Pressure in Packed Bed Reactors: Example Problems
Try to solve these problems before watching the solutions in the screencasts.
Example Problem 1
A gas flows through a packed bed. Using the properties of the packed bed and of the gas, determine the outlet pressure.
| Packed bed | Feed Gas |
| void fraction = 0.40 | 50 kg/h feed rate |
| particle diameter = 0.5 cm | molecular weight = 55 g/mol |
| inside diameter tube = 5 cm | viscosity = 2.3 x 10-5 kg/m·s |
| length = 30 m | pressure = 12 bar |
| 150°C, isothermal |
Example Problem 2
A first-order reaction takes place in a packed bed catalytic reactor. The conversion is 40%. The reactor length was increased by 50% in order to increase productivity, but equipment limitations required the inlet and outlet pressure to remain constant. How much did the conversion increase?
