Calculation of catalytic reactors — Phthalic anhydride synthesis

Phthalic anhydride is widely used in organic synthesis. This explains the large number of studies carried out on the subject. The various authors focus either on the catalysts used, their performance and the evolution of their activity, or on the detailed kinetic scheme, or on new reactors and their modeling. The aim of this dossier is to present, using the example of the controlled oxidation of o-xylene to phthalic anhydride, a methodology for studying a catalytic reactor operating in a fixed bed. Emphasis is placed on the importance of model selection and the influence of different parameters in predicting temperature and concentration profiles.