcat.sec) = k3CMAN K3 = 0.0207 (m3/kgcat.sec)

Weight of catalyst:
On the basis of first reaction

W 1 1
=
F A 0 K1 CA 0
([1+∈ A ) ln
1−X A
−∈A X A
]
Where,
Reactant Flow rate, F A 0 = 9.836 x 10-3 (kmole/sec)
Reaction Constant, K1 = 0.0595 (m3/kgcat.sec)
Reactant Concentration, C A 0 = 0 .000566 (kmole/m3)
Fractional Volume Change, ∈ A= - 0.091
Conversion (First Rex), XA = 0.73

9.836 x 10−3 1
W=
0.0595 x 0.000566 [
( 1−0.091 ) ln
1−0.73
+0.091 x 0.73 ]
W = 3670.18 kgcat

75
CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

‡ CHARLES G. HILL, JR. “Introduction to Chemical Engineering Kinetics and Reactor

Design” John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1977, p. 347.

Type and volume of Catalyst:

A mixture of V2O5 (70%) and MoO3 (25-30%) † having average particle size of
5mm is used as catalyst in the process
Bulk density of catalyst, ρc = 1200 Kg/m3
Bed void fraction,  = 0.4

Volume of catalyst = 3670.18/1200

= 3.058 m3
Reactor Volume:
Reactor volume can be calculated as:
Vr = Vcat / (1 - )
= 3.058 / (1 - 0.4)
= 5.097 m3
Reactor Geometry:

Assuming tube length of 2.5 m and taking the diameter of tube to prevent
deviation from plug flow assumption. Dt/Dp > 10‡
Where,
Dt = diameter of tube
Dp = diameter of particle
Tube Dimensions:
Tube outside diameter do = 60.45 mm
Tube inside diameter di = 52.50 mm (Schedule No. 40)††

† AP-42, CH 6.14: Maleic Anhydride, www.epa.gov/ttn/chief/ap42/ch06/final/c06s14.pdf

‡ Gael D. Ulrich P. T. Vasudevan “A Guide to Chemical Engineering Process Design

and Economics” 2nd ed, Process publishing, 1993

76
CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

†† Max S. Peters Klaus D. Timmerhaus Ronald E. West “Plant design and Economics
for Chemical Engineers” 5th ed., McGraw Hill Inc. Table D-13 p. 962.

Total number of tubes Nt

Vr
Nt=
π /4 . di 2 . l t

So, = 5.097 / (π/4 x 0.052502 x 2.5)

= 940
Assuming triangular pitch arrangement then
P = 1.25do
Where P = tube pitch
do = outside tube diameter
So, P = 0.07556 m

Shell Inside Diameter:

Numbers of tubes at bundle diameter are gives as:

4 N t−1
N D=
√[ 3 ]
Where, ND = number of tubes at bundle diameter

So, ND = 35
Di=P [ N D +1 ]
So, Shell inside diameter, Di = 2.75 m

Shell Height:

Length of tube = 2.5 m

Leaving 20 % spacing above and below
So height of shell = 2 (0.2  2.5) + 2.5
= 3.5 m

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CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

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CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

6.4.2 Pressure Drop Calculations:

Tube side pressure drop:
Using Eurgen equation.

ΔP 1−φ G 150 ( 1−φ ) μ

L
= 3
φ( )(
D P ρ f gc )[
DP
+1 .75G
]
 = bed void fraction = 0.4
DP = particle diameter = 5 mm
ρf = feed density = 1.2 kg/m3
 = viscosity of feed = 3.19 x 10-5 kg/m. Sec
gc = 9.80 m/sec2
L = length = 2.50 m
feed mass flow rate
Superficial mass velocity ,G=
total flow area
Total flow area = Nt . π/4. di2
= 940 x π/4 x 0.052502
= 2.039 m2
Total mass flow rate = 19.44 kg/sec
So, Superficial mass velocity = 9.53 kg/m2.sec
Putting values in above eq. gives
ΔP = 6553.2 kg/m2 = 63.4 kPa
Shell side pressure drop:
Heat duty Q = 2.37 x 107 kJ/hr
Cooling media
Hitec‡ is used as cooling media having composition KNO3 (53%), NaNO2 (40%)
and NaNO3 (7%)
Specific heat capacity of salt mixture, Cp = 144.40 kJ/kmole-K

79
CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

‡ Patrick G. Gaune, J. Chem. Eng. Data, 1982, 27 (2), pp 151–153,” Viscosity of

potassium nitrate-sodium nitrite-sodium nitrate mixtures” http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/
10.1021/je00028a014
Temperature difference, ΔT = 20K
Molten salt required:
Q = m.Cp.ΔT
2.76 x 107 = m x 144.40 x 20
So molten salt flow rate, m = 8206.5 kmol/hr
Mass flow rate, mw = 182.5 Kg/sec
Shell side flow area:
Ac =π / 4 [ D i2−N t d o2 ]
Where, Di = shell inside diameter = 2.72 m
Nt = total number of tubes = 940
do = tube outside diameter = 0.06045 m
Ac = 3.11 m2
Equivalent Diameter:

4 [ π /4 D i2−N t π d o2 /4 ]
[
D' e =
N t π d o /12−π D i /12 ]
Putting values in above formula
D' e = 0.0693 m
Shell side mass velocity = salt flow rate / shell side flow area
= 182.5 / 3.11
= 58.47 kg/m2 - sec
Viscosity of molten salt = 1.98 x 10-3 kg/m-sec
GD e
Re =
Reynolds Number μ
= 2048.5
Friction factor for tube side, fs = 0.00208‡
f s G s2 L N c
∆ P= 10 '
5.22 x 10 De s ∅

80
CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

‡ D. Q. Kern “process Heat Transfer” Internal Student Edition McGraw Hill Kogakusha
Ltd. Fig. 29, p. 839.

81
CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

Where
ΔPS = pressure drop
Gs = shell side mass velocity= 59459.8 lb/ft2/hr
L = length of tube = 8.2 ft
Nc = number of passes = 1
De’ = Equivalent diameter = 0.2275 ft
S = specific gravity = 1.88
 = 1
Putting above values
ΔPS = 0.00145 psi = 0.01 kPa (negligible)

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CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

6.4.3 Calculations of Heat Transfer Co-efficient:

Shell Side:
For Shell side heat transfer coefficient

Where,
k = Thermal conductivity of cooling salt
= 0.6057 W/m-K
De‘= Shell side equivalent dia = 0.069 m
For Reynolds Number 2048, JH = 25‡
Assuming, f = 1
So,
Shell side heat transfer coefficient, ho = 1706.5 W/m2-K

Wall Resistance:
d i ln ( d o /d i )
Rw =
2 Kw
Where,
Kw = Thermal conductivity of wall = 43.26 W/m-K
So, Rw = 8.63 x 10-5 m2-K/W

Tube Side:
An equation proposed by LEVA to find heat transfer co-efficient inside the tubes
filled with catalyst particles.
0. 7 −4 . 6 D p
hi D DpG [ ]
k
=3. 5
μ ( ) e
D

83
CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

‡ D. Q. Kern “process Heat Transfer” Internal Student Edition McGraw Hill Kogakusha
Ltd. Fig. 28, p. 838.
G = tube side mass velocity = 9.533 Kg/m2-sec
 = viscosity of tube side fluid = 3.19 x 10-5 Kg/m-sec

k = 0.0473 W/m-K
Dp = diameter of particle = 5 mm

di = Inside diameter of tube = 52.50 mm

Putting values in above equation
hi = 339.31 W/m2-K
Inside dirt coefficient:
hid = 2840 W/m2-K
Outside dirt coefficient:
hid = 1704 W/m2-K
Over all H.T. Coefficient:
1 1 1 di di
= + + Rw + +
U i h i hid ho d 0 hid d o
do = tube outside diameter = 60.45 mm
di = tube inside diameter = 50.50 mm
Ui = overall heat transfer on the basis of inside diameter
By putting the values
Ui = 255.30 W/m2-K
Area required for Heat Transfer
Q
Area Required=
LMTD . U i
Q = 2.37 x 107 kJ/hr
LMTD = 71 oC
Area required for Heat Transfer = 364.89 m2

Area Available for Heat Transfer

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CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

Length of tube, Lt = 2.5 m

Inside Diameter of tube, di = 0.05045 m
Total surface area available=N t π d i Lt
= 940 x π x 0.05045 x 2.5
= 372.45 m2
So sufficient area is available for heat transfer

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CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

6.4.4 Interaparticle Heat and Mass Transfer Limitations:‡

Now we will consider the possible presence of interaparticle heat and mass transfer
limitations.

Estimation of Bulk diffusivity ÐAB:

For Air-Benzene system, ordinary molecular diffusivity can be evaluated by

using a pseudo ordinary approach given by Reids and Sherwood
Let A = Air (MW = 28.97 g/gmole)
B = Benzene (MW = 78 g/gmole)
Lennard-Jones constants for air are:
σA = 3.617 oA
εA / k = 97 oK
Lennard-Jones constants for benzene are:
σB = 5.270 oA
εB / k = 440 oK
Combined Lennard-Jones constants:
σ A+ σB
σ AB =
2
So, σ AB = 4.4435 oA
Also, ε AB=√ ε A ε B
So, εAB / k = 206.59 ok
Inlet feed conditions:
Temperature, T = 636K
Pressure, P = 2atm
Now ordinary diffusivity can be calculated by using Champ-Enskog formula:

Ð AB=0.0018583 √ T 3 ¿ ¿ ¿

‡ C.N. Satterfield and Sherwood Stranier “Role of diffusion in catalyst” Nostrand

Company Inc., p. 7-20

86
CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

Where,
ÐAB = Ordinary diffusivity, cm/sec
T = Absolute temperature, oK
MA, MB = Molecular weight of air and benzene respectively, g/gmole
P = Pressure, atm
σAB = Combines Lennard-jones constant for pseudo binary system oA
ΩD,AB = Collision integral which is a function of dimensionless
temperature
Dimensionless temperature kT/εAB is
kT/ εAB = 636/206.59 = 3.078
For above dimensionless temperature
ΩD,AB = 0.9406
So,

Ð AB=0.0018583 √ 6363 ¿ ¿ ¿
ÐAB = 0.1747 cm2/sec

Estimation of Knudson Diffusivity ÐK :

Knudson Diffusivity represents interaparticle mass transfer resistance. It can be found by

the relation:
Ð K =9.7 x 103 γ √ T /М
Where, γ = Pore radius, cm
= 2 Vg/Sg for cylindrical pore model
M = Average molecular weight, 29.27g/gmole
Total surface area, Sg = 1.80 x 106 cm2/g
Total pore volume, Vg = 0.63 cm3/g
Pore radius, γ = 2 x 0.63 / 1.80 x106
= 7 x 10-7 cm
So, Ð K =(9.7 x 10 3) x(7 x 10−7 ) √636 /29.27
ÐK = 0.03165 cm2/sec
Calculation of Combined diffusivity ÐC:
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CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

1
ÐC=
1/ Ð K +1/ Ð AB
So, combined diffusivity is:
ÐC = 0.0268 cm/sec

Calculation of Ordinary effective diffusivity ÐAB.eff:

Effective diffusivity can be calculated as:

Ð AB ε P
Ð AB , eff =
τ
Where,
ÐAB = Ordinary molecular diffusivity, 0.1747 cm2/sec
εP = Particle porosity, 0.4
τ = Tortusity factor, 1.6
So,
ÐAB,eff = 0.0436 cm2/sec

Calculation of Knudson effective diffusivity, ÐK,eff :

εP T
Ð K , eff =19400
τ S P ρP √ M
Where,
εP = Particle porosity, 0.4
τ = Tortusity factor, 1.6
ρP = particle density, 1.2 g/cm3
SP = Specific surface per unit mass, 1.8 x 106 cm2/g
T = Absolute temperature, 636K
M = Average molecular weight, 29.27 g/gmole
So,
0.4
Ð K , eff =19400 √ 636/29.27
1.6 x 1.8 x 106 x 1.2
ÐK,eff = 0.0105 cm2/sec

88
CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

Estimation of Combined effective Diffusivity Ðeff:

Though ordinary molecular diffusivity is prominent as compared to Knudson
diffusivity yet the magnitude of Knudson Diffusivity is somewhat comparable with
Ordinary diffusion, so it can not be neglected. This is the situation where both Ordinary
and Knudson diffusivity contribute to the mass transport and thus it is appropriate to
utilize combine diffusivity Ðeff.
Combined diffusivity can be calculated by:
1
Ð eff =
1 /Ð AB , eff +1/ Ð K ,eff
So,
Ðeff = 0.00846 cm2/sec

Calculation of Thiele Modulus, MT:

Magnitude of Thiele Modulus helps in determining the limitations of

interaparticle diffusion on observed reaction rates.
Thiele Modulus is defined as:
2 K ' 1 Ĺ2
2
MT =
γ ÐC
Where,
MT = Thiele Modulus
K’1 = Rate constants based on per unit catalyst surface area
γ = Pore radius, 100oA
ÐC =Combined diffusivity, 0.0268cm2/sec
Ĺ = Average pore length, cm
= DP/6 = 0.0833cm
Now,
K1 = 0.0595 m3/Kgcat-sec
Surface area per unit weight of catalyst = 1.83 x 104 m2/Kgcat
So, K’1 = 3.25 x 10-3 cm/sec

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CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

Thiele Modulus is:

2 2 x 3.25 x 10−3 x 0.08332
MT =
0.01 x 0.0268
MT = 0.168

Estimation of catalyst effectiveness factor, ξ:

From Graph
ξ = Catalyst effectiveness factor
= 0.983
The catalyst effectiveness factor is almost equal to 1, so we can say that the mass
transfer resistance offered by the catalyst pores is negligible and hence the effectiveness
concentration inside the catalyst will be same as concentration on the surface of catalyst.

Calculation of Schmidt Number, Nsc:

Schmidt number is defined as:

μ
Sc h midt Number , N sc =
ρ Ð AB
So we can calculate: Nsc = 1.52

Calculation of Prandtl Number, Npr:

Prandtle Number can be defined as:

CP μ
Prandtl Number , N Pr=
K
Thus we can calculate Prandtle Number: NPR = 0.732

Calculation of Reynolds Number Number, Nre:

Modified Reynolds Number based on catalyst pellet of 5mm diameter is

D 'PG
Modified Reynolds Number , N ℜ=
μ
So we can calculate Reynolds Number: Nre = 1493

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CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

Calculation of Chilton-Colburn Factor, JH:

For above Reynolds Number Chilton-Colburn factor can be calculated as:

0.357
J H =J D= For Nre = 3 – 2000
ε B N ℜ0.359
Where, εB is the bed porosity = 0.4
So, we can calculate,
JH = JD = 0.065

Calculation of mass transfer coefficient, Kc:

Mass transfer coefficient can be calculated as:

JDG
Mass transfer coefficient , K C =
ρ N SC 2 /3
So, we can calculate the mass transfer coefficient, Kc = 39.06 cm/sec

6.4.5 Mechanical design:

Shell Thickness:
Shell thickness can be calculated by following relationship:
PD
t p= +C
2 fJ−P
Where,
tp = Design thickness of shell in inches
f = Design stress = 137895 kPa for carbon steel
D = Shell diameter = 2.75 m
P = Maximum allowable pressure = 243.2 kPa
C = Corrosion allowance = 3.2 mm under sever conditions
So substituting the values

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CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

Shell thickness = 4.2 mm

Material of construction:

For the reactor shell, carbon steel is proposed as material of construction as it is

both cheap and also compatible with Hitec heat transfer salt. The reactor tubes are
suggested to be of stainless steel so that any contamination of maleic anhydride due to
corrosion products is avoided.

Heads for reactor shell:

Standard torispherical heads are most commonly used for pressure up to 15bar.
Thus as ASME standard torispherical heads has been design for the reactor. The proposed
material of construction is plain carbon steel.

Reactor Support:

The types of support used for vessels are:

1. Saddle support
2. Skirt support
3. Bracket support
Saddle supports are used for horizontal vessels while other two types are used for
vertical vessels. For the reactor in this case, a skirt support is proposed as it is safer than
bracket support and can more efficiently bear the weight of the reactor and Hitec salt
circulating through the reactor.

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CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

6.5 Specification Sheet:

Reactor
Item: Fixed Bed Multi-Tubular Reactor
Identification: Item No: PFR-100
No Required: 1
Function: To convert gaseous mixture of benzene and air to products by catalytic
oxidation.
Tube side: Catalyst weight = 3670 Kg
Material Handled: Pellet Size = 5mm
1) Reaction mixture consisting Porosity = 0.4
of Benzene and air Tubes:
2) Catalyst, Mixture of V2O5 Outside diameter = 60.45mm
(70%) and MoO3 (30%) Inside diameter = 52.50mm
Flow Rate = 69978 Kg/hr Schedule No. = 40
Pressure = 202 kPa Tube length = 2.5 m
o
Temperature = 363 C 940 tubes with triangular pitch are
3
Reactor volume = 5.097 m aligned vertically in the shell
Shell Side: Shell:
Fluid Handled = Hitec {Cooling Shell Inside diameter = 2.75 m
media having composition KNO3 Shell Height = 3.5m
(53%), NaNO2 (40%) and NaNO3 Shell Thickness = 4.2 mm
(7%)} Construction Material = Carbon Steel
Heat Duty = 2.37 x 107 kJ/hr
Flow Rate = 181 Kg/sec
Inlet Temperature = 340 oC
Temperature Change = 20 oC
Pressure = 101 kPa

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CHAPTER NO. 6 Reactor Design

Interaparticle Mass Transfer Over all heat transfer Coefficient based

Limitations: on inside diameter
Bulk Diffusivity = 0.1747 cm2/sec = 255.30 W/m2-K
Knudson Diffusivity = 0.03165cm2/sec Area Required for Heat Transfer
Combined Diffusivity = 0.0268 cm2/sec = 364.89 m2
Overall effective Diffusivity = 0.00846 Area Available for heat transfer
cm2/sec = 372.45 m2
Catalyst effectiveness factor = 1
Schmidt Number = 1.52
Prandtl Number = 0.732
Modified Reynolds Number = 1493

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