Process and Assembly for Simultaneously Evaluating a Plurality of Catalysts

Abstract

A process and an assembly for simultaneously evaluating a plurality of catalysts is provided wherein the flow rate of a reactive fluid to each of a plurality of reactors is automatically adjusted based on the measured amount of catalyst sample in each reactor to concurrently obtain a substantially identical fluid space velocity in each of the reactors.

1 . An assembly for evaluating a plurality of catalyst samples for catalysis of at least a portion of a fluid wherein a measured amount of catalyst sample is disposed in each of an array of N parallel reactors, the assembly comprising: 
 at least N fluid flow regulators, each regulator in fluid flow regulation communication with a corresponding one of the parallel reactors and effective to regulate a rate of flow of the fluid to the corresponding one of the parallel reactors;    a mass balance;    a control unit in operational communication with the at least N fluid flow regulators and the mass balance, said control unit effective to automatically adjust the rate of flow of the fluid to the corresponding reactors based upon the measured amount of catalyst in each reactor, to concurrently obtain a substantially identical first space velocity in each of the reactors.    
   
   
       2 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the fluid flow regulators are mass flow regulators.  
   
   
       3 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the fluid flow regulators are volume flow regulators.  
   
   
       4 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the reactors are fixed bed reactors.  
   
   
       5 . The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the reactors are fluidized bed reactors.  
   
   
       6 . The assembly of  claim 1  further comprising at least N effluent conduits in fluid communication with a sampling system.  
   
   
       7 . The assembly of  claim 6  further comprising at least one analytical or processing device in fluid communication with the sampling system.  
   
   
       8 . The assembly of  claim 1  further comprising at least one heater associated with at least the N parallel reactors.  
   
   
       9 . The assembly of  claim 1  further comprising a volumetric loader associated with the mass balance.