Study of Catalyst Coke Distribution Based on Population Balance Theory: Application to Methanol to Olefins Process

Catalytic Conversion of Hydrocarbons and Formation of Carbon Nanofilaments in Porous Pellets

Catalytic conversion of hydrocarbons occurring at metal nanoparticles in porous pellets is often accompanied by the formation of coke in the form of growing heterogeneous film-like aggregates or carbon nanofilaments. The latter processes result in deactivation of metal nanoparticles. The corresponding kinetic models imply the formation and growth of film-like coke aggregates. Herein, I present an alternative generic kinetic model focused on the formation and growth of carbon nanofilaments. These processes are considered to deactivate metal nanoparticles and reduce the rate of reactant diffusion in pores. In this framework, the kinetically limited reaction regime is described by simple analytical expressions. The diffusion-limited regime can be described as well but only numerically. The model presented can be used for interpretation of experimental results.

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