Some Considerations on the Design and Operation of High-Temperature Catalytic Reverse-Flow Reactors

Reverse-flow operation of catalytic reactors is known to result in very efficient regenerative heat integration. While reverse-flow operation is in particular ideally suited for high-temperature short-contact-time reactions, the application of this reactor concept under such extreme reaction conditions also requires particular care in the design and operation of the reactor. We report results from an experimental study on some of the main design and operating parameters for high-temperature catalytic reverse-flow reactors. Results for reverse-flow operation are compared to conventional stationary reactor operation. Temporal and spatial temperature profiles at periodic steady state are presented, and the influence of the structure of the catalyst and inert zones, the role of homogeneous reactions, and the frequency of flow switching are investigated and discussed.