Optimizing Multiphase Reactors with a Single Phase

Product
automation.isa.org/2015/04/optimizing-multiphase-reactors-with-a-single-phase-product/

April 22, 2015

The following insights are part of an occasional series authored by Greg McMillan, industry
consultant, author of numerous process control books and a retired Senior Fellow from
Monsanto.
For both batch and continuous reactors, completion control seeks to provide a complete
conversion of all the reactants and consequently no excess accumulation of a reactant in a
particular phase. If the reactants are in different phases and the product is a single phase,
inventory control can be used for reaction completion control. The product must

be a gas, liquid, or solids with no recycle or co-products in the other phases.

Inventory control is possible if there is a discharge flow in addition to a feed flow to the
phase. Gas volumes have a continuous discharge flow in batch as well as in continuous
reactors by means of an off-gas flow going to a vent or recovery system. Liquid and solid
volumes only have a discharge flow in continuous operations unless there is a phase
separator physically built-in to continuously separate solids from liquids during batch
operation (e.g., a hydroclone in a recirculation line).

Insight: Completion control seeks to provide for batch and continuous reactors a complete
conversion of all reactants.

Multiphase reactors offer an inherent ability to optimize excess reactant concentration by

the proper use of a simple pressure or temperature control loop. The remaining optimization
opportunity is in terms of setting the best purge flow. See Greg McMillan’s new ISA book
Advances in Reactor Measurement and Control for an extensive view of practical
opportunities for designing control strategies to achieve product quality and maximize yield
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and capacity in different types of reactors.
Using these concepts one can determine whether inventory control provides completion
control. For a liquid product, excess gas reactant is inherently prevented by pressure
control for both batch and continuous processes. For a gas product, excess liquid reactant
is inherently prevented by level control for continuous processes and possibly solids control
for all processes.

Insight: For multiple phase reactants and a single phase product, inventory control can
provide reaction completion control. Batch processes do not have liquid inventory control
(level control) to prevent the accumulation of reactants in the liquid phase.

For a liquid product, a pressure controller provides continuous completion control by

increasing gas feed for a decrease in pressure from a deficiency of gas reactant and by
decreasing gas feed for an increase in pressure from an excess of gas reactant (Figure 1).
The gas phase reaction is normally fast enough for the gas reactant to be totally consumed
in the reaction so that only the inerts are left in the overhead vapor space. An off-gas purge
flow prevents the accumulation of inerts. A level controller maintains the liquid material
balance by manipulating the liquid product discharge flow.

The residence time control by the level loop shown for a single phase liquid reaction (Figure
4) could help maintain the residence time in the gas phase as well the liquid phase by
keeping the bubble rise time constant. The bubble rise time is the bubble path length set by
level divided by the bubble velocity set by sparge rate. For pure batch and fed-batch
reactors there is no level control and hence no residence time control but otherwise the
control scheme is applicable.

Insight: An off-gas purge of inerts enables gas pressure control to provide reaction
completion control in the gas phase for a liquid product.

Figure 1: Basic Control of Multiphase Reactor with Liquid Product

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For a gas product, a level controller provides continuous completion control by increasing
liquid feed for a decrease in level for a deficiency of liquid reactant and decreasing liquid
feed for an increase in level from an excess of liquid reactant (Figure 2). A purge flow from
the bottom prevents the accumulation of inerts in the liquid phase. A gas pressure
controller maintains the gas material balance by manipulating the gas product discharge
flow. For residence time control, the liquid controller setpoint computed as the liquid
reactant flow multiplied by the desired residence time would need a lag inserted because
the level controller manipulating the liquid reactant flow forms a positive feedback loop. For
fed-batch reactors this strategy is not applicable because there is no level control or purge.

Insight: A bottom liquid purge of inerts enables liquid level control to provide reaction
completion control in the liquid phase for a gas product.

Production rate can be maximized in both cases by the use of a valve position controller
(VPC) monitoring coolant valve position. The VPC setpoint is the maximum desirable valve
position, and the VPC process variable is the temperature controller output. The output of
the VPC trims the setpoint of the liquid and gas reactant flow controller for liquid and gas
products, respectively. An enhanced PID with dynamic reset limiting for the VPC eliminates
limit cycles, reduces interaction between the VPC and temperature controller, and enables
smoother optimization with faster correction for disturbances.

Figure 2: Basic Control of Multiphase Reactor with Gas Product

The purge flow for both types of reactor presents an opportunity for optimization. An excess
accumulation of inerts reduces the residence time and reaction rate. Inhibiters can reduce
yield and initiators of undesirable compounds can cause poor product quality besides
reducing yield. First principle models can provide an inferential measurement of inert,
inhibiter, or side reaction initiator accumulation. The predicted accumulation is corrected by

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at-line or off-line analyzers of the concentrations in raw materials (reactants) and phases
within the reactor. It is important that research studies be conducted on the type of inerts,
inhibiters, and initiators of undesirable reactions that can be found in the reactant feeds and
their effect on reaction rate and yield.

For a single liquid product, use tight gas pressure control to prevent excess reactants in the
gas phase and optimize a gas purge. For a single gas product, use tight liquid level control
to prevent excess reactants in the liquid phase and optimize a liquid purge. In both cases
use research studies and measurements of components in raw materials and reactant
phases that adversely affect reactor yield and capacity to optimize the purge rates.

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