Trickle – Bed reactor simulation using a process simulator

Abstract

The present study deals with a multiple reaction system in both gas and liquid phases considering the effect of gas-liquid mass transfer limitations in a trickle-bed reactor where the catalytic hydrotreating of gas oil reaction is being carried out. The hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and hydrogenation (HYD) of aromatics reactions over NiMo and CoMo catalysts are taken into account in the model. The reactor model was codified as a user-added unit operation in PROvision process simulator (V 5,0), in FORTRAN language. This model is used to predict reactant conversion and product distribution as a function of inlet condition. The differential equations are solved by the LSODE program. The PROvision process simulator provides the database for physical and thermodynamics properties of the components through appropriate liquid-vapor equilibrium models.