A batch membrane reactor for laboratory studies

A membrane reactor consisting of two recirculating flow systems connected via a membrane module has been constructed and used to study the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane. When the reactor is operated differentially it is possible to obtain the same information that is generated when using more conventional steady flow reactors. The batch system has the advantages of easily varying the ratio of membrane area to reactor volume and sampling a very wide range of effective Damköhler numbers. These are important variables in design studies. This ability has been demonstrated for the dehydrogenation of cyclohexane. The batch system reproduced results from studies using a more conventional flow reactor. In addition, with the batch reactor it was possible to experimentally confirm predictions that were based upon computer simulation but which were outside the range of experimental study for the conventional reactors used.