Optimizing Maleic Anhydride Production
Optimizing Maleic Anhydride Production
The synthesis of maleic anhydride, , involves the following reactions in the presence of a vanadium pentoxide catalyst:
C
4
H
2
O
3
C
6
H
6
9
2
O
2
C
4
H
2
O
3
CO
2
H
2
C
4
H
2
O
3
O
2
CO
2
H
2
C
6
H
6
15
2
O
2
CO
2
H
2
If air is present in excess, the concentration of oxygen can be considered as constant and the reaction rates are given by =, =, and =, where is the rate constant of reaction (expressed in kg catalyst), is the concentration of benzene, and is the concentration of maleic anhydride.
r
1
k
1
C
A
r
2
k
2
C
P
r
3
k
3
C
A
k
i
i
3
m
-1
s
C
A
C
P
The temperature-dependent rate constants are given by =4280, =70100, and =26.
k
1
-12660
T
e
k
2
-15000
T
e
k
3
-10800
T
e
The governing equations at steady state, obtained by writing molar balances, for a packed-bed reactor modeled as a PFR (plug-flow reactor) are:
v
0
d
C
A
dW
k
1
C
A
k
3
C
A
C
A
3
m
v
0
d
C
P
dW
k
1
C
A
k
2
C
P
C
P
v
0
3
m
W
The final/outlet concentrations of benzene () and maleic anhydride () are obtained by solving the steady-state equations numerically, with the weight of the catalyst ranging from 0 to 10,000 kg.
C
A
C
P
This Demonstration plots the attainable region for maleic anhydride synthesis for values of the temperature fixed by the user. A profit function is defined by , where and are user-set values of the prices of benzene and maleic anhydride. When this function is maximized, the optimal catalyst weight (shown in green) and the value (shown in magenta) are determined. The optimal outlet values of the concentrations of benzene () and maleic anhydride () are identified on the plot by the green dot. The dashed red line represents the equation =(α-β)/(0) and is always tangent to the attainable region.
f(,)=(α-β)/(0)
C
P
C
A
C
P
C
A
C
A
α
β
f
max
C
A
C
P
f
max
C
P
C
A
C
A