Ethylbenzene Dehydrogenation Into Styrene: Kinetic Modeling and Reactor Simulation
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ETHYLBENZENE DEHYDROGENATION INTO STYRENE: KINETIC MODELING AND REACTOR SIMULATION A Dissertation by WON JAE LEE Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY December 2005 Major Subject: Chemical Engineering ETHYLBENZENE DEHYDROGENATION INTO STYRENE: KINETIC MODELING AND REACTOR SIMULATION A Dissertation by WON JAE LEE Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved by: Co-Chairs of Committee, Rayford G. Anthony Gilbert F. Froment Committee Members, Daniel F. Shantz Michael P. Rosynek Head of Department, Kenneth R. Hall December 2005 Major Subject: Chemical Engineering iii ABSTRACT Ethylbenzene Dehydrogenation into Styrene: Kinetic Modeling and Reactor Simulation. (December 2005) Won Jae Lee, B.S., SungKyunKwan University; M.S., Pohang University of Science and Technology Co-Chairs of Advisory Committee: Dr. Rayford G. Anthony Dr. Gilbert F. Froment A fundamental kinetic model based upon the Hougen-Watson formalism was derived as a basis not only for a better understanding of the reaction behavior but also for the design and simulation of industrial reactors. Kinetic experiments were carried out using a commercial potassium-promoted iron catalyst in a tubular reactor under atmospheric pressure. Typical reaction conditions were temperature = 620oC, steam to ethylbenzene mole ratio = 11, and partial pressure of N2 diluent = 0.432 bar. Experimental data were obtained for different operating conditions, i.e., temperature, feed molar ratio of steam to ethylbenzene, styrene to ethylbenzene, and hydrogen to ethylbenzene and space time. The effluent of the reactor was analyzed on-line using two GCs. Kinetic experiments for the formation of minor by-products, i.e. phenylacetylene, α-methylstyrene, β-methylstyrene, etc, were conducted as well. The reaction conditions were: temperature = 600oC ~ 640oC, a molar ratio of steam to ethylbenzene = 6.5, and iv partial pressure of N2 diluent = 0.43 bar and 0.64 bar. The products were analyzed by off-line GC. The mathematical model developed for the ethylbenzene dehydrogenation consists of nonlinear simultaneous differential equations in multiple dependent variables. The parameters were estimated from the minimization of the multiresponse objective function which was performed by means of the Marquardt algorithm. All the estimated parameters satisfied the statistical tests and physicochemical criteria. The kinetic model yielded an excellent fit of the experimental data. The intrinsic kinetic parameters were used with the heterogeneous fixed bed reactor model which is explicitly accounting for the diffusional limitations inside the porous catalyst. Multi-bed industrial adiabatic reactors with axial flow and radial flow were simulated and the effect of the operating conditions on the reactor performance was investigated. The dynamic equilibrium coke content was calculated using detailed kinetic model for coke formation and gasification, which was coupled to the kinetic model for the main reactions. The calculation of the dynamic equilibrium coke content provided a crucial guideline for the selection of the steam to ethylbenzene ratio leading to optimum operating conditions. v To my late grandfather To my parents To my wife vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would never have made it without the help of a lot of people around me. I gratefully acknowledge Dr. Rayford G. Anthony and Dr. Gilbert F. Froment, co-chairs of committee, for their guidance, patience, and encouragement during my research. I wish to thank Dr. Daniel F. Shantz and Dr. Michael P. Rosynek for serving as the advisory committee members. I would like to thank my friends in the Kinetics, Catalysis, and Reaction Engineering Laboratory for the friendship, help and discussions: Dr. Xianchun Wu, Dr. Sunghyun Kim, Rogelio Sotelo, Bradley Atkinson, Hans Kumar, Luis Castaneda, Celia Marin, and Nicolas Rouckout. I am grateful for sharing the priceless friendship with my fellow Korean students in the Department of Chemical Engineering. I also thank all the members in Vision Mission Church for their countless prayers in my Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my parents and parents-in-law for their prayers and support throughout the years. Most importantly, I would like to thank my wife, Sohyun Park, for the encouragement and love she has given me ever since I pursued the degree. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT................................................................................................................. iii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................... vi TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................. vii LIST OF FIGURES...................................................................................................... xii LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... xix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 1 II LITERATURE REVIEW............................................................................ 4 2.1 Chemistry of Ethylbenzene Dehydrogenation................................... 4 2.2 Role of Promoter in Ethylbenzene Dehydrogenation ........................ 4 2.3 Role of Steam in Ethylbenzene Dehydrogenation............................. 9 2.4 Kinetics of Ethylbenzene Dehydrogenation ...................................... 10 2.5 Kinetics of Coke Formation............................................................... 14 2.5.1 Introduction............................................................................ 14 2.5.2 Deactivation by Site Coverage............................................... 17 2.5.3 Deactivation by Site Coverage and Pore Blockage ............... 18 2.6 Deactivation Phenomena in Ethylbenzene Dehydrogenation............ 19 2.7 Industrial Processes............................................................................ 20 2.7.1 Adiabatic Reactor................................................................... 20 2.7.2 Isothermal Reactor................................................................. 22 2.8 Alternative Processes......................................................................... 22 2.9 Minor by-products in Ethylbenzene Dehydrogenation...................... 23 2.9.1 Impurities in Styrene Monomer............................................. 23 2.9.2 Specification of Styrene Monomer ........................................ 24 viii CHAPTER Page III EXPERIMENTAL METHODS.................................................................. 27 3.1 Introduction........................................................................................ 27 3.2 Feed and Reactor Section................................................................... 27 3.3 GC Analysis Section.......................................................................... 33 3.3.1 On-line GC Analysis for Major Reactions............................. 33 3.3.2 Off-line GC Analysis for Minor Side Reactions.................... 37 3.4 Catalyst Characterization: Nitrogen Adsorption................................ 42 IV EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS.................................................................... 43 4.1 Experimental Results for the Major Reactions .................................. 43 4.1.1 Experimental Procedure......................................................... 43 4.1.2 Nitrogen Adsorption.............................................................. 45 4.1.3 Long Run Test........................................................................ 47 4.1.4 Effect of Temperature............................................................ 54 4.1.5 Effect of Feed Composition................................................... 59 4.1.5.1 Effect of Steam to Ethylbenzene Feed Ratio........... 59 4.1.5.2 Effect of Styrene to Ethylbenzene Feed Ratio ........ 59 4.1.5.3 Effect of Hydrogen to Ethylbenzene Feed Ratio..... 63 4.2 Experimental Results for the Minor Side Products............................ 68 4.2.1 Experimental Procedure......................................................... 68 4.2.2 Effect of Temperature and Partial Pressure of Ethylbenzene and Steam........................................................ 69 V KINETIC MODELING OF ETHYLBENZENE DEHYDROGENATION............................................................................. 77 5.1 Introduction........................................................................................ 77 5.2 Formulation of Rate Equations .......................................................... 79 5.2.1 Thermal Reactions ................................................................. 79 5.2.2 Catalytic Reactions................................................................ 81 5.3 Formulation of Continuity Equations for the Reacting Species ........ 85 5.4 Parameter Estimation: Theory ........................................................... 90 5.4.1 Minimization Technique: Marquardt Method ....................... 90 5.4.2 Reparameterization ................................................................ 93 5.5 Results and Discussion.....................................................................