Radial reactor for trichloroethylene steam reforming

A ceramic foam radial reactor was used to convert trichloroethylene by steam reforming, using 0.5 wt. % Pt as a catalyst With a quartz enclosure heated externally by infrared lamps, the inlet temperature to the catalyst bed was low enough to suppress pyrolysis, but high conversions (0.99999 +) were achieved at the exit. Stable operation up to 600 h with a space velocity of 5.6 x 10(4) h(-1) was achieved, but reactant breakthrough then occurred, and the catalyst quickly deactivated Although the deactivated catalyst was regenerated with carbon burning, activity decline was more rapid doe to platinum sintering and washcoat degradation. Measured temperature profiles and model calculations indicated a large gradient in the bed and suggested that stable operation could be extended at lower space velocities. Axial temperature profiles were not uniform, since preferential flow occurred irt the middle and lower regions of the radial bed. Potential improvements for future designs are suggested.