Modeling a catalytic polymeric non-porous membrane reactor

A theoretical study on a catalytic polymeric non-porous membrane reactor is performed. The conversion enhancement over the thermodynamic equilibrium is studied when conducting an equilibrium gas-phase reaction of the type A+B⇔C+D. The model used considers perfectly mixed flow patterns and isothermal operation for the retentate and permeate. It is concluded that the conversion of a reversible reaction can be significantly enhanced when the reactants’ diffusion coefficients are lower and/or sorption coefficients are higher than the products’. This happens for Thiele modulus and contact time over certain threshold values. It was also observed that it is preferable to enhance conversion through an increase in the reactants’ sorption coefficients, since this leads to lower reactor dimensions. Since the performance of a non-porous membrane reactor depends on both the sorption and diffusion coefficients, a study of such system cannot be based exclusively on the permeabilities of the components. Favorable combinations of diffusion and sorption coefficients can provide a coupled effect over the reactor’s conversion.