Investigations in multiphase reactor systems for improved performance and design

多相反应器在许多重要领域的应用正在增长，例如清洁和可再生燃料的生产，环境污染的减轻以及新的和改进的药物的生产。拟议的计划旨在确定提高这些反应器系统的性能和生产率的方法，用于选定的工业应用。调查将主要在不同设计和配置的三相和四相反应堆中进行，这些反应堆在清洁和可再生燃料以及环境补救领域具有广阔的应用前景。对三相浆态床和流化床反应器的研究主要集中在流体力学、传热和传质方面。这些反应器的许多应用需要不同类型和配置的内部构件，例如传热表面、内部膜和填料。这些内部构件的存在可以改变混合模式，从而影响反应器性能。然而，明智地选择内部构件的设计和它们的位置可以帮助实现期望的性能，例如低返混和更高的径向分散。申请人已经确定了新型四相气-液-固-固（g-l-s-s）反应器系统在可再生燃料和环境修复的重要和新兴领域中的潜在应用。一个有前景的应用是在生物柴油生产领域，使用浸渍的油料种子的原位酯交换，避免预提取油。 这种方法可以降低操作的总成本并最大化产品收率。其它应用涉及多孔颗粒和表面的改性以增加或改善其所需的催化或吸附特性。本文详细研究了四相气液固反应器的流体力学行为和传热传质特性。开发工作将建立在申请人以前的成功和经验以及正在进行的多相反应器系统的工作。在申请人的实验室中测试和开发的快速响应探针将用于研究这些系统的动态行为，以获得对改进的性能和操作的进一步见解。

The applications of multiphase reactors are growing in a number of important areas such as production of clean and renewable fuels, environmental pollution abatement and production of new and improved drugs. The proposed program aims at identifying ways to improve performance and productivity of these reactor systems for selected industrial applications. Investigations will be conducted mostly in three- and four-phase reactors of different designs and configurations for promising applications in the areas of clean and renewable fuels and environmental remediation. Investigations in three-phase slurry and fluidized bed reactor will focus mainly on hydrodynamics, heat and mass transfer in the presence of internals. Internals of different types and configurations such as heat transfer surface, internal membranes and packings are required for a number of applications of these reactors. The presence of these internals can alter mixing pattern thus affecting reactor performance. However, judicious choice of internals design and their placement can help achieve desired performance such as low backmixing and higher radial dispersion. The applicant has identified potential applications for novel four-phase gas-liquid-solid-solid (g-l-s-s) reactor systems in the important and emerging areas of renewable fuels and environmental remediation. One promising application is in the area of biodiesel production using in situ transesterification of macerated oilseed avoiding pre-extraction of oil. This approach can reduce the overall cost of the operation and maximize product yield. Other application involves modifications of porous particles and surfaces to add or improve their desired catalytic or adsorption characteristic. Hydrodynamics behavior and heat and mass transfer characteristics of the four phase g-l-s-s reactor will be investigated in details. The development efforts will build on applicant's previous successes and experiences as well ongoing work in multiphase reactor systems. Fast response probes tested and developed in applicant's lab will be used to study dynamic behavior of these systems to gain further insights for improved performance and operation.