Catalytic Reactors

The MICROACTIVITY-Reference, designed in 2004, patent nº PCT/ES2005/070079, collects in one unit 16 years of experience and co-operation with different research groups. This effort succeeded into an equipment that covers all the necessities that our co-operators have demanded for these equipments: maximum repetitivity and reproducibility, maximum versatility (Basic Unit at atmospheric pressure achieves the maximum level of performance by means of optional packages), maximum programming capacity of experimented works, friendly use and remote control via the Ethernet, software packages integration of the analysis systems.

The MICROACTIVITY-Reference is an automatic and computerized laboratory reactor for catalytic microactivity reactions with reactor bypass, preheater, evaporator, pressure control valve and other process layouts in hot box, which avoids possible condensation of volatile products, at the time that preheats the reactants efficiently. The equipment consists of an ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE BASIC UNIT and some series of EXTRA PACKAGES that improve or modify its efficiency.

The MICROACTIVITY-Reference contains a single structure with an electronic unit, control and MFC's system and includes a hot box where the reactor and process valves are located. The system has a local control and on-line remote control, based on TCP/IP Ethernet communications with distributed control structure. A complete and elaborated security system is integrated in microprocessor, independent of the computer. For reactions at high pressure that involve separation of gases and liquids, a new system of level control of the condensed liquid is introduced with almost no dead volume (0.3 ml). This way the sample of the liquid outlet is the condensed product mixture, formed during the latest minutes of reaction.

A wide variety of reactions have been carried out in our reactors: Hydrocracking, Hydrotreating, Isomerization, Hydrogenation, Hydrodesulphurization (HDS), Oxidation, Hydrodenitrogenation (HDN), Polymerization, Reforming, Steam Reforming, etc.

You can obtain a more detailed information clicking on technical features or data sheet.

EXPERIENCE IN CATALYTIC MICROACTIVITY REACTORS

Chemical catalysts play a key role in enhancing and controlling chemical reactions in a variety of processes of the refinery, petrochemicals, fine chemicals and fats & oils industries.

Due to the fact that at the beginning the PID Eng&Tech staff was in the investigation team of the Institute of Catalysis and Petrochemistry, most of our activities for years have been mainly, but not exclusively, focused on the development of highly efficient catalytic systems for different reactions.

Nowadays, PID Eng&Tech is a technological pacesetter across the entire spectrum of catalytic processes. Our leadership now, as in the past, is based firmly on innovative technology.

We place a heavy emphasis on conducting joint R&D projects of high-tech process technology. Strategic alliances with our customers have induced some of the most important today's technological solutions for a variety of catalytic processes.

During the latest years the PID Eng&Tech staff has designed and constructed about 80 reactors to make catalytic microactivity studies. We have found that current control technology, available in the market, does not provide such equipments as microreactors with the necessary quality features requested and sought by the researcher. That is why a great deal of our efforts in R&D&i since 1989 have been centered on the development of an appropriate technology, part of PID Eng&Tech's know-how at present, such as:

1. a fine pressure control when working with extremely low flow rates through the reactor, so that it does not alter the flow conditions through the catalyst bed, patent nº PCT/ES2005/070080.
2. a continuous recovery of the condensed liquid at high pressure which can be operated with a minimum "dead volume" (at present ~ 0.4 ml or less), to ensure that the samples of the outlet products are taken for analysis almost in "real time", patent nº PCT/ES2005/070081.

Our Four Runs Microactivity Test Unit MAT ASTM D3907 is a fully automatic and computerized laboratory reactor for the analysis of fluid cracking catalysts (FCC). This MAT reactor is design to perform up to four FCC test in automatic mode. The system has been prepared to carry out FCC test following the norms described by the standard method ASTM D3907.

The MAT unit has been design to perform continuous control up to four independent and consecutives FCC tests. The operator will be able to adjust for each independent experiment stream time, catalyst/oil relationship, reaction temperature, the regeneration times and temperature, gas flow, and other parameters. Otherwise the operator can decided to run the experiments in fixed and normalized conditions as described in ASTM D3907 norm.

The MAT unit assures quasi-zero dead volume using a perfectly engineered reactor size, a precise pipe lengths and distances.

The oil supply is provided by the way of a HPLC pump what assures maximum control, stability and precision dosage, using a previous stabilization stage before dosage.

The system is set up with a four ways valve; this valve assures few seconds of oil purge to guarantee a stable flow to the reactor. Feeding periods can be configured from 12 to 200 seconds for 1 cc oil. Shorter times can be reached for less amount of oil feed. Catalyst load of the reactor is 0.5 to 6 gr.

To assure accuracy in reactor temperature, the system is provided with a furnace based on radiant technology; this allows the best temperature control under reactions conditions.

For reaction product analysis, the system automatically separates liquid and gas fractions. Gases are collected by a burette for automatic analysis at real run time, during regeneration times.

The system is able to reproduce two GC analyses per gas sample, what assures data reproducibility.

The CO is converted to CO2 means a CuO reactor at 600ºC. During the catalyst regeneration step, the MAT has been set up for coke quantification by a CO2 analyzer bases on the adsorption of infrared light that is capable of measuring the concentrations of CO2.

Currently PID Eng&Tech is working on a multi-OPERANDO system for combinatorial chemistry (M. Bañares, PhD, I. Wachs, PhD). This system is provided of either a microreactors battery or a matrix, which undertakes an "in situ" analysis of catalysts feasible by means of different spectroscopic techniques (Raman, UV-Vis, etc…). Furthermore this unit eases an "on-line" analysis of reaction products by means of gaseous chromatography or mass spectrometry.

The system includes as well a XY-robot which makes possible the movement sequence programming of the microreactors battery or matrix. This way the detectors of spectroscopy analysis equipments are able to focus and measure, sequently and automatically, over different zones in the catalyst beds of each microreactor.

Finally the microreactors battery or matrix movement is synchronized with the sample injection of the reaction products into the analysis equipments, in order to obtain the data on the alteration in the structure and activity of the catalysts.