Intensification of phase transition on multiphase reactions

Chemical reactions, generally conducted under full gas or liquid phases, are problematic for volatile liquid reactants. For such reactants, the presence of phase transition can be favorable, since evaporation of the liquid could not only balance the reaction heat but improve the effectiveness factor of the porous catalyst. This principle was applied to engineering applications. Experiment was carried out to investigate effects of catalyst activities flow directions, operation pressures, gas and liquid flow rates, and reactant concentrations on the reactor behavior. Quench operation with a cold-injection side stream was initiated to prevent an excessive temperature rise, which was shown to be effective and flexible. With this novel optimizing method, the reactor temperature could be kept around 270 degreesC under 1.0 MPa, even with a benzene concentration of 35%. Research on phase transition of benzene hydrogenation proved successful and could be extended to reaction systems with a similar range of process intensification.