Development of a fixed-bed continuous-flow high-throughput reactor for long-chain n-alkane hydroconversion Original Research Article

A high-throughput vapor-phase catalytic experimentation unit with 15 parallel microreactors and fast, on-line GC product analysis was built. The 15 open tubular microreactors were mounted in a single furnace and fed with a common gas stream. Decane hydroisomerization experiments were conducted on 35 mg quantities of reference platinum-loaded ultrastable Y zeolite particles at 200 °C, 4.5 bar, using a hydrogen/hydrocarbon molar ratio of 375/1 and contact times of 100–800 kg s/mol. The microreactor outlets were sampled sequentially. GC analysis of the C1C10 alkane product mixtures was achieved in 3.2 min with a multi-capillary column. The actual gas flow rates and contact times in the individual microreactors were derived from the GC FID signals after dilution of the reaction product stream with a calibrated hydrogen gas flow. The maximum temperature difference among the microreactors, measured in an empty reactor unit was ca. 6 °C at 200 °C. The conversion data were in excellent agreement with a kinetic model established for a conventional reactor. Fitting of the kinetic data obtained in the individual microreactors to the model confirmed the small temperature variations depending on the location of each microreactor in the catalyst furnace.