Kinetics of the catalytic air oxidation of o-xylene over a commercial V2O5-TiO2 catalyst

Proposal of an open-source computational toolbox for solving PDEs in the context of chemical reaction engineering using FEniCS and complementary components

In this contribution, an open-source computational toolbox composed of FEniCS and complementary packages is introduced to the chemical and process engineering field by addressing two case studies. First, the oxidation of o-xylene to phthalic anhydride is modelled and used as a FEniCS′ proof-of-concept based on a comparison with the software Aspen Custom Modeler (ACM). The results show a maximum absolute error of 2% and thus a good FEniCS/ACM agreement. Second, synthetic natural gas (SNG) production through CO₂ methanation is covered in further detail. In this instance, a parametric study is performed for a tube bundle fixed-bed reactor employing a two-dimensional and transient pseudo-homogeneous model. An operating window for critical variables is evaluated, discussed, and successfully contrasted with the literature. Therefore, the computational toolbox methodology and the consistency of the results are validated, strengthening FEniCS and complements as an interesting alternative to solve mathematical models concerning chemical reaction engineering.

Parametric Sensitivity Analysis for the Industrial Case of O-Xylene Oxidation to Phthalic Anhydride in a Packed Bed Catalytic Reactor

The operation of packed bed tubular reactors, for exothermic catalytic reactions, presents special challenges provoked by hotspot development. Their potential safety risk can be assessed using different mathematical methodologies, among them, the so-called parametric sensitivity analysis (PSA). This study deals with the identification of safe operational conditions (e.g., feed temperature conditions) for the catalytic oxidation of o-xylene. Three different reaction networks, with different degrees of complexity, were analyzed. Thus, the critical values of the operating parameters, allowing us to define run-away and stable operation conditions, were provided for different reactive configurations. The obtained results were compared with the data reported by various authors who used similar reaction rate laws. The purpose of the present study is to illustrate the peculiarities of the PSA and its application for the design, analysis, and operation of o-xylene multitubular catalytic reactor.

Pathways, mechanisms, and kinetics: a strategy to examine byproduct selectivity in partial oxidation catalytic transformations on reducible oxides

We review experimental practices, common reaction pathways, and kinetic modeling strategies effective in understanding partial oxidation catalysis over reducible oxides.