A two-dimensional transient catalytic packed bed model, incorporating all transport parameters and resistances, along with boundary conditions based on a catalytic single pellet has been developed. Thermal conduction through the solid phase is included in the model. The overall steady state reactor performances of packed bed reactor using a model proposed in this study are compared with those from different models which are often used for a packed bed reactor. The model presented is very useful in the presence of internal temperature and concentration gradients in the catalyst pellets. The dynamic behavior in feed temperature change is examined during ethane hydrogenolysis. A transient thermal runaway is observed by feed temperature decrease. The sensitivities of the computation to each physical parameter and the effects of some simplifying assumptions in the model are also analyzed. The magnitude and position of hot spot in catalytic packed bed reactor are relatively sensitive to thermal parameters and characteristic parameters of a catalyst pellet.

Packed Reactor Discrete-Pellet Model Transient Thermal Runaway Sensitivity

Froment GF, "Concepts and Design of Chemical Reactors," p. 179, Eds. Whitaker, S. and Cassano, A.E., Gordon and Breach Sci. Publishers (1986)
DeWasch AP, Froment GF, Chem. Eng. Sci., 26, 629 (1971) 
PereiraDuarte SI, Barreto GG, Lemcoeff NO, Chem. Eng. Sci., 39, 1017 (1984) 
Khanna R, Seinfeld JH, "Mathematical Modeling of Packed Bed Reactors: Numerical Solutions and Control Model Development," in Advances in Chemical Engineering, Vol. 13 (1987)
Odendaal W, Gobie W, Carberry J, Chem. Eng. Commun., 58, 37 (1987)
Schilson RE, Amundson NR, Chem. Eng. Sci., 13, 226 (1961) 
Bischoff KB, Chem. Eng. Sci., 23, 451 (1968) 
Copleowitz I, Aris R, Chem. Eng. Sci., 25, 885 (1970) 
Cale TS, J. Catal., 90(1), 40 (1984) 
Karanth NG, Hughes R, Chem. Eng. Sci., 29, 197 (1974) 
vanDoesburg H, deJong WA, Chem. Eng. Sci., 31, 45 (1976) 
Sharma CS, Hughes R, Chem. Eng. Sci., 34, 613 (1979) 
Puszynski J, Snita P, Hlavacek V, Hoffmann H, Chem. Eng. Sci., 36, 1605 (1981) 
Windes LC, Schwedock MJ, HarmonRay W, Chem. Eng. Commun., 78, 1 (1989)
Gatica JE, Romagnoli JA, Errazu AF, Porras JA, Chem. Eng. Commun., 78, 73 (1989)
Feick J, Quon D, Can. J. Chem. Eng., 48, 205 (1970)
Bilous O, Amundson NR, AIChE J., 2, 117 (1956) 
Danckwerts PV, Chem. Eng. Sci., 2, 1 (1953) 
Karanth NG, Hughes R, Catal. Rev.-Sci. Eng., 9, 169 (1974)
Lee HH, "Heterogeneous Reactor Design," Butterworths Publishers, Boston (1985)
Froment GF, Bischoff KB, "Chemical Reactor Analysis and Design," John Wiley & Sons (1990)
Finlayson BA, Chem. Eng. Sci., 26, 1081 (1971) 
Young LC, Finlayson BA, Ind. Eng. Chem. Fundam., 12, 412 (1973) 
Finlayson BA, Catal. Rev.-Sci. Eng., 10, 69 (1974)
Villadsen J, Stewart WE, Chem. Eng. Sci., 22, 1483 (1967) 
Finlayson BA, "Nonlinear Analysis in Chemical Engineering," McGraw-Hill, Inc. (1980)
IMSL Math/Labrary, "Fortran Subroutines for Mathematical Applications," Version 1.0 IMSL, Houston, Texas (1987)
Reid RC, Prausnitz JM, Poling BE, "The Properties of Gases and Liquids," McGraw-Hill (1988)
Satterfield CN, "Heterogeneous Catalysis in Practice," McGraw-Hill (1980)
Ludlow DK, Ph.D. Dissertation, Arizona State Univ., U.S.A. (1986)
Dixon AG, Cresswell DL, AIChE J., 25(4), 663 (1979) 
Edwards MF, Richardson JF, Chem. Eng. Sci., 23, 109 (1968) 
Fahien RA, Smith JM, AIChE J., 1, 28 (1955)