The batch reactor consists of a stainless steel cylinder, 13 inches tall and 11 inches outside diameter, with a flanged lid. A stainless steel liner, 8 inches inside diameter and 9.5 inches tall, ~ 2 gallons, is placed inside the reactor. An impeller is mounted on an overhung shaft and is situated two inches from the bottom. The shaft is driven by a 3-phase motor with an AC inverter for variable speed. The reactor is heated by three ceramic band heaters from the outside and three cartridge heaters from the inside, close to the center of the reactor. The reactor lid contains, beside the magnetic stirrer and the three cartridge heater wells, a thermowell, a relief valve, a nitrogen inlet, a gas outlet, and a sample port.
The BR unit is used for fractionation of petroleum feeds from whole crudes to ATBs.
The main objectives for utilizing this reactor are to:
1. Reproducibly mimic commercial operation for a very short time, producing small quantities of coke, liquids and gases for testing,
2. Investigate and correlate the effect of feedstock composition and to a lesser extent pressure, temperature and residence time on product rates and compositions and on coke morphology,
3. Develop and validate a model(s), and
4. Investigate scale-up issues.
Operating Conditions
Temperature 700 to 950 °F
Pressure 60 to 80 PSIG
Sample Volume 2 Gallons
BR Unit Specifications
•2-liter D-2892 & D-5236 distillations
•1-liter D-1160 distillation
•15 theoretical plates
•Atmospheric & vacuum distillation
•Up to 8 fractions collection
•Automatic temperature control