The fabrication, installation, and testing of a glycerol hydrogenation and a CO2 hydrogenation - CH4 partial oxidation units are reported. The glycerol system proved to be operational while the CO2 system was installed but not bought on operational steam

Weiss, A. H.

English

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WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE
Department of Chemical Engineering
Worcester, Massachusetts 01609
(NASA-CR-138132) FABRICAiION OF A N74-21776
GLYCEROL FROM C02 REACTICN SYSTEM,
SUPPLEMENT Supplement to Final Report
(Worcester Polytechnic Inst.) 25 p BC Unclas
$4.25 ,CSCL 07D G3/06 37334
Supplement
to
Final Report
for
NASA Grant No. NGR 22-017-023
"An Interfaced System for Production
of
Glycerol from Methane in a Spacecraft"
December 26, 1973
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19740013663 2020-03-23T09:52:38+00:00Z
FABRICATION OF A GLYCEROL FROM CO 2 REACTION SYSTEM
by
Alvin H. Weiss
Chemical Engineering Department
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, Massachusetts 01609
Abstract
The parts of the glycerol hydrogenation unit shipped to
Worcester Polytechnic Institute from Esso Research and Develop-
ment Corporation were fabricated into an operational unit and
tested. The CO 2 hydrogenation - CH 4 partial oxidation unit
from General American Research and Development Corporation
(GATX) was installed but not brought on stream.
REPORT
The glycerol hydrogenation unit that was received from ESSO
Research and Development Corp. was shipped disassembled to
Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The unit included insulated
tubing, preheater, reactor, product collection systems, thermo-
couples, pressure gauge, and a Mighty-mite pressure regulator.
It was our task to refabricate the parts into a usable continuous
hydrogenation unit. To achieve this, an instrument rack was used
to provide a permanent, but movable housing for the assembled unit;
and on this rack a control panel was fabricated for variacs, tem-
perature controllers, additional valving, and a calibrated feed
resevoir. A Lapp pulsafeeder pump was then mounted on the rack
to permit liquid feeding. Gas rotameters, as well as a thermal
conductivity gas flow detector with recorder, were installed on
the panel. A Kenics static mixer to insert in the trickle-bed
reactor to prevent by-passing was purchased.
With this extensive labor and material input completed, the
unit was leak tested, debugged, and found to be operational using
cyclohexane and hydrogen. Figure 1 is a diagram of the hydrogena-
tion unit, which is now available at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
as an operational device.
The CO 2.hydrogenation - CH4 partial oxidation unit from
General American Research and Development Corporation (GATX) was
received at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, assembled, instrumented,
-1-
and in apparently good order. However, this is far from the
installation, debugging, and bringing on-stream of so complex a
continuous unit. Project funding did not permit assigning a
graduate student to this aspect of the problem, but at no cost
to the grant, an undergraduate Chemical Engineering Senior ex-
pressed interest in pursuing the work as a thesis. The student
was assigned the project of bringing the CH4 partial oxidation
part of the system on-stream. He tested the electrical and
mechanical systems, but subsequently dropped the project.
-2-
HIGH PRESSURE TRICKLE BED REACTOR
TO VENT
NEEDLE VALVE POP SAFETY
HYDROGEN
FLOW VENT PREHEATER
METER
TC TC
FT 3/TIME
REACTOR
SEPARATOR 
( L E N G T H =' 18.' )
( DIA.O.572") FEED
RESERVOIR
N2UT
N IN MITY- MITE
TC
LI(k. PRODUCT WATER 316C LA
CONDENSER LAPP
IN PUMP
POP SAFETY MODEL LS-30
POP SAFETY
Figure 1


Fabrication of a glycerol from CO2 reaction system, supplement

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