(71f) Hydrodynamic Study of KATAPAK-SP11 Structured Packing with Multiphase CFD and Heat Integration
AIChE Spring Meeting and Global Congress on Process Safety
2011
2011 Spring Meeting & 7th Global Congress on Process Safety
The Dr. James Fair Heritage Distillation Symposium
New Frontiers in Packing Technology: Continuing Dr. Fair’s Great Work
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 - 4:20pm to 4:45pm
Hydrodynamic
Study of KATAPAK-SP11 Structured Packing with Multiphase CFD and
Heat-integration
Jing
Huang, Robert W. Lyczkowski, Chandrakant B. Panchal, and Richard D. Doctor
Argonne National Laboratory
9700 S. Cass Avenue
Argonne, IL 60439-4815, USA
2011 AIChE
Spring Meeting
Chicago, IL, USA
March 13-17, 2011
October
19, 2010
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Hydrodynamic
Study of KATAPAK-SP11 Structured Packing with Multiphase CFD and
Heat-integration
Jing
Huang, Robert W. Lyczkowski, Chandrakant B. Panchal, and Richard D. Doctor
Argonne National Laboratory; 9700
S. Cass Avenue; Argonne, IL 60439-4815 USA
Abstract
The
number of actual reactive distillation installations is quite small despite a
large number of patents and extensive academic and industrial research. The
main reason for this is that it is difficult to match the optimum conditions
for distillation, reaction, and scale up of experimental test data to
commercial units [1]. Pressure is the primary variable that affects efficient
separation. Many reactive distillation processes are not very flexible due to
the interactive effects of reaction and separation on each reactive stage. Single-
and two-phase flow through a 100 mm diameter Katapak-SP11 structured packing [2]
was modeled using ANSYS FLUENT 12.1 [3]. The purpose of this analysis is to
determine the liquid flow distributions interior and exterior to the catalyst
baskets, catalyst wetting, and hence reaction effectiveness. The analysis is
expected to help optimize catalyst loading on individual structured catalytic packings,
as well as for the entire column. The coupled catalyst baskets and corrugated
flow channels were treated using the new dual-porous media formulation. Because
of the complex structure of the corrugated flow channels, they were treated as
one porous medium and the catalyst baskets containing, approximately 1 mm diameter
catalyst particles, were treated as another. Different values of porosity and
permeability were used for each porous medium region. This new formulation vastly
simplifies modeling of complex structured packings performed in the past [4] in
order to understand their hydrodynamics. This novel modeling approach will
allow optimum heat-integration. Calculations for dry and wetted packings (only
gas or liquid flow though the column) were carried out. The dry packing pressure
drop was compared with available data. Subsequently, two-phase, counter-current
liquid-gas flow through the structured packing column was modeled. A range of
gas and liquid flow rates was investigated to determine pressure drop and liquid
flow distributions in the catalyst baskets and flow channels and wetting of the
catalyst baskets.
References
1. Harmsen, G. Jan, ?Reactive distillation: The
front-runner of industrial process intensification: A full review of commercial
applications, research, scale-up, design and operation,? Chemical
Engineering and Processing 46 (2007) 774?780
2. Aferka,
S. et al., Liquid Load Point Determination in a Reactive Distillation
Packing by X-Ray Tomography. Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol
88, pp. 611-617 (2010).
3. ANSYS FLUENT 12.1 User's Guide, ANSYS, Inc.,
Canonsburg, PA (2009).
4. Vervlot, D., et al., Intensification of
Co-current Gas-Liquid reactors Using Structured Catalytic Packings: A Multiscale
Approach. Catalysis Today. Vol. 1475, pp. 5138-5143 (2009).