3 replies to this topic

[sharp357]

Hey guys,

I'm a third year chemical engineering student and I am currently in the middle of designing a high and low temperature shift converter in series for a hydrogen production plant. I'm in need of a little help as I have been searching everywhere for a rate equation so I can calculate the volume of catalysts needed and therefore the volume of my shift converters but I can't seem to find one... Not sure if I am looking in the wrong places as I read somewhere that most companies provide a rate equation for their catalysts but on jmcatalysts.com I can find no such thing. Is there any information that would be required for you guys to help start me off? I've been reading through so much today I'm not sure if I have just ended up confusing myself. Thanks for any help you can offer

[kkala]

Probably "Kinetics of CO shift conversion on a copper / zinc oxide catalyst" by Van Herwijnen and De Jong (dissertation, 22 Jul 1972) can offer some help. The pdf file (57.1 Mb) can be downloaded from http://repository.t...t=&type=&year= .
High temperature shift conversion on iron oxide was locally applied in a fertilizer plant to produce H2 from lignite (~1965 - ~1990). But kinetics has not been found.
Goggling "shift catalytic conversion kinetics" reveals also other topics that might be of interest.

Edited by kkala, 15 January 2012 - 10:28 AM.

[sharp357]

Thank you for the reply!

I was also wondering as Im struggling a little bit, I just finished calculating my first reactor volume and I got a value of about 19 m^3. This is just for the high temperature shift converter but I was wondering if it sounded reasonable as the first shift converter is producing around 189,000 Nm^3/hr of hydrogen.

[kkala]

I assume the first reactor is the high temperature shift converter, so mentioned article of post No 2 could help the subsequent low temperature shift converter .
Concerning the converter I saw (as a student in 1969) it was an horizontal drum of appreciable volume, reaction took place under high pressure, roughly say 35 barg, gases proceeded to a water tower for CO2 removal. But I had not noted dimensions or flow rates. Some issues of coal gasification can be seen in http://www.cheresour...-gasifications/, http://www.cheresour...of-gasification '> http://www.cheresour...of-gasification , if of interest.