A STUDY ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE CATALYTIC POROUS-WALL THREE-PHASE REACTOR

A theoretical investigation of a catalytic porous-wall reactor in which gaseous and liquid reactants approach each other from opposite sides of the catalyst is undertaken. Equations for the annular liquid-channel are coupled with those for the catalytic wall and solved numerically and analytically using a simplified model. For the model reaction under study, the main design and operation parameters which affect reactor performance are the Thiele modulus, Peclet number, width of the liquid channel and the inlet concentration of the reactant in the liquid phase.

The effect of reactor configuration is peculiar to the cylindrical geometry because the thickness and relative location of the catalytic wall as well as the selection of the liquid and gas channels can influence the reactor performance. Thin-walled catalyst tubes have larger effectiveness factors and as the tube radius approaches that of the reactor, conversion in the reactor increases especially when the liquid is saturated with the gaseous reactant. Concentration of the liquid reactant in the feed has a significant effect if the reactant is depleted at some point inside the catalyst wall. Since the reaction zone width can be adjusted by changing the feed composition, this might have important implications with respect to selectivity.     

BI-FDTD: a novel finite-difference time-domain formulation for modeling wave propagation in bi-isotropic media

This paper presents a newly developed finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique, referred to as BI-FDTD, for modeling electromagnetic wave interactions with bi-isotropic (BI) media. The theoretical foundation for the BI-FDTD method will be developed based on a wavefield decomposition. The main advantage of this approach is that the two sets of wavefields are uncoupled and can be viewed as propagating in an equivalent isotropic medium, which makes it possible to readily apply conventional FDTD analysis techniques. The BI-FDTD scheme will also be extended to include the dispersive nature of chiral media, an important subclass of bi-isotropic media. This extension represents the first of its kind in the FDTD community. Validations of this new model are demonstrated for a chiral half-space and a chiral slab.     

PERFORMANCE OF AN ANNULAR CATALYTIC THREE-PHASE REACTOR FOR A SECOND ORDER REACTION

A novel annular catalytic three-phase reactor is theoretically investigated for a second order hydrogenation reaction. The results indicate that the ratio of the gaseous reactant to the liquid reactant within the reaction zone of the annular reactor can be adjusted by changing the reactor dimensions and the concentration of the gaseous reactant in the feed. As a consequence, the annular reactor may have a significant advantage over the trickle-bed reactor with respect to the selectivities that may be achieved in the reactor.     

Modeling of transverse propagation through a uniaxial bianisotropic medium using the finite-difference time-domain technique

This work presents an extension of the recently developed finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique for modeling electromagnetic wave interactions with bianisotropic (BI) media, known as BI-FDTD, to include the more general class of bianisotropic materials. This new FDTD formulation is called BA-FDTD. The theoretical foundation for this method is based on a wavefield decomposition technique. The formulations based on the application of this wavefield decomposition technique to BA media will be presented. Validations of this new model are demonstrated for the interaction of an electromagnetic wave propagating transversely through a uniaxial BA half-space.     

Fabrication of a novel micron scale Y-structure-based chiral metamaterial: Simulation and experimental analysis of its chiral and negative index properties in the terahertz and microwave regimes

In this report, we describe the fabrication of a chiral metamaterial based on a periodic array of Y-shaped Al structures on a dielectric Mylar substrate. The unit cell dimensions of the Y-structure are approximately 100 microm on a side with 8 microm linewidths. The fabricated Y-structure elements are characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Quantitative elemental analyses were carried out on both the Y-structure, comprised of Al and its oxide, as well as adjacent regions of the underlying mylar substrate using the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) capability of the SEM. Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) calculations of the negative index of refraction for a 3D wedge of multiple layers of the 2D metamaterials showed that these metamaterials possess double negative (-mu,-epsilon) electromagnetic bulk properties at THz frequencies. The same negative index of refraction was determined for a wedge comprised of appropriately scaled larger Y-structures simulated in the microwave region. This double negative property was confirmed experimentally by microwave measurements on a 3D wedge comprised of stacked and registered Y-structure sheets.     

Catalytic oxidation of phenol in aqueous solutions

The objective of this work is to investigate catalyst systems for the oxidation of phenol in water in a batch autoclave. The main experimental variables are the type and the composition of the catalyst, the catalyst loading, temperature, oxygen partial pressure, initial phenol concentration and the stirrer speed. Commercial catalysts were used. Experimental work was conducted in two different laboratories. In one laboratory, the catalysts tested were 35% CuO+65% ZnO; 5–15% CuO+85–95% Al₂O₃; 26% CuO+74% Cu Chromite. In the other laboratory, the catalysts tested included 35% CuO+65% ZnO; 5–10% Ba₂CO₃+<5% C+30–40% CuO+60–70% ZnO; and 8–15% Al₂O₃+1–5% C+35–45% CuO+40–50% ZnO. With some of these catalysts depending on the operating conditions, complete phenol conversion could be obtained within 90 min. Under certain experimental conditions, the reaction underwent an induction period after which there was a transition to a much higher activity regime. The induction period may be due to an autocatalytic reaction system or to a very slow rate of formation of hydroquinone and catechol which then readily oxidize to o- and p-benzoquinone. An increase in the temperature and the oxygen partial pressure decreased the induction period, which increased as the catalyst to phenol ratio increased. 26% CuO+74% Cu Chromite and 8–15% Al₂O₃+1–5% C+35–45% CuO+40–50% ZnO were found to be the most active catalysts.     

Novel BI-FDTD approach for the analysis of chiral cylinders and spheres

A versatile time-domain technique, known as bi-isotropic finite difference time domain (BI-FDTD), has recently been introduced for the numerical analysis of electromagnetic wave interactions with complex bi-isotropic media. However, to date only one-dimensional BI-FDTD schemes have been successfully implemented. This paper presents novel two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) dispersive BI-FDTD formulations for the first time. The update equations for these new 2-D and 3-D BI-FDTD approaches are developed and applied to the analysis of electromagnetic wave scattering by chiral cylinders and spheres in free space. The distinctive feature of this technique is the use of two independent sets of wavefields representing the left- and right-polarized waves in the chiral medium. This wavefield decomposition approach allows dispersive models for the chirality parameter as well as the permittivity and permeability of the medium to be readily incorporated into an FDTD scheme. The 2-D and 3-D BI-FDTD simulation results are compared with available analytical solutions for the scattering from a circular chiral cylinder and a chiral sphere respectively.     

A novel dispersive FDTD formulation for modeling transient propagation in chiral metamaterials

Chiral media engineered for applications at microwave frequencies can be described as metamaterials composed of randomly oriented helices (with sizes typically less than a wavelength) embedded within an achiral background that is characterized by its permittivity and permeability. Chiral metamaterials embody properties of magnetoelectric coupling and polarization rotation. Chiral media are also highly dispersive and no effective full-wave time domain formulation has been available to simulate transient propagation through such an important class of metamaterials. A new finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique is introduced in this paper to model the interaction of an electromagnetic wave with isotropic dispersive chiral metamaterials, based on the implementation of a wavefield decomposition technique in conjunction with the piecewise-linear recursive convolution method. This formulation represents the first of its kind in the FDTD community. The FDTD model is validated by considering a one-dimensional example and comparing the simulations with available analytical results. Moreover, the FDTD technique is also used to investigate the propagation of electromagnetic waves through multilayered metamaterial slabs that include dispersive chiral and double-negative media. Hence, this model enables the investigation of complex dispersive metamaterials with magnetoelectric coupling and double-negative behavior as well as facilitates the exploitation of their unique properties for a variety of possible applications.