Steady-state characteristics of autothermal structures with fluidized-bed catalytic reactors.

The paper focuses on the analysis of steady-state properties of autothermal structures with a fluidized bed. The concept of autothermicity is discussed, and typical autothermal structures are presented. A method for the determination of the steady-states of such systems is described. Quantitative analysis of steady-states multiplicity is presented for two autothermal structures, that is a fluidized-bed reactor with an external heat exchanger, and with a partial recirculation of hot gases. A two-phase bubbling bed model is employed to describe quantitatively the behavior of the catalytic fluidized bed. The influence of selected design and operating parameters on steady-state characteristics is analyzed for two simple kinetic models. The effect of these parameter on the desired product yield is evaluated for the multiple-reaction process. The results obtained have both scientific and practical importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]