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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/R99294/01
Title: Infra-Red Spectroscopy applied to the characterisation of catalysts and on-line analysis of reactors
Principal Investigator: Wood, Professor J
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Department: Chemical Engineering
Organisation: University of Birmingham
Scheme: First Grant Scheme Pre-FEC
Starts: 01 January 2003 Ends: 31 December 2005 Value (£): 122,632
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Catalysis & Applied Catalysis Reactor Engineering
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Chemicals No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
summaryDescribe the proposed research in about 200 words.Three-phase reactors such as trickle beds are used extensively in the oil and chemicals industry. The transition between different regimes of operation poor liquid distribution, channelling, catalyst wetting and phase change of reactants represent some aspects of trickle bed operation that require further investigation. Modelling of trickle bed reactors has in recent years progressed from empirical models towards phenomenological models, that rep more closely the gas and liquid flows in the bed. Further experimental validation of these reactor models is required before they can confidently bused for scale up. In the development of supported metal catalysts for use in three phase reactors, further understanding of the relationship betty the types of active site present on the catalyst surface and the rate of reaction is needed in order to prepare new catalysts with increased activity. In this project near infrared spectroscopy with a fibre optic sampling probe will be used to measure spectra of liquid effluent from a trickle bed reactor over a range of operating conditions. Reactant conversion will be calculated using a calibration model and the data will be used to validate existin models of trickle bed performance and to develop new ones. Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy will be used to characterise the nature of a sites upon supported metal catalysts, which in combination with kinetic measurements will be used to optimise the catalyst preparation technique.
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Organisation Website: http://www.bham.ac.uk