Fast pyrolysis of chlorodifluoromethane in a microwave-heated fluidized bed

Abstract

This paper investigates the application of a fluidized bed reactor for fast pyrolysis of chlorodifluoromethane (R22) into tetrafluoroethylene (TFE) which is endothermic reaction, Numerical analysis for kinetics of R22 pyrolysis showed that heat supply is critical factor due to higher reaction temperature and shorter reaction time where better TFE yield is obtainable. Then, we proposed microwave-heated fluidized bed as a reactor type instead of a conventional tubular reactor using superheated steam as a major heat source, We examined the fluidized-bed R22 pyrolysis over temperature range of 700-840 degrees C and could achieve TFE yield more than 80 mol %. It was also expected that the TFE yield can be further enhanced by optimizing fluidizing condition. Hence, the proposed fluidized bed is applicable to R22 pyrolysis as an efficient reactor type. It is demonstrated that the microwave is a promising heating means for the fast reaction since it can achieve high-heat flux for so small reactor volume without overheating the reactor wall.