Experimental and simulation studies for reaction enhancement of catalytic CF4 hydrolysis by consecutive HF removal using a multi‐stage catalyst‐adsorbent reactor

Abstract In this paper, a multi‐stage catalyst‐adsorbent reactor consisting of a series of catalyst and adsorbent beds is proposed for an effective tetrafluoromethane (CF 4 ) abatement and conversion of corrosive hydrogen fluoride (HF) to CaF 2 , a useful chemical. Experimentally, enhanced CF 4 conversions were observed in multi‐stage catalyst‐adsorbent reactors compared to a zero‐stage reactor (catalyst bed only) confirming sorption‐enhanced CF 4 hydrolysis due to selective removal of HF during reaction. In addition, some useful design guidelines to select the number of stages and a proper time to replace adsorbents are presented. To develop a process simulation model to represent experimental data, Aspen HYSYS ® , a commercial process simulator, was used providing a proper model to match experimental data quite reasonably. Based on experimental and simulative studies, a three‐ or four‐stage catalyst‐adsorbent reactor is recommended for CF 4 abatement considering both reactor performance and capital/operating expenditures. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.