Logo NICL

ALKOXILATION PROCESSES

Reactors

The role of ethylene oxide solubility in the ethoxylation process was studied to determine the influence on both the kinetics and the behavior in different reactors [1,2]. The key factors in alkoxylation technology were examined [3-6]:

  • (i) the types of reactors employed and their performances;
  • (ii) the role of kinetics and mass transfer in the process;
  • (iii) the safety problem.

    • The reactors widely employed in industry can be classified as: (a) Semibatch Stirred Tank Reactors; (b) Venturi Loop Reactor and (c) Spray Tower Loop Reactors.
    In the first two types of reactors, the gas phase is dispersed into the liquid phase; on the contrary, in the latter case, the liquid phase is dispersed into the gaseous one.

          Kinetics        Catalysis        Comparison of Reactors



    1- Catalysis Today (1995), 24(1-2), 23-28.
    2- Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (1995), 34(11), 4092-4098.
    3- Chemical Engineering Science (1999), 54(10), 1499-1504.
    4- Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (2000), 39(11), 4082-4093.
    5- Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (2005), 44(25), 9482-9489.
    6- Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries (2007), 20(3), 238-250.