Solids hydrodynamics in a novel MTO high-speed loop reactor and model prediction for reaction--颗粒学报PARTICUOLOGY

Wang, F., E, C., & Lu, C. (2025). Solids hydrodynamics in a novel MTO high-speed loop reactor and model prediction for reaction. Particuology, 103, 301-314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.partic.2025.05.003

Solids hydrodynamics in a novel MTO high-speed loop reactor and model prediction for reaction

Fenfen Wang^{a b}, Chenglin E^b, Chunxi Lu^b *

a Research Institute of Chemical Engineering Green Technology, College of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Jingchu University of Technology, Jingmen, 448000, China
b State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil, College of Chemical Engineering and Environment, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China

10.1016/j.partic.2025.05.003

Volume 103, August 2025, Pages 301-314

Received 9 December 2024, Revised 7 April 2025, Accepted 4 May 2025, Available online 16 May 2025, Version of Record 23 June 2025.

E-mail: lcx725@sina.com

Highlights

• A high-speed loop reactor (HSLR) for MTO reaction is explored.

• Uniformity of solids distribution and fluidization quality in HSLR and FFB are figured out.

• Both solids backmixing and carryover are lower in HSLR than that in FFB.

• A coupled model is obtained by hydrodynamics in HSLR and lumped reaction kinetics for MTO.

• Yields of light olefins and methanol conversion in HSLR and FFB are predicted.

Abstract

Methanol to olefins (MTO) plays a crucial role to transform non-oil resources into light olefins. Combined with the kinetics of MTO reaction process, a high-speed loop reactor (HSLR) is explored. The solids hydrodynamics including the uniformity distribution, fluidization quality, backmixing and carryover are systematically analyzed in detail. Moreover, the gas-solid hydrodynamics in the HSLR are coupled with the MTO reaction kinetics, and the methanol conversion and yields of light olefins are both predicted and compared in the HSLR and free fluidized bed (FFB). The results demonstrate that the particles distribute more uniform in the different regions of HSLR than that of FFB and the overall fluidization quality of particles is high in the HSLR. The overall non-uniformity index in the HSLR varies from 0.1 to 0.18 kPa and that in the FFB changes from 0.2 to 0.35 kPa when the superficial gas velocity is 1.03 m/s and the solids circulation flux equals to 90.9 kg/(m² s). Meanwhile, the ratio of solids backmixing and carryover in the HSLR are both lower than that in the FFB. Finally, the hydrodynamics in HSLR are coupled with the five-lumped reaction kinetics for MTO. Based on the coupled model, it is predicted that both the methanol conversion and the yields of light olefins in the HSLR are higher than that in the FFB. The maximum difference between the methanol conversion and the light olefin yields in the HSLR and that in the FFB is 6.2 % and 0.000803 mol/L when the superficial gas velocity U_g is 0.87 m/s, which demonstrates the superiority of HSLR for MTO reaction.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Methanol to olefins (MTO); Loop reactor; Hydrodynamics; Kinetics; Coupled model

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