Study on catalytic distillation processes .3. Prediction of pressure drop and holdup in catalyst bed

In this work, pressure drop and liquid holdup in a catalyst bed were measured in a catalytic distillation column with an internal diameter of 600 mm and operated at normal pressure and environmental temperature. The arrangement of the catalyst bundles is similar to that used previously in an industrial unit. Correlations for the pressure drop and liquid holdup in the bed were obtained by fitting the experimental data. Three hydrodynamic regimes and their turning points were found. A hysteresis phenomenon was noted when operating parameters varied along different paths.