Chemical Engineering and Processing, Vol.124, 215-221, 2018
Hydrogenation of vinyl acetate using a continuous flow tubular reactor with catalytic static mixers
Process intensification of the continuous flow hydrogenation of vinyl acetate using catalytic static mixer (CSM) technology is described. This concept is based on a series of static mixers coated with a catalytic metal layer, either Ni(0) or Pd(0), which can be inserted into tubular reactors. The static mixers were prepared using additive manufacturing on an electron beam melting 3D printer, which provides maximum design flexibility and can be tailored to a large number of fluidic applications. The metal(0) catalysts were deposited either by metal cold spraying or electrodeposition. The influence of several process parameters, including reactor pressure, temperature, throughput and substrate concentration on the performance of the reduction of vinyl acetate to ethyl acetate were investigated and optimised conditions for this reactor system are presented.