Pushing the limits of existing reactor hardware using computational flow modelling: A case of oxyhydrochlorination reactor

Innovative and competitive edge of any reactor technology rests on how well the underlying flow processes are designed and operated. Adequate understanding and ability to manipulate and control the fluid dynamics of reactors is essential to push the performance limits of existing reactor technology and hardware. This is especially true for multiphase reactors, in which minor changes in hardware details and operating conditions may have a very significant impact on the resulting flow and therefore on reactor performance. In this paper, application of computational flow modelling to evaluate and enhance the performance of an existing industrial fluidized bed reactor, possible ways of performance enhancement and key issues therein are discussed. Computational approach and the results of flow simulations are also discussed in detail to illustrate the methodology. The emphasis is on describing the overall methodology rather than on details of a specific process or equipment. The methodology described here is quite general and can be used for enhancing existing and new reactor technologies.