ASSIGNMENT CHEMICAL REACTION ENGINEERING December 21, 2013

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.

Super Raschig rings Structured packing
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


APPLICATION OF PACKED BED REACTOR:
1. Synthesis of gas production.
2. Methanol synthesis
3. Ammonia synthesis
4. Fischer-Tropsch synthesis
5. Gas cleaning (adsorption)

ADVANTAGES PACKED BED REACTOR:
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.
8. Only practical, economic reactor at very high pressures.
9. Usually high ratio of catalyst to reactants long residence time complete reaction

THE FIGURE OF PACKED BED REACTOR:
ASSIGNMENT CHEMICAL REACTION ENGINEERING December 21, 2013

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:
1. Endothermic reaction may die out.
2. Exothermic reaction may damage the reactor.
3. Selectivity control.
The ways that can be used is by choose the suitable types of packed bed reactor.
SINGLE BED REACTOR MULTI BED REACTOR MULTI TUBE REACTOR



ASSIGNMENT CHEMICAL REACTION ENGINEERING December 21, 2013

All the particles are located
in a single vessel.
Several serial beds with
intermediate cooling/heating
stages.

Several tubes of small
diameter filled with particles
Advantages/disadvantages
:
- Easy to construct.
- Inexpensive
- Applicable when the
reaction are not very
exo-/endothermic.

Advantages/disadvantages:
- Applicable for exo-
/endothermic
reaction.
Advantages/disadvantages
- Expensive
- High surface are for
heat exchanges.
(very good
temperature
control).
- Applicable for very
exo-/endothermic
reactions.

For the second aspect which is PRESSURE DROP:
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.

Large particle has to be used (dp>1mm)
ASSIGNMENT CHEMICAL REACTION ENGINEERING December 21, 2013



The third aspect of limitation is CATALYST DEACTIVATION:
1. The catalyst gets deactivated if the active sites get contaminated.
2. Sulphur compound deactivate Ni-catalyst
- Desulfurization is often necessary prior to reforming.
3. Formation of carbon deposit deactivate the catalyst
- Large carbon deposits may clog the tubes, causing hot-spots that damage
the reactor.
4. Catalyst regeneration is necessary.

DISADVANTAGES OF PACEKED BED REACTOR:
1. Large temperature gradient or undesired thermal gradient may occur.
2. Inefficient heat exchange
3. Suitable for slow-or-non-deactivating processes.
4. Poor temperature control.
5. Channelling may occur.
6. Unit may be difficult to service and clean.
7. Swelling of the catalyst, deformation of the reactor.
8. Regeneration or replacement of the catalyst is difficult- shut down is required.
9. Pore diffusional problems intrude in large pellets
POROUS CATALYST PARTICLE:
- The particles are porous to increase the
surface area of the catalyst.
- Reactants are transported inside the pores
by means of molecular diffusion and adsorb
to the active sites where the reaction
occurs.
- Products desorb and diffuse back to the
bulk.
- Heat is transported by conduction.

Intra-particle diffusion/conduction may be rate
determining for large particle
ASSIGNMENT CHEMICAL REACTION ENGINEERING December 21, 2013

OVERCOMING THE DISADVANTAGES:
1. Monolithic supports will overcome the problems of non-uniform flow patterns,
plugging high pressure for small pellets and pore diffusional problems,
2. Temperature control problems are overcome with:
a. Recycle.
b. Internal and external heat exchanges.
c. Staged reactors
d. Cold shot cooling
e. Multiple tray reactor- fluid redistributed and cooled between stages and catalyst
is easily removed which varied from tray to tray.
f. Use of diluents.
g. Temperature self-regulation with competing reactions, one endo and one
exothermic.
h. Temperature control by selectivity and temporarily poisoning the catalyst.