Patent ID: 7422904

Claim:
A method for determining appropriate hydraulic conditions for a process in a fixed bed reactor comprising plotting plural coordinates (Ta, φ) on a graph, each coordinate obtained by carrying out said process in a fixed bed reactor under preselected hydraulic conditions, wherein Ta is the sum of the inertia and gravity forces divided by the sum of the interface and viscous forces in said reactor for said process at a preselected point in said reactor, and φ is the volumetric gas to liquid ratio in said reactor for said process at said preselected point, and determining from said graph appropriate hydraulic conditions, said process further including, after determining from said graph appropriate hydraulic conditions, carrying out said process in a fixed bed reactor under said appropriate hydraulic conditions, with the proviso that the appropriate hydraulic conditions are characterized by Ta<600 and φ<a+(b·Ta); wherein a, and b are predetermined for a given reaction from the plot of plural (Ta, φ) coordinates.