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Thermoflow multiplicity in a packed‐bed reactor. II: Impact of volume change
Author(s) -
Lee J. P.,
Balakotaiah V.,
Luss Dan
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.690340106
Subject(s) - multiplicity (mathematics) , isothermal process , adiabatic process , thermodynamics , chemistry , pressure drop , mechanics , physics , mathematics , geometry
Steady states with different flow rates and temperature profiles may exist in a monolith or multitube packed‐bed reactor operating under a prescribed pressure drop, due to the coupling among the species, energy, and momentum balances, and the change of physical properties with temperature and pressure. Criteria are derived predicting the conditions under which thermoflow multiplicity can occur for a gaseous reaction involving a change in the number of moles. In general, a reaction‐induced volume increase enables thermoflow multiplicity to occur for reactions with a lower adiabatic temperature rise. A surprising finding is that thermoflow multiplicity may be found for an isothermal reaction involving a volume decrease. This point emphasizes the difference in the feedback mechanism leading to thermoflow and thermokinetic multiplicity.