Radial‐Flow Packed‐Bed Reactors

Abstract The article contains sections titled: 1. Introduction 2. Applications of Radial‐Flow Reactors 3. Design of Commercial Radial‐Flow Reactors 4. Flow Distribution 5. Catalyst Basket Design 6. Catalyst Settling and Flow Bypassing 7. Acknowledgments The radial‐flow packed‐bed reactor is a design with very small pressure drop and most suitable for large‐capacity plants. It has replaced the axial‐flow reactor for several important chemical processes such as ammonia synthesis, ethylbenzene dehydrogenation, and catalytic reforming. The design of a radial‐flow reactor is more complicated than that of an axial‐flow reactor; it must deal with several unique concerns: flow distribution along the length of the reactor, thermal reaction in the void space, catalyst settling, and expansion and contraction of the catalyst basket. The successful operation of a commercial radial‐flow reactor lies mainly in the details of the mechanical design.