Isobutylene polymerization in gas-liquid-solid circulating mini-fluidized bed

Abstract

The polymerization of isobutylene is an important chemical reaction process. In order to overcome the shortcomings of existing industrial fixed-bed reactors in application, a new gas-liquid-solid circulating mini-fluidized bed reactor with an inner diameter of 10 mm is developed. The influences of operating conditions, solvents, and reactant properties on isobutylene conversion, selectivity, and yield of di-isobutylene were investigated. Compared with fixed-bed reactor, the performance of the reactor was evaluated. The experimental results showed that the highest yield of di-isobutylene was 83.4%. Under the same operating conditions, the conversion rate of isobutylene in the circulating mini-fluidized bed is twice that of the fixed-bed reactor. The reaction time to achieve the same conversion rate is reduced by 2.5 times. The solid particles and bubbles in the circulating mini-fluidized bed not only provide a higher specific surface area but also cause hydrodynamic changes and effectively improve the reactor performance.