Comparative Study of Different Two-Phase Models for the Propane Oxidative Dehydrogenation in a Bubbling Fluidized Bed Containing the VOx/γ-Al2O3 Catalyst

The modeling of oxidative dehydrogenation of propane over the VOx/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst in a bubbling fluidized bed was studied. The performance of the fluidized bed reactor was studied by using three different fluidization models with different hydrodynamic assumptions: simple two-phase (STP) model, dynamic two-phase (DTP) model, and El-Halwagi and El-Rifai [simplified Halwagi (SH)] model. The models were validated using previously published experimental data. The effects of temperature, gas velocity, propane and oxygen concentration and bed height on propane conversion, product selectivity, and propylene yield were investigated and discussed. The obtained results indicated that the SH model under-predicted the propane conversion. The STP model with simplified hydrodynamic assumptions was only suitable when reaction temperature was low. The DTP model considering dynamically distribution of gas and solid could predict propane conversion and propylene selectivity with average relative errors of 16 and 2.5%, respectively, over a wide range of experimental data, which were more accurate than those of the STP and SH models.

Automated summary

The study investigated the modeling of oxidative dehydrogenation of propane over the VOx/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst in a bubbling fluidized bed, and found that the DTP model could predict propane conversion and propylene selectivity more accurately than the STP and SH models.