ABSTRACT
This chapter considers transport phenomena in catalyst particles and pores. It also considers catalytic process modeling in the petroleum industry. The chemical and petroleum industries began to witness considerable technological progress beginning in the early 1920s, when the base for chemicals shifted from coal tar to oil and natural gas, and fuel production began to represent an increasingly larger fraction of each barrel of crude oil. Developing solid materials that can withstand the rigors of industrial-scale operations and simultaneously exhibit enzymelike specificity has always been a goal of catalysis research and development. The power of chemical reaction engineering principles and modern surface science techniques to develop a step-out catalyst is illustrated by the development of selective catalytic reduction catalysts. Reaction kinetics often play a key role in helping synthesizing improved catalysts with the desired balance between activity and selectivity for the catalyst particles.
