Application of Reactive Distillation and Strategies in Process Design

Thermal Separation Technology

“…The integration of these two unit operations in one column offers advantages for reversible liquid-phase reactions where the reaction products hinder the progress of the reaction (e.g., Frey et al 2003;Frey and Stichlmair 1998). Reactive rectification denotes the simultaneous performance of chemical reaction and physical separation within a countercurrently operated column.…”

Distillation of Specialty Chemicals

“…Scale-up, however, is complicated by the fact that basic design parameters such as free area for vapor flow, catalyst holdup, and specific area differ between laboratory and industrial versions of catalytic packing. In applications where a certain conversion or selectivity must be guaranteed, even pilot plant experiments may be imperative to ensure safe scale-up [30]. Catalyst holdup in commercial packings ranges from 25% to 40%, and hydraulic capacity is therefore lower than in distillation.…”