AN ANALYSIS OF MASS-TRANSFER EFFECTS IN HYDROFORMYLATION REACTIONS

The simultaneous absorption of two gases into a liquid, accompanied by a complex reaction with negative-order kinetics and typically observed in hydroformylation reactions, has been studied. An expression for enhancement factor has been derived which is applicable independent of the regime of absorption. Practical implications of this analysis have been illustrated with a hydroformylation reaction as an example, in which some unusual effects of parameters such as agitation speed on the rate of absorption have been observed. Under certain conditions, multiple solutions of enhancement factors can exist for the same set of parameter values.