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Mathematical modeling of methyl ester concentration distribution in a continuous membrane tubular reactor and comparison with conventional tubular reactor

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Abstract

The reduction of fossil fuel resources and environmental issues made researchers find alternative fuels include biodiesels. One of the most widely used methods for production of biodiesel on a commercial scale is transesterification method. In this work, the biodiesel production by a transesterification method was modeled. Sodium hydroxide was considered as a catalyst to produce biodiesel from canola oil and methanol in a continuous tubular ceramic membranes reactor. As the Biodiesel production reaction from triglycerides is an equilibrium reaction, the reaction rate constants depend on temperature and related linearly to catalyst concentration. By using the mass balance for a membrane tubular reactor and considering the variation of raw materials and products concentration with time, the set of governing equations were solved by numerical methods. The results clearly show the superiority of membrane reactor than conventional tubular reactors. Afterward, the influences of molar ratio of alcohol to oil, weight percentage of the catalyst, and residence time on the performance of biodiesel production reactor were investigated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chemical Engineering, Oil and Gas Department, Shiraz University of Technology, Shiraz, Iran

    M. R. Talaghat, S. M. Jokar & E. Modarres

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  1. M. R. Talaghat
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  2. S. M. Jokar
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  3. E. Modarres
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Correspondence to M. R. Talaghat.

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Talaghat, M.R., Jokar, S.M. & Modarres, E. Mathematical modeling of methyl ester concentration distribution in a continuous membrane tubular reactor and comparison with conventional tubular reactor. Heat Mass Transfer 53, 3099–3108 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-017-2054-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00231-017-2054-z

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