RADIAL TEMPERATURE PROFILE IN THE MODELLING OF AN INDUSTRIAL METHANOL REACTOR

The significance of the radial temperature profiles is investigated in industrial reactor simulation. With 2-nd order approximation of the temperature distribution, a radial effectiveness factor is introduced, and a one-dimension model is proposed. It well approaches the solution of the two-dimension one. The radial temperature profiles substantially affect the methanol production rate only in the run away state. At the hot spot the one-dimension model is satisfactory to test the significance of the radial temperature distribution.