Dicyclopentadiene hydrogenation in trickle-bed reactor under forced periodic control

The behavior of a trickle-bed reactor under controlled periodic conditions was investigated. Hydrogenation of dicyclopentadiene (tricyclo(5,2,1,0)-deca-3,8-diene, DCPD) on an egg-shell type palladium catalyst was chosen as a model reaction. Isothermal hydrogenation of DCPD was carried out at atmospheric pressure under a periodic feed rate control regime. Optimal value of the reaction rate was found at period split of 0.5 and period length of 60 s. While the reaction rate increased by 12 % compared to the steady state regime, the selectivity of the DCPD hydrogenation decreased. This result was probably caused by a higher concentration of adsorbed hydrogen on the catalyst surface in the periodic regime. (c) 2008 Institute of Chemistry, Slovak Academy of Sciences.