Multiplicity of States in Systems of Interacting Catalyst Particles

Presented here are several case studies, both theoretical and experimental, of the steady-state features of an assembly of interacting catalyst particles in a CSTR. Ostensibly, the results of these studies, though bused on simple string arrangements of two and three particles in a uniform environment, have meaning in terms of the behavioral characteristics of more complicated situations, including fixed-bed reactors. Theoretical results exhibit complex bifurcation patterns and multiplicity features for steady-state curves when the particles are described as individual interacting entities. The complexity increases when the catalytic activities of the particles are not all alike. Observations from experiments with the oxidation of hydrogen on spherical pellets of supported platinum resemble the theoretical cases. Individual pellet states in the laboratory work are depicted by their temperature maps obtained by means of a thermal infrared imaging system.