Reactors with Solid Catalysts

Summary

There are a large number of processes where solid catalysts are employed. The process streams are either gaseous or liquid, or a combination of these. The catalysts usually have a high porosity. Especially in the petroleum and petrochemical industries one encounters catalytic reactors of a great variety. Well known reactor types are: fixed bed, moving bed, fluidized bed, entrained bed, slurry reactor and three phase packed column. The choice between these reactor types is mostly based on the relative requirements for mass transfer, degree of conversion and heat transfer. Heterogeneous catalysis is a well developed science, with its own specific literature. In this chapter some technical acpects will be presented, particularly those related to scale-up.