Spatially resolved NMR thermometry of an operating fixed-bed catalytic reactor.

An MRI-based approach for the thermometry of an operating packed-bed catalytic reactor was implemented. It was employed for the spatially resolved NMR thermometry of the bed of Pd/gamma-Al2O3 catalyst beads in the course of propylene hydrogenation reaction. This was achieved by detecting the spatially resolved axial 1D profiles of the 27Al NMR signal intensity of Al2O3 in the course of the reaction. The experimental results demonstrate a clear correlation between the 27Al NMR signal intensity and the catalyst temperature measured with a thermocouple (25-250 degrees C), and reveal the existence of pronounced temperature gradients along the catalyst bed.