Simulated moving bed reactor for p-xylene production: Dual-bed column

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2016

Authors

Jonathan C. Gonçalves (Author) FEUP; Alírio E. Rodrigues (Author) FEUP

Journal

The Journal is awaiting validation by the Administrative Services.

Title: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND PROCESSING

Vol. 104

Pages: 75-83

ISSN: 0255-2701

Publisher: Elsevier Science

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Scopus - 0 Citations

Associated Projects

LSRE-LCM - Laboratório de Processos de Separação e Reação - Laboratório de Catálise e Materiais

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00K-FFR

DOI: 10.1016/j.cep.2016.01.010

Abstract (EN): A dual-bed Simulated Moving Bed Reactor (SMBR) is developed under the framework of a proposed aromatics complex where the extract product, with 70 wt% p-xylene, is further purified by a crystallization unit to obtain the final product. Each column within the unit contains an adsorbent/catalyst homogeneous mixture as first bed followed by another bed of just adsorbent. A method of dynamic optimization is applied to estimate the optimum adsorbent/catalyst proportion within the first bed so p-xylene production is equal to its adsorption. Afterwards, the unit is optimized through successive simulations using the SMBR model giving a productivity of 226.27kg/m(3) h (produced p-xylene per volume of adsorbent and catalyst within the columns), a desorbent consumption of 0.07 m(3)/kg (volume of desorbent per produced p-xylene), and a produced p-xylene to fed p-xylene ratio of 1.75 at 200 degrees C. Finally, using the commercial software gPROMS, an integrated method that combines less time-consuming results from True Moving Bed Reactor (TMBR) approach with the rigorous SMBR calculations to develop the dual-bed SMBR unit is presented.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 9