ABSTRACT
To suppress this reaction, a large excess of benzene is used so that the ethylene concentration is small. This results in a large benzene recycle stream in the process. The benzene to ethylene ratio fed to the reaction section is about 2.5. Despite the large benzene excess, there is a significant amount of diethyl benzene produced in the reactor. It must be separated from the ethyl benzene and recycled back to the reaction section where the following reaction occurs:
Reaction 3: Diethyl Benzene (DEB) Benzene (B) --> 2 Ethyl Benzene (EB)
The kinetic equations used for these three reactions arc given below. These parameters are selected to give typical reaction conversions and yields.
