Effect of fouling in a fixed-bed reactor for a complex reaction: test of proposed model and formulation of an optimal policy

Abstract

The model proposed earlier by Sadana and Doraiswamy [J. Catal. 23, 147 (1971)] has been experimentally verified using the consecutive reaction system: tetrachloroethane → pentachloroethane → hexachloroethane; the reaction was carried out on activated silica gel using a mixture of tetrachloroethane and chlorine as feed. The dependence of the rate constant on time was observed to be linear and the selectivity for the intermediate product was independent of the decay parameter, as postulated in the model. It was found necessary, however, to rewrite the linear decay function used by Sadana and Doraiswamy in a slightly different form to enable the testing of the model. The reaction and decay parameters can be manipulated in such a manner as to give the maximum yield of the intermediate at all times during the reaction. For this purpose an optimal feed policy has been formulated which necessitates the variation of feed in a predetermined manner.