(642e) A Novel Fiber Packed Reactor Under Laminar Regime for Biodiesel Production –a Preliminary Effort for Reactor Modeling

In addition to patents of fiber packed-bed fiber reactors (FBPR) [1], current experimental efforts at Tennessee Technological University have contributed to the development of novel technologies for fiber packed-bed fiber reactors. These fiber packed-bed fiber reactors take advantage of the unique features of the fibers that provide an enormous area of contact for two phases without the need of mixing [1]. For this reactor, to our best knowledge, there are no models yet that help predicting their performance. In this research, a collection of models (of increasing complexity) are being proposed and studied in order to predict the process yield and reactor behavior. The strategy is to first develop a relatively simple transport model (under laminar regime) with a relating simple associated kinetics to study the convective-diffusion transport process taking place inside the novel fiber-packed reactors. The novelty lies in the use of a continuum-based approach (and up-scaling arguments) with proper assumptions that will help produce a "single-phase" model in order to predict the conversion. The focus of the research is on a mathematical approach coupled with computational modeling and will focus on understanding how the different physical elements or components of transport processes and kinetics play a role in the production of biodiesel using either cylindrical or annular based geometry for the reactors. In this regard, limiting regimes will be studied in order to gain understanding of the (more complex) system behavior; both analytical and computational-based approaches will be used to illustrate the model’s predictions. Preliminary results of this investigation using fundamental assumptions were obtained in Poiseuille flow by solving the differential equation and getting the asymptotic solutions. The research will lead to progressively the development of multi-scale models useful for the study of the kinetics, socioeconomic, environmental, and other aspects of biodiesel production.

 References:

[1]   Massingill. J. L.; Patel, P. N.; Guntupalli, M.; Garret, C.; Ji, C. High Efficiency Non-Dispersive Reactor for Two-Phase Reactions. Organic Process Research & Development. 12, 2008: 771-777.