Unsteady-state performance of a fixed bed reactor for methanol synthesis

operating under flow reversal mode

was experimentally studied.The effects of various factors

such as feed gas velocity

feed composition and cycle duration on the transient axial temperature profile in the bed

propagation velocity of thermal wave

transient composition of tail gas and time-averaged methanol output were investigated at a pressure of 2.0 MPa

gas velocity about 0.20-0.50m·s -1

cycle duration of 20-120?min and total concentration of carbon oxides

∑CO x

0.33?%-7.32%mol.Higher conversion of ∑CO x than that of steady-state operation was achieved even though for a very low concentration of ∑CO x down to 0.33%mol.