Catalyst dynamics: consequences for classical kinetic descriptions of reactors

The modelling of catalytic reactions/reactors has undergone great improvements since the introduction of empirical power-law kinetics in chemical reaction engineering and micro-kinetic models based on insight into the nature of elementary steps have appeared for many reactions. However, recent in situ studies and surface science investigations has brought added attention to the fact that catalysts may behave in a dynamic manner and reconstruct depending on the reaction conditions. This feature severely limits traditional kinetic descriptions. In the present paper, we present examples of the dynamical behaviour of some catalytic systems and discuss the corresponding Limitations in existing models for catalytic reactions and reactors. Catalytic reactors operated in non-steady-state are becoming more frequent in industry. The additional efforts needed to accurately simulate these types of reactors are discussed. Finally, we discuss the role of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as a tool for detailed simulation of catalytic reactors.