The Kinetics Model and Fixed Bed Reactor Simulation of Cu Catalyst for Acetylene Hydrochlorination

Acetylene hydrochlorination is an important reaction for vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) production in China. Non-mercury catalysts and related green processes are the urgently needed technologies in this field. In this work, reaction kinetics and a model of fixed bed reactor (FBR) with Cu/AC (activated carbon) catalyst for acetylene hydrochlorination were constructed and verified by experiments. First, the influence of external and internal diffusion was studied and eliminated. Then, reaction activation energy and reaction order to each reactant were determined. Next, catalyst deactivation was considered and the simulation of an FBR including conversion, temperature and pressure distribution was established. Results were consistent with experimental data. The model provided quantitative parameters for evaluating the activity and lifetime of catalysts, thereby establishing criteria for catalyst evaluation. Industrial long-term performance of catalysts was predicted by limited laboratory short-term data. Finally, previous publication results were gathered and compared. The study provided valuable guidance for non-mercury catalyst in PVC industry and other similar systems.