Characteristics of integrated micro packed bed reactor-heat exchanger configurations in the direct synthesis of dimethyl ether

The performance of three integrated micro packed bed reactor-heat exchangers (IMPBRHEs) for direct DME synthesis over physical mixtures of CuO–ZnO–Al2O3 and γ-Al2O3 catalysts was experimentally investigated. Systematic variations in reactor and slit dimensions and configuration were analyzed in terms of thermal behaviour, mass transfer, pressure drop and residence time distribution (RTD). The pressure drop was always small (