PCbased automation of Rotoberty reactor system

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PC-based automation ofRotoberty reactor system

• Tibor Chovan, Aba Boros, Lajos Nagy, Charles
  Hasseman

University of Veszprem,Dept. of Process
Engineering Pressure Products Industries, Inc.
EUROKIN Workshop on Laboratory Hardware and
related experience for kinetics studies in
gas-solid and gas-liquid-solid systems San Donato
Milanese, ItalySeptember 21-22 2000
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Outline

• Objectives
• ROTOBERTY reactor 1, 2
• Reactor system for gas-solid experiments
• Data acquisition and control system
• Application of the apparatus (example)
• Conclusions

1 ROTOBERTY is registered trademark of Berty
Reaction Engineers Ltd., USA2 It is manufactured
under exclusive license by Pressure Product Inc,
USA
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Objectives

• Apparatus for
• studying of gas-solid catalytic systems
• getting kinetic information for process design
• conducting activity test of catalyst
• Automate experiments to
• get reliable data
• simplify analysis of experimental data
• reduce the need for supervision
• Allow modifications and extensions of the
  experimental systems and procedures

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ROTOBERTY reactor

• Internal recycle reactor
• magnetic drive with high RPM
• high performance two-stage centrifugal blower
• low gradients from atmospheric to high pressure
• well defined flow conditions (calibration)
• Parameters
• standard construction SS-316
• pressure 138 bar (13.9 MPa)
• temperature 450 C
• blower RPM 200-6000 1/min
• catalyst basket volume 60 cm3
• electric heating 2 kW

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Picture and scheme of the ROTOBERTY reactor
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Reactor system

• Fields of application
• development and tests of catalysts
• kinetic measurements
• study of gas-solid systems
• Modules
• Feed module (saturator)
• Rotoberty reactor (precise kinetic data)
• Tubular reactor (characterization of catalysts)
• Analysis (gas-chromatograph, etc.)
• Data acquisition and control system

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Scheme of the reactor system
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Data acquisition and control system

• Requirements
• monitoring and collecting of all measured,
  controlled parameters
• simple extraction of experimental data
• possibility for modifying control strategy
• Hardware options for PC based systems
• data acquisition modules (simple extension)
• data acquisition boards (smaller systems)
• independent data acquisition unit (for many
  signals)
• independent control unit - for critical
  applications
• Software options
• development of special programs
• standard SCADA software

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Hardware

• Advantech Labcard interface cards
• universal input card (PCL-818 16 AI, 32 DI/O)
• 2 mass flow rates
• reactor pressure
• multiplexer
• analog output card (PCL-726 6 AO)
• 2 setpoints for mass flow controllers
• reactor heating control
• amplifier and multiplexer board (PCLD-789D)
• 6 thermocouples
• SSR digital output board (PCLD-786D)
• GC sampling
• Rotoberty reactor cooling valve
• PC (well equipped Pentium, network)

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Software

• SCADA (Fix, InTouch, Genie, etc.)
• Simple configuration and programming
• Advantech Genie
• Task builder control strategies (Visual Basic)
• Display builder comfortable operator screens

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Software functions

• Temperature control of the reactor
• Monitoring of the reactor temperatures (below and
  above the catalyst bed).
• Monitoring of the reactor pressure.
• Supervision of flow controllers.
• Start signal for analytical instrumentation (e.g.
  GC) with adjustable cycle time.
• Acquisition of all the measured and controlled
  signals into file.
• Four operator screens
• temperature control
• feed flow control
• temperature monitoring
• sampling control

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Feed control screen
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Temperature control screen
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Data collection

• simple text files
• groups of variables with different timing
• date and time stamp on every record

Text file ?
Excel, Matlab, etc.
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Application example Oxitox 1
Catalytic oxidation of toxic components on
activated solid reagent (Na2CO3).

• Destruction of halogenated hydrocarbons
• Solid phase reacts with halogens
• Advantages
• high conversion and removal efficiency
• halogenated by-products are not formed
• scrubber and stainless steel unnecessary(HCl,
  Cl2 etc. not formed)
• Test components
• Trichloro-ethylene (TCE), Toluene, ...

1 Oxitox is registered trademark of Berty
Reaction Engineers Ltd., USA
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Experimental methods

• Ignition curves (conversion-temperature
  relationship)
• constant feed conditions
• increasing and decreasing temperature stepwise
• Effect of the composition of solid reagent
• constant feed composition and reactor
  pressure,reactor temperature
• constant conversion (composition in the reactor)
  is kept by decreasing feed flow rate
• Deactivation studies
• constant feed conditions and reactor pressure
• reactor temperature is kept constant or increased
  to keep constant conversion

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Ignition experiment
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Ignition curve
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Study of the effect of solid composition
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Conclusions
PC-based data acquisition and control systems
improves the applicability of laboratory reactors
in several way

• tight control of experimental conditions
• less manpower required
• replacing of standalone control units
• easy way to extend the experimental system
• simple programming for new experimental procedures

Univ. of Veszprem, Dept. of Process Engineering
acknowledges the cooperation and support of
Pressure Product Industries Inc. and Berty
Reaction Engineers Ltd.