MODELING AND SIMULATION OF A 3-PHASE CATALYTIC MEMBRANE REACTOR FOR NITROBENZENE HYDROGENATION

The modeling and simulation of a catalytic membrane reactor have been studied for nitrobenzene hydrogenation to aniline in a three-phase system. A complete study of mass transfer mechanisms in different reactor configurations is proposed. The simulation of concentration profiles through the reactor was obtained by solving mass transfer balances corresponding to different control volumes and including a kinetic rate obtained from independent experiments. The proposed model is in good agreement with experimental results and predicts that catalytic membrane reactors can be efficient for low-temperature three-phase reactions.