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https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/jcsc/126/02/0341-0351

Catalyst; reactors; effectiveness; hydrodynamics; engineering.

Catalytic reactions are ubiquitous in chemical and allied industries. A homogeneous or heterogeneous catalyst which provides an alternative route of reaction with lower activation energy and better control on selectivity can make substantial impact on process viability and economics. Extensive studies have been conducted to establish sound basis for design and engineering of reactors for practising such catalytic reactions and for realizing improvements in reactor performance. In this article, application of recent (and not so recent) developments in engineering reactors for catalytic reactions is discussed. Some examples where performance enhancement was realized by catalyst design, appropriate choice of reactor, better injection and dispersion strategies and recent advances in process intensification/ multifunctional reactors are discussed to illustrate the approach.

Vivek V Ranade¹

1. Chemical Engineering and Process Development Division, CSIR - National Chemical Laboratory, Pune 411 008, India

Published

March 2014

Manuscript received

2 July 2013

Manuscript revised

26 December 2013

Accepted

30 December 2013