Immersion Rotating Packed Bed Reactor for Extended Contact Time
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rotating packed-bed reactors face challenges in increasing reactant contact time and efficiently removing reaction heat, limiting their application in heterogeneous reactions.
Innovation Solution
An immersion type rotating packed-bed reactor design where a rotor filler is immersed in materials, creating a loop through centrifugal force, with a feeding assembly for concurrent phase flow and a heat exchange assembly for temperature control, enhancing mixing and heat transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If rotating packed bed is used for rapid reaction, then reaction rate is enhanced, but contact time of reactants is too short
Solution Approach 1:
The reactor utilizes periodic rotation of the rotor to create cyclic flow patterns where reactants are repeatedly circulated through the packed bed. This periodic action allows multiple passes of reactants through the reaction zone, effectively increasing contact time while maintaining the high reaction rate enabled by the rotating packed bed configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The external continuous circulation system ensures that reactants continuously flow through the reaction zone without interruption. The circulation loop maintains continuous useful action by repeatedly passing reactants through the high-shear region, thereby extending the effective contact time while preserving the enhanced reaction rate
2Temperature
If external circulation heat exchange is used, then heat removal is achieved, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchange function is merged with the existing external circulation system by integrating a heat exchanger into the circulation loop. This combination allows heat removal to be achieved using the same fluid circulation infrastructure already required for reaction, thereby eliminating the need for separate heat exchange equipment and reducing overall process complexity
3Temperature
If third-phase solvent is added for heat exchange, then heat removal is achieved, but process complexity and solvent recovery difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The third-phase solvent is extracted from the process by using the existing reactant or product stream as the heat exchange medium. This eliminates the need for additional solvents and their associated recovery systems, thereby simplifying the process while maintaining effective heat removal capability
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 design improves reactant mixing and dispersion, increases reaction conversion rates, and efficiently manages heat, allowing for longer contact times and enhanced reaction efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
when a rotor is driven by a motor to rotate, the materials move from an inner edge of the rotor to an outer edge of the rotor under the action of centrifugal force
Implementation Method 2
the materials are fully sheared when passing through the filler and are dispersed into fluid micro-elements
Implementation Method 3
a heat exchange assembly for keeping the materials in the reactor in a suitable operating temperature range; a heat exchange medium is introduced outside the tube
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses an immersion type rotating packed-bed reactor and an application thereof. A rotor filler is immersed in materials in the reactor; under the driving of the rotation of a rotor, the materials in the reactor form a loop; and when passing through the filler, the materials are fully sheared and dispersed into fluid micro-elements, so that the mass transfer rate and the reaction rate are increased. A feeding assembly simultaneously introduces materials of different phases to an inner edge of the rotor, a retaining ring and a baffle function to break a vortex, and a heat exchange assembly can maintain a system in a suitable temperature range. The present invention is suitable for heterogeneous systems such as a gas-liquid system and a liquid-liquid system. Compared with a conventional rotating packed bed, the material contact time is long, so that the reaction is more complete.