Transposition of an exothermic reaction to a continuous intensifies reactor

Abstract : The aim of this study is the transposition of an exothermic reaction carried out in a batch reactor to a continuous intensified one. The esterification of propionic anhydride with 2- butanol was selected as a case study. The decomposition reactions of the reactants and the products were studied by DSC whereas the heat of solution of the two reactants were determined by isothermal calorimetry. An extensive experimental programme was then carried out using the Mettler RC-1 reaction calorimeter in order to characterize the thermal and kinetic behaviour of the reaction under isothermal conditions. The thermal conversion was compared with the molar conversion obtained by simulation based on a kinetics from the literature. Optimal and safe operating conditions were eventually defined for a continuous heat exchanger type reactor. Dedicated software was used to assess the feasibility of the esterification in this reactor by calculating the conversion and temperature profiles along the process and utility lines.