Liquid Phase Direct Chlorination of Ethylene for the Production of Ethylene Dichloride in a Mixed Flow Reactor

ABSTRACT

This research considered the design of a Mixed Flow Reactor (MFR) using MATLAB simulation design for the production of 1,000,000 tons (1,000,000,000 kg) per year of ethylene dichloride from the liquid-phase direct chlorination of ethylene. The study employed fundamental design equations and

MATLAB simulations to evaluate key operating parameters including volume, height, diameter, space time, space velocity, quantity of heat generated and the quantity of heat generated per unit volume of the reactor at 95% fractional conversion were gotten as 0.069m3, 0.7063m, 0.3532m, 0.01162seconds, 86.05seconds, 8.44 × 107 J/s and 1.22× 109 J/sm3 respectively. Results revealed that chlorine is the limiting reactant, while ethylene remains in excess, permitting a pseudo-first-order kinetic treatment. Conversion was found to increase with higher temperature, residence time, and reactor size, but declined at elevated space velocities. The highly exothermic nature of the process highlighted the need for effective heat management to ensure safe and stable operation. The evaluation of the MFR yearly production dependent on the reactor volume stood at $ 112,573. Overall, the design demonstrated that an optimised operating temperature of 357 K, coupled with adequate reactor sizing and efficient cooling, can achieve high conversion and economic production of EDC, providing a reliable framework for industrial application.

Keywords — Ethylene, Chlorination, Mixed Flow Reactor, Design, Ethylene Dichloride.