Affiliations: [a] Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela | [b] Departamento de Termodinámica y Fenómenos de Transferencia, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela | [c] Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela | [d] Departamento de Procesos y Sistemas, Universidad Simón Bolívar, Caracas, Venezuela
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Juan Mirena, Universidad Simón Bolívar, AP 89000, Caracas 1080, Venezuela Tel.: +58 212 906 3111; E-mail:jimirenas@gmail.com
Abstract: This paper describes the kinetic modeling for the anaerobic oxidative
dehydrogenation of n-butane over a V/MgO catalyst supported on α
-Al2O3. Based on the experimental data reported by Fandiño
and Guaran (2007), a mathematical model for the experimental reactor was
proposed together with a model that describes the depletion of the
catalyst's mobile oxygen throughout the process. Different kinetic models
were developed; two of them (M3 and M4) were based on proposed reaction
networks with reaction mechanisms for each one of the involved reactions.
Other two models (M5 and M6) were based on a semi-empirical approximation
for the expression of the reaction rates. A non-linear regression algorithm
was developed and used to obtain the kinetic parameters for each model.
Afterwards, several statistical tests (mean-squared error test, chi-squared
test and t-test) and a cross-validation test were conducted to evaluate and
discriminate between models. The kinetic parameters and their corresponding
confidence intervals were determined for each model. All named models
exhibited a satisfactory fit to the experimental data. The results show that
models M3 and M5 can be discarded, while models M4 and M6 can be retained
and used to predict the behavior of the ODH of n-butane at the studied
conditions.
