The internal structure of packed beds formed by different arrangements of packings has been a subject of study for the past several decades. In this study, we have attempted to investigate the structure formed in laboratory-scale packed beds through experimentation and modeling, employing different ways of packing the bed. The structure has been measured using Micro-Computed Tomography (Micro-CT) and characterized through appropriate metrics. The “filling of the bed” has been modeled using a technique called Collision Guided Packing (CGP). Thus, this contribution combines both high resolution measurements as well as detailed particle-based models, bringing out a head-to-head comparison of the bed filling process and also how the final bed is configured (its structure). The work stands as an independent piece, but also provides the basis for a rigorous understanding of the impact of bed filling on deep hydroprocessing, wherein the bed structure is known to have a dramatic effect.

The work reported in this investigation involves the determination of the hydrodynamic properties of the Trickle Bed Reactor which has been loaded in various ways to mark the effect of the loading methodologies employed to pack the catalyst pellets. The bed structure of a packed three-phase reactor is critical to study as it provides the essential contact between the phases and provides the catalytic sites where the reaction takes place. Depending on the structural properties of the bed such as local void structure, liquid distribution, two-phase pressure drop, and holdup of fluids gets affected. The study aims to envelop the catalyst bed characteristics such as the local void structure, the length of the catalyst bed, flow characteristics such as liquid and gas flow rate, and liquid distributor at the top of the catalyst bed to gauge and quantify their effect on the hydrodynamics of a trickle bed reactor.