DUAL-SERIES SOLUTION FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS FACTOR OF PARTIALLY WETTED CATALYSTS IN TRICKLE-BED REACTORS

A model is formulated which accounts for the effect of partial external wetting on the catalyst effectiveness factor in trickle-beds for an isothermal irreversible, first-order reaction with respect to the nonvolatile liquid reactant. The boundary conditions give rise to an unconventional type of dual-series equations which are solved by a novel application of the least-square method to yield the catalyst effectiveness for slab, cylindrical, and spherical shapes. The combined effects of fractional pore filling and partial external wetting on the catalyst effectiveness for slab geometry is also briefly examined. The computed results allow a better understanding of the effect of particle scale incomplete contacting on trickle-bed performance. The utility of the developed mathematical method for other situations arising in trickle-bed reactors is outlined. The method is also applicable to a number of mixed-boundary value problems arising in chemical engineering. © 1979, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.