Optimal design of bypass line for an industrial-scale 8‑leg polyolefin loop reactor to manage slurry dispersion using hydraulic and CFD simulations

Yuehao Li; Jielin Yu; Rupesh Reddy; Abhijit Rao; Sameer Vijay; Erno Elovainio; Christof Wurnisch; Krishnaswamy Nandakumar

doi:10.1021/acs.iecr.8b00100

Optimal design of bypass line for an industrial-scale 8‑leg polyolefin loop reactor to manage slurry dispersion using hydraulic and CFD simulations

Yuehao Li, Jielin Yu, Rupesh Reddy, Abhijit Rao, Sameer Vijay, Erno Elovainio, Christof Wurnisch, Krishnaswamy Nandakumar^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

The pump power oscillation caused by slugs in slurry phase polymerization reactors limits production capacity. A bypass line connecting two locations of a loop reactor is suggested in patent literature to dissipate slugs. The optimal design of such bypass lines is studied through a hierarchy of modeling approaches applied to an industrial-scale reactor. In the design process, 1D hydraulic calculations guide the selection of optimal bypass pipe sizes to maximize slurry velocity. 2D CFD simulations provide data on slug dissipation processes. 3D simulations guide selection of optimal installation angle to maximize solid intake into the bypass line. By combining these approaches, a bypass line connecting the second and sixth legs by 6 in. pipes at a 45° angle is found to be optimal for reactor considered here. Such designs achieves high slurry velocity in the bypass line while maximizing slug dissipation, and the approach is applicable for other loop reactor configurations.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	6068-6079
Number of pages	12
Journal	Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
Volume	57
Issue number	18
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.iecr.8b00100
State	Published - 9 May 2018
Externally published	Yes

Access to Document

10.1021/acs.iecr.8b00100

Cite this

@article{e31b26a2c6574604aae49fc805b5d5c8,

title = "Optimal design of bypass line for an industrial-scale 8‑leg polyolefin loop reactor to manage slurry dispersion using hydraulic and CFD simulations",

abstract = "The pump power oscillation caused by slugs in slurry phase polymerization reactors limits production capacity. A bypass line connecting two locations of a loop reactor is suggested in patent literature to dissipate slugs. The optimal design of such bypass lines is studied through a hierarchy of modeling approaches applied to an industrial-scale reactor. In the design process, 1D hydraulic calculations guide the selection of optimal bypass pipe sizes to maximize slurry velocity. 2D CFD simulations provide data on slug dissipation processes. 3D simulations guide selection of optimal installation angle to maximize solid intake into the bypass line. By combining these approaches, a bypass line connecting the second and sixth legs by 6 in. pipes at a 45° angle is found to be optimal for reactor considered here. Such designs achieves high slurry velocity in the bypass line while maximizing slug dissipation, and the approach is applicable for other loop reactor configurations.",

author = "Yuehao Li and Jielin Yu and Rupesh Reddy and Abhijit Rao and Sameer Vijay and Erno Elovainio and Christof Wurnisch and Krishnaswamy Nandakumar",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 American Chemical Society.",

year = "2018",

month = may,

day = "9",

doi = "10.1021/acs.iecr.8b00100",

language = "英语",

volume = "57",

pages = "6068--6079",

journal = "Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research",

issn = "0888-5885",

number = "18",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Optimal design of bypass line for an industrial-scale 8‑leg polyolefin loop reactor to manage slurry dispersion using hydraulic and CFD simulations

AU - Li, Yuehao

AU - Yu, Jielin

AU - Reddy, Rupesh

AU - Rao, Abhijit

AU - Vijay, Sameer

AU - Elovainio, Erno

AU - Wurnisch, Christof

AU - Nandakumar, Krishnaswamy

PY - 2018/5/9

Y1 - 2018/5/9

N2 - The pump power oscillation caused by slugs in slurry phase polymerization reactors limits production capacity. A bypass line connecting two locations of a loop reactor is suggested in patent literature to dissipate slugs. The optimal design of such bypass lines is studied through a hierarchy of modeling approaches applied to an industrial-scale reactor. In the design process, 1D hydraulic calculations guide the selection of optimal bypass pipe sizes to maximize slurry velocity. 2D CFD simulations provide data on slug dissipation processes. 3D simulations guide selection of optimal installation angle to maximize solid intake into the bypass line. By combining these approaches, a bypass line connecting the second and sixth legs by 6 in. pipes at a 45° angle is found to be optimal for reactor considered here. Such designs achieves high slurry velocity in the bypass line while maximizing slug dissipation, and the approach is applicable for other loop reactor configurations.

AB - The pump power oscillation caused by slugs in slurry phase polymerization reactors limits production capacity. A bypass line connecting two locations of a loop reactor is suggested in patent literature to dissipate slugs. The optimal design of such bypass lines is studied through a hierarchy of modeling approaches applied to an industrial-scale reactor. In the design process, 1D hydraulic calculations guide the selection of optimal bypass pipe sizes to maximize slurry velocity. 2D CFD simulations provide data on slug dissipation processes. 3D simulations guide selection of optimal installation angle to maximize solid intake into the bypass line. By combining these approaches, a bypass line connecting the second and sixth legs by 6 in. pipes at a 45° angle is found to be optimal for reactor considered here. Such designs achieves high slurry velocity in the bypass line while maximizing slug dissipation, and the approach is applicable for other loop reactor configurations.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85046938347&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1021/acs.iecr.8b00100

DO - 10.1021/acs.iecr.8b00100

M3 - 文章

AN - SCOPUS:85046938347

SN - 0888-5885

VL - 57

SP - 6068

EP - 6079

JO - Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research

JF - Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research

IS - 18

ER -

Optimal design of bypass line for an industrial-scale 8‑leg polyolefin loop reactor to manage slurry dispersion using hydraulic and CFD simulations

Abstract

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this