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Assignment Chemical Reaction Engineering: Packed Bed Reactor (PBR)
Assignment Chemical Reaction Engineering: Packed Bed Reactor (PBR)
In the chemical processing, a packed bed is a hollow tube, pipe or other vessel that is
filled with packing materials. The packing materials that can be randomly filled with small
objects like Raschig rings or else it can be specifically designed structural packing. But for
the packed bed reactors, it contains catalyst particles or adsorbents such as zeolite pellets,
granular activated carbon and etc.
The packed bed typically used to improve contact between two phases in a chemical
or similar process. Packed bed can be used in a chemical reactor, a distillation process or a
scrubber. Packed bed reactor which is PBR and also known as fixed bed reactor can be used
in chemical reaction. These reactors are tubular and are filled with solid catalyst particles,
most often used to catalyse gas reactions. The chemical reaction takes place on the surface
of the catalyst.
The concept of the packed bed reactor is where the reactor is a place where the
collection of fixed solid particles takes place. Then, the particles may serve as a catalyst or
and adsorbent and it is continuous gas flow. This reactor used primarily in heterogeneous
has phase reaction with a catalyst.
ASSIGNMENT CHEMICAL REACTION ENGINEERING December 21, 2013
1. By using a packed bed reactor is the higher conversion per weight of catalyst than
other catalytic reactor.
2. The reaction rate is based on the amount of the solid catalyst rather than the
volume of the reactor.
3. Low operating cost and low maintenance by using this kind of reactor.
4. The process using packed bed reactor operates continuously.
5. Little wear on catalyst and equipment.
6. Simple analysis
7. Little loss or attrition.
CHALLENGES/LIMITATION:
For this reactor which is packed bed, it consists of three aspects of limitation which are:
1. Temperature control.
2. Pressure drop.
3. Catalyst deactivation.
For the first aspect which is TEMPERATURE CONTOL and the challenge that have to face
in are:
The ways that can be used is by choose the suitable types of packed bed reactor.
All the particles are located Several serial beds with Several tubes of small
in a single vessel. intermediate cooling/heating diameter filled with particles
stages.
1. Friction between the gas and particle phase result in a pressure drop.
2. High pressure drop will result to high compression cost.
3. Some systems have low tolerance for pressure drop.
4. The pressure drop is mainly dependent on reactor length, particle diameter, void
fraction and gas velocity.