Hollow Cylinder Catalyst Support for Ethylene Oxide Reactors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ethylene oxide reactor systems face challenges in achieving a balance between high catalyst packing density and low pressure drop during the partial oxidation of ethylene, as increased packing density often results in undesirable pressure drops.
Innovation Solution
A reactor system with a packed catalyst bed featuring a hollow cylinder geometric configuration for the catalyst support material, optimizing the ratio of outside diameter to inside diameter and length, which reduces pressure drop while maintaining high packing density, by using a combination of silver as the catalytic component and rare earth metals as promoters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If catalyst packing density is increased to improve catalyst performance, then catalyst performance is improved, but pressure drop across the reactor increases undesirably
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing the geometric parameters of hollow cylinder catalyst supports, specifically the ratio of outside diameter to inside diameter and the ratio of length to outside diameter. By changing these dimensional parameters within specific ranges, the patent achieves high catalyst packing density while controlling pressure drop across the reactor bed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes hollow cylinder catalyst supports with controlled porosity characteristics. The hollow cylindrical geometry provides internal void space that reduces inter-particle resistance to flow while maintaining high external packing density, effectively creating a porous-like flow path structure that balances catalyst contact efficiency with pressure drop management.
2Quantity of substance
If hollow cylinder catalyst support dimensions are changed to optimize packing density, then packing density improves, but pressure drop characteristics may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent systematically varies the geometric parameters of hollow cylinder catalyst supports, including outside diameter, inside diameter, and length, within specifically defined ratio ranges. This parameter optimization allows the catalyst bed to achieve high packing density while maintaining favorable pressure drop characteristics through controlled voidage and flow paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The hollow cylinder catalyst support represents a composite structural design combining solid catalytic material with internal hollow space. This composite geometry provides both the necessary catalyst surface area for high packing density and internal void volume for reduced flow resistance, effectively combining the benefits of dense packing with low pressure drop.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration achieves a better balance between tube packing density and pressure drop, allowing for increased catalyst performance with reduced incremental pressure drop, and can be used in the production of ethylene oxide, ethylene glycol, and other chemicals.
Implementation Method 1
the difficulty in having a proper balance between the pressure drop that occurs across the catalyst bed during the operation of the ethylene oxide process and the catalyst bed packing density
Implementation Method 2
a feedstream containing ethylene and oxygen is passed over a bed of catalyst contained within a reaction zone that is maintained at certain reaction conditions
Implementation Method 3
One method for manufacturing ethylene oxide is by the catalyzed partial oxidation of ethylene with oxygen
Data Source
AI summary
A reactor system for the oxidation of ethylene to ethylene oxide. The reactor system includes a reactor tube that contains a packed bed of shaped support material that can include a catalytic component. The shaped support material has a hollow cylinder geometric configuration. The reactor system has specific combinations of reactor tube and catalyst system geometries.