Design of a Chemical Pulse Reactor Steady- State and Pulsewise Operation of a Catalytic Tubular Fixed Bed Reactor with Substrate Inhibition

T h e general reaction X + Y + M -» P + M m a y — due to substrate inhibit ion a t t h e catalyt ic site M — give rise t o bistabi l i ty p h e n o m e n a in an isothermal t u b u l a r fixed b e d reactor . T h e parametr ic condit ions for bistabil i ty in the single pellet are studied b y a numerical t e c h n i q u e . Solut ion o f the s t e a d y s tate equat ions for a t w o phase model of the t u b u l a r reactor s h o w s t h a t narrow zones with high conversion are possible, similar t o ignition zones in n o n i s o t h e r m a l cata lyt ic reactors. B y a cyclic operation with alternating periods of charging the c a t a l y s t p h a s e w i t h substrate a n d discharging it b y chemical reaction, pulses of high p r o d u c t c o n c e n t r a t i o n can be generated a t the reactor out let . T h i s is demonstrated b y s imulat ion of the s y s t e m a s s u m i n g low flow v e l o c i t y as it is characteristic for reaction c o l u m n s with l iquid m o b i l e p h a s e .