Abstract
Chlorination of ethylene was experimentally investigated in a boiling bubble column reactor with a riser and a downcomer (20cm in diameter and 6m high each). Significant dependence on the liquid upflow in the riser was found in that the axial profiles of temperature and dissolved chlorine concentration were homogenized with increasing liquid upflow rate, but boiling was depressed at the middle of the column due to the large convective heat transfer. High performance of chlorine conversion was achieved by either increase of excess ethylene or decrease of liquid upflow rate.
This behaviour of the reactor could be well predicted by a theoretical model constructed from material, heat and pressure balance equations containing theoretical or empirical parameters. This model presents a useful tool for a suitable reactor design in boiling temperature addition chlorination.
