Report: Trickle Bed Reactor

Submitted By:
NasirSaeed 2010-
BT-CHEM-30
Amir Shahzad
2010-BT-CHEM-28
Muhammad Shahid Malik
2010-BT-CHEM-31
BSc Chemical Engineering Technology (2010)

UET LHR (KSK-Campus)

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Reactors
A chemical reactor is an equipment unit in a chemical process (plant) where
chemical transformations (reactions) take place to generate a desirable product at a
specified production rate, using a given chemistry. The reactor configuration and its
operating conditions are selected to achieve certain objectives such as maximizing
the profit of the process, and minimizing the generation of pollutants, while
satisfying several design and operating constraints (safety, controllability, availability of
raw materials, etc.).

CLASSIFICATION OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS

Chemical reactors are commonly classified by the three main characteristics:

1. Mode of operation (e.g., batch, continuous, semi batch)
2. Geometric configuration (e.g., tubular, agitated tank, radial flow)
3. Contacting patterns between phases (e.g., packed bed, fluidized bed, bubble
column)
In addition, reactor operations are also classified by the way their temperature (or
heat transfer) is controlled. Three operational conditions are commonly used:
(i) isothermal operation—the same temperatures exist throughout the reactor,

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(ii)adiabaticoperation—no heat is transferred into or out of the reactor, and (iii)
nonisothermaloperation—the operation is neither isothermal nor adiabatic.

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TRICKLE BED REACTORS
Trickle bed reactors are gas-liquid-solid contacting devices used in many
Diverse fields such as petroleum, petrochemical, fine chemicals, and
Biochemical industries.
Trickle bed reactors comprise a family of reactors in which gas and liquid
phase reactants flow in downward direction (toward the direction of gravity)
over a bed of solid catalyst particles. The gas phase may flow in upward or
downward direction depending on the type of application. The liquid phase,
however, always flows or “trickles” over the solid catalyst in a downward
direction.

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Trickle
The word “TRICKLE” itself describes its operational characteristics
in which liquid intermittently flows over the solid catalyst in the form of films
or rivulets or droplets. Conventionally, solid catalyst particles (may be of
different shapes) are randomly packed in a bed through which gas and liquid
phases flow.

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Monoliths
However, different variants of trickle bed reactors, comprising
structured catalytic beds like monoliths in which the catalyst is coated on the
interior surface of small channels or a mesh reactor in which the catalyst is
coated on the mesh, have been used. In all these cases, catalyst loading in the
reactor is substantially higher than other multiphase reactors (solid volume
fraction is usually larger than 0.4 in trickle bed reactors).

Catalysts Shape
In most of the
industrial trickle bed reactors, catalyst particles are generally porous and are of
different shapes such as spherical, cylindrical, extrudates, trilobes, or multilobes

The reactions carried out in trickle bed reactors are often

exothermic and energy liberated because of chemical reactions is transported
by flowing gas and liquid components. Management of this liberated energy
from the catalytic bed without causing undesired effects on the performance is
often a crucial task in the design of trickle bed reactors.

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Configuration trickle bed reactors
The overall performance of trickle bed reactors depends on several issues like
characteristics of catalytic bed (packing configuration, porosity, particle size/
coating thickness), flow maldistribution, wetting of catalyst particles and local
interphase heat (including beds to wall) and mass transfer rates, intraparticle
mass and heat transfer, and reaction kinetics.

Trickle bed reactor configurations can be broadly classified into the following
three types:
a. Conventional trickle bed reactors: comprising randomly packed beds of
porous catalyst particles.
b. Semi-structured trickle bed reactors: comprising non-randomly packed
particles or catalyst coated on structured packing [like SULZER KATAPACK]
or monolith reactors comprising large number of small channels
coated with a catalyst layer.
c. Micro-trickle bed reactor: comprising a number of micro-channels packed
with catalyst particles.

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In trickle bed reactors, gas and liquid phase reactants flow in downward
direction over a bed of solid catalyst particles (Fig. 2a). In some cases, the gas
phase may flow in upward direction (e.g., for specific applications like
pollution control and removal of gas phase impurities), when reactor is
operated in a countercurrent mode (Fig. 2b). In conventional trickle bed
reactors, catalyst supported on inert material is used to provide adequate
mechanical strength to the pellets. Some catalysts are in the form of eggshell
where the outer layer is impregnated with an active catalytic material on a core
region made up of inert support. This avoids high temperature gradients inside
the catalyst particle when reactions are highly exothermic. Various catalyst
shapes like spherical, cylindrical, extrudates, and trilobes are used in practice.
In some cases, particle shapes such as cylindrical tubes, Raschig rings and wire
gauge, pall rings, and filaments, which give lower pressure drop (at the cost of
lower catalyst loading), are used. The catalyst bed is usually supported on
a sieve plate (with wire mesh). The gas and liquid phases are fed to the reactor
bed via appropriate distributor. Proper distribution of the fluid phases in the
catalyst bed often controls the reactor performance and heat transfer efficiency.
Controlling bed temperature is one of the major
concerns in trickle bed reactors. It can be performed by intermediate
quenching using external jackets or internal cooling coils (Fig. 2c and d). In
some cases, the gas and/or liquid streams are recycled to increase effective
fluid velocity to control temperature and also manipulate desired conversion
levels.

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Whenever requirement of catalyst loading is not high or mechanical
strength of the catalyst is not very good, non-random packing can be used.

These structured packings require lower pressure drop to operate (see Fig. 3).
The structured packings of different varieties include coated structured packing
or monolith channels (structured beds). Other operating features and possibility
of using intermediate quenching and redistribution are also applicable to these
reactors. Some monolith reactors comprise just a single monolith so that liquid
maldistribution along the length of the bed can be avoided. However, liquid
distribution at the inlet becomes very critical in this case. Liquid distribution,
wetting of the channel surface, and possibility of drying out of the surface
because of vaporization caused by energy liberated due to chemical reactions
are some of the important concerns in monolithic reactors.

In recent years, other versions of trickle bed reactors have been proposed
based on the concept of micro-channel reactors (Fig. 4). Reactor functionality
is similar to trickle bed reactors, however, size of the reactor is several orders of
magnitude smaller than the conventional trickle bed reactors. It comprises
several small channels in which catalyst is either impregnated over the wall or
packed in the form of even smaller particles. Gas and liquid phases are passed
using suitable distribution arrangement and alternate fins may be allocated for

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cooling the bed. These reactors are very compact in size and higher mass and
heat transfer rates can be achievable. Therefore, these types of reactors are
generally recommended where the reaction is very rapid and exothermic with

significant mass transfer limitations. These reactors are also useful to control
temperatures, especially when the reactant/products are sensitive to heat. Initial
cost and operational difficulties (clogging, cleaning) of micro-trickle bed
reactors are some of the disadvantages over the conventional trickle bed
reactors.

Packed Bed Reactor Vs. Trickle Bed Reactor

In packed bubble column reactors, gas and liquid phases flow through
a bed of randomly packed solid catalyst particles completely filled with
liquid. This reactor can be used with larger catalyst loading with gas phase
flowing in the form of bubbles as a dispersed phase with liquid as a continuous
phase. All the catalyst particles are always completely wetted by the
liquid phase and there is no direct contact between the gas and the solid
catalyst particles. Unlike this case, in a trickle bed reactor, both gas and
liquid phases flow downward through the catalyst bed with liquid as
a dispersed phase or semi-continuous

and gas as a continuous phase. Gas

phase may directly contact the catalyst surface, which under certain conditions
is not completely wetted by the liquid phase. Trickle bed reactors are
therefore useful for slower reactions requiring high catalyst loading and
where direct contacting between gas and catalyst may benefit the overall
performance. The packed bubble bed reactors usually have higher pressure
drop and back mixing than trickle bed reactors.

Hydrodesulphurization
Hydrodesulphurization (HDS) is a catalytic chemical process widely used to remove
sulfur (S) from natural gas and from refined petroleum products such as gasoline or
petrol, jet fuel, kerosene, diesel fuel, and fuel oils.[1][2] The purpose of removing the
sulfur is to reduce the sulfur dioxide (SO
2) emissions that result from using those fuels in automotive vehicles, aircraft, railroad
locomotives, ships, gas or oil burning power plants, residential and industrial furnaces,
and other forms of fuel combustion.
Another important reason for removing sulfur from the naphtha streams within a
petroleum refinery is that sulfur, even in extremely low concentrations, poisons the noble
metal catalysts (platinum and rhenium) in the catalytic reforming units that are
subsequently used to upgrade the octane rating of the naphtha streams.
An HDS unit in the petroleum refining industry is also often referred to as a hydrotreater.

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Reactor Internals

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Hydro Desulfurizer
Equipment in which sulfur contents are removed in the presence of catalyst at specific
temperature and pressure. This is also removed nitrogen, oxygen and metals.

Here we have selected petroleum fractions for removing of S, N, O and metals, for this
purpose hydro desulfurization take place in a reactor named trickle bed reactor.

Diagram

Vapors

Working Of Hydro Desulfurizer

In a typical catalytic Hydrodesulphurization unit, the feedstock is mixed with hydrogen;
preheated in a fired heater (280°-340°C) and then charged under pressure 35-40 kg/cm2
through a fixed-bed catalytic reactor. In the reactor, the sulfur, nitrogen & oxygen
compounds in the feedstock are converted into H2S, NH3 & H2O respectively. The
reaction products leave the reactor and after cooling to a low temperature enter
liquid/gas separators. The hydrogen-rich gas from the high-pressure separation is
recycled to combine with the feedstock. The gas from low-pressure separator is sent to
fuel gas system where it is burned as a fuel in refinery furnaces. The liquid stream is the
splitter feed.

PFD of Hydro Desulfurization (HDS) In Petroleum Refinery

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Process Description
The liquid feed (at the bottom left in the diagram) is pumped up to the required elevated
pressure and is joined by a stream of hydrogen-rich recycle gas. The resulting liquid-gas
mixture is preheated by flowing through a heat exchanger. The preheated feed then flows
through a fired heater where the feed mixture is totally vaporized and heated to the
required elevated temperature before entering the reactor and flowing through a fixed-
bed of catalyst where the hydro desulfurization reaction takes place.
C2H5SH + H2   C2H6 + H2S

The hot reaction products are partially cooled by flowing through the heat exchanger
where the reactor feed was preheated and then flows through a water-cooled heat
exchanger before it flows through the pressure controller (PC) and undergoes a pressure
reduction down to about 3 to 5 atmospheres. The resulting mixture of liquid and gas
enters the gas separator vessel at about 35 °C and 3 to 5 atmospheres of absolute pressure.
Most of the hydrogen-rich gas from the gas separator vessel is recycle gas, which is routed
through an amine contactor for removal of the reaction product H2S that it contains.
The H2S-free hydrogen-rich gas is then recycled back for reuse in the reactor section. Any
excess gas from the gas separator vessel joins the sour gas from the stripping of the
reaction product liquid. The liquid from the gas separator vessel is routed through
a reboiled stripper distillation tower. The bottoms product from the stripper is the final
desulfurized liquid product from hydro desulfurization unit.
The overhead sour gas from the stripper contains hydrogen, methane, ethane, hydrogen
sulfide, propane, and, perhaps, some butane and heavier components. That sour gas is
sent to the refinery's central gas processing plant for removal of the hydrogen sulfide in
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the refinery's main amine gas treating unit and through a series of distillation towers for
recovery of propane, butane and pentane or heavier components. The residual hydrogen,
methane, ethane, and some propane is used as refinery fuel gas. The hydrogen sulfide
removed and recovered by the amine gas treating unit is subsequently converted to
elemental sulfur in a Claus process unit or to sulfuric acid in a wet sulfuric acid process or
in the conventional Contact Process.

Process Variables
The mixture of charge oil and hydrogen gas is heated between 285 to 340°C where it is
completely vaporized. When this mixture in vapor state is passed over a catalyst, at a
pressure of about 30-32 Kg/cm2 then the desulphurization takes place.
The Hydrotreater catalyst consists of cobalt oxide and molybdenum oxide on an alumina
carrier. The catalyst has a long life and is less susceptible to poisons. However, over a
period of time coke deposits will be formed. These deposits are removed by regenerating
the catalyst when necessary, without removal from the reactor, – with a steam/air
mixture– over the catalyst under carefully controlled conditions.
Normal operating conditions are chosen so as to minimize deposition.

1.Temperature
Increasing the operating temperature can enhance the extent of desulphurization. But at
high temperatures there is the risk of cracking of distillates and coke deposition on the
catalyst and discoloration of reactor effluents.
The temperatures, therefore, should be high enough to ensure complete vaporization of
the feed and to obtain adequate desulphurization.
2. Pressure
The unit pressure is dependent on catalyst life required and feed stock properties. At
higher reactor pressures, the catalyst is generally effective for a longer time and reactions
are brought to a greater degree of completion. For a straight run product
desulphurization, 20 to 35 Kg/cm2g (300 to 500 psig) pressure is normally used, although
design pressure can be higher if feed nitrogen and/or sulfur contents are higher than
normal.
The selection of the operating pressure is influence to a degree by the hydrogen to feed
ratio set in the design, since both of these parameters determine the hydrogen partial
pressure in the reactor. The hydrogen partial pressure can be increased by operations at a
higher ratio of gas to feed at the reactor inlet.
This pressure is controlled by the H.P separator pressure, which is kept at about 30-32
Kg/cm2.Operation at a lower pressure will result in increased sulfur content of the
product and in reduced catalyst protection. Operation at higher pressure will reduce the
capacity of the Hydrotreater charge oil pump.

Space Velocity (LHSV)

The quantity of catalyst per unit of feed will depend upon feedstock properties,
operating conditions, and product quality required. The liquid hourly space
velocity (LHSV) is defined as follows:

LHSV = Volume of charge per hour Volume of catalyst

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Startup Of HDS Unit
 Make sure the unit has been lined up properly i.e. there are no spades and no loose
flanges in the circuit. Remove all spades isolating relief valves or blow downs and
close inlet and outlet valves.
 Make sure compressed hydrogen is available in excess.
 Make sure nitrogen is available for purging the unit.
 Isolate all pressure and temperature gauges.
 Check the feed pump supply.
 Check the catalyst bed.
 Turn on the feed pump.
 Open the pump outlet valve and H2 valve.
 Mix the H2 in feed and heated them.
 Open the reactor inlet valve and send the H2 and feed vapours in the reactor.
 Set the temperature in the range 285-340 0C and pressure 30-32 Kg/Cm2.
 Open the outlet valve of reactor and obtained the product.

Shut Down Of HDS Unit

 Shut off the supply of H2 and feed.
 Remove the heating source.
 Reduce the pressure in reactor.
Trouble Cause Consequence Solution
 Drain the reactor.
 Remove the catalyst.
 Channeling.  Lower liquid  Lower over all  Liquid
 Catalyst should be removed after nitrogen purging and at minimum temperature.
flow rates. performance. redistri

 Uneven liquid  Gas phase side

Distribution. Reactions.
Catalyst Regenration
The catalyst has a long life and is less susceptible to poisons. However, over a period of
time coke deposits will be formed. These deposits are removed by regenerating the
catalyst when necessary,
 Hot without
spot removal from the reactor, – with a steam/air
 Uneven  Catalystmixture –  Interna
over the catalyst under carefully
Formation.controlled conditions.
temperature degradation. externa
Normal operating conditions are chosen so as todistribution.
minimize deposition. exchang

 Partial wetting.

Troubleshooting  Pressure drop.  Improper  Plugging .  By usin

catalyst particle monolit
size.  Make the process Reactor
more Expensive.

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 Trouble Cause Consequence Solution

 Low liquid  Increase in  Gas - Liquid  Increase

holdup. superficial Interfacial Particle
gas velocity. Area porosity and
decrease. size to some
extent .

 Reduces
over all
conversion

 Failure of  Feed valve is  Reaction will  Install bypass

feed not working not proceed. valve.
entering. properly.
 Replace the
valve.

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 Limitations:-

 Limited to reasonably fast reactions

 Limitations on the use of viscous or foaming liquids.
 Particle size cannot be smaller than 1mm.
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  Reactor diameter/particle size ratio (<25).

Advantages:-
 Possibility of varying the liquid rate
according to catalyst wetting and heat and
mass transfer resistances.
 Liquid flow approaches plug-flow
behavior which leads to high conversions.
 Possibility of operating at higher
pressure and temperature.
 Pressure drop through the bed is
relatively low thus reducing pumping costs.
 Larger reactor size and generally of
simple construction as there are no moving
parts.
 Lower investment and operating costs
and low catalyst loss which is important
when costly catalysts are used.

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 Disadvantages :-
Difficulties in the recovery of reaction heat.
 Deactivation of the catalyst by deposits.
 Lower catalyst effectiveness due to the use of
large catalyst particle size.
 Dismantling of the reactor during catalyst
replacement.

Applications:-
Petroleum Industry.
Petrochemicals Industry.
Biochemical industry.
Fine chemicals Industry.

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 Wastewater treatment.
Pharmaceutical Industry.

 Electrochemical industry .

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