Pressure drop and mass transfer in the structured cartridges with fiber-glass catalyst

The structured cartridges with glass-fiber catalyst (GFC) with axial flow of gaseous reactants were studied in terms of pressure drop and mass transfer limitations. The universal equation for calculation of the pressure drop for cartridges of the various design was proposed. Mass transfer intensity in the GFC cartridges was studied on the base of model reaction of ethylbenzene deep oxidation in air. The obtained data on external mass transfer coefficient may be described by the common criterial equation Sh = 0.0695Re^0.93Sc^1/3. According to the quality of the compromise between mass transfer efficiency and unit pressure drop the structured cartridges with glass-fiber catalysts were found to be one of the most promising forms of catalysts from the reaction engineering point of view.