Fixed-bed reactor 5400 series

laboratorytubularhigh-pressure

Tubular reactors are used in a continuous flow mode with reagents flowing in and products being removed. They can be the simplest of all reactor designs. Tubular reactors are often referred to by a variety of names: • - Pipe reactors • - Packed-bed reactors • - Fixed-bed reactors • - Trickle-bed reactors • - Bubble-column reactors • - Ebullating-bed reactors Single-phase flow in a tubular reactor can be upward or downward. Two-phase flow can be co-current up-flow, counter-current (liquid down, gas up) or, most commonly, co-current down-flow. Tubular reactors can have a single wall and be heated with an external electric furnace or they can be jacketed for heating or cooling with a circulating heat transfer fluid. External furnaces are typically rigid, split-tube heaters. Tubular reactors are used in a variety of industries: • - Petroleum • - Petrochemical • - Polymer • - Pharmaceutical • - Waste Treatment • - Specialty Chemical • - Alternative Energy Tubular reactors are used in a variety of applications: • - Carbonylation • - Dehydrogenation • - Hydrogenation • - Hydrocracking • - Hydroformulation • - Oxidative decomposition • - Partial oxidation • - Polymerization • - Reforming Tubular reactors may be empty for homogenous reactions or packed with catalyst or other solid particles for heterogeneous reactions. Packed reactors require upper and lower supports to hold particles in place. Upper packing often includes inert material to serve as a pre-heat section. Pre-heating can also be done with an internal spiral channel to keep incoming reagents close to the heated wall during entry, as shown to the right.