5 replies to this topic

[Iz99]

Ok, so I have been given the task of designing a water shift reactor which is sour shift. 

I have a do a full mechanical detailed design, finding the volume, height, diameter, min-max temp, min-max pressure, material necessary, weight etc of this reactor and I am pretty confused... 

The reactor is isothermal, packed bed, exothermic reaction with a cobalt molybdenum catalyst. The conversion is 93.7% and I know the volumetric flow as well as the reaction rate for CO. I've tried using Fogler to find the volume of the vessel (using the volume equ in chap 2) but unfortunately I don't think this is right. 

I am COMPLETELY confused with where to start with designing this reactor. I was thinking of starting from the space velocity (which is provided from literature) but I don't know! Please direct me with some steps that I should follow, I don't know how to even start. Anything would be really appreciated. Please help, my confidence level has shrunk to zero atm.

[thorium90]

Might I suggest reading Chemical Reactor Design And Control by William Luyben, the chapter on steady state design of tubular reactor systems.

 

And if you need more advanced material, read Introduction To Chemical Engineering Kinetics & Reactor Design by Charles G Hill, Jr, the chapter on reactor design for heterogeneous catalytic reactions.

 

Decide on your operating temperature and pressure as well as the catalyst you intend to use. If you know the properties of your catalyst like its bulk density and since you can calculate the reaction rate, mol/ m3.s, it should be pretty straightforward for you to calculate the amount of catalyst required.

Edited by thorium90, 11 September 2013 - 12:27 PM.

[Bobby Strain]

Most shift reactors are adiabatic.

 

Bobby

[K J]

you go through Fertilizer science and technology series vol-2 Ammonia part -2 by A V slack and Russel. you will find detailed water gas shift reactor design in this book.

[ShaneL]

hi guys

 

Ive found the volume of catalyst needed, what else do I have to account for to get the reactor volume.

 

Can I do product volume + catalyst volume = reactor volume? Or is there other stuff I have to take account of?

 

Thanks

 

Shane

[Art Montemayor]

Shane:

 

From the type of question - and assumption - you make I have to assume that either you haven't had a course in chemical engineering kinetics or you haven't paid any attention during the course.  This topic is not one of the simplest or easiest topics in chemical engineering studies and requires a lot of preparatory, pre-requisite courses in order to get to the point of reactor design.

 

To answer your specific question: There is a LOT of other "stuff" you have to take into account..... a lot of stuff.