Apparatus for testing catalyst candidates including a multi-cell holder
e.g. a honeycomb or plate, or a collection of individual support particles that
have been treated with solutions/suspensions of catalyst ingredients to produce
cells, spots or pellets holding each of a variety of combinations of the ingredients
and dried, calcined or treated as necessary to stabilize the ingredients in the
cells, spots or pellets. The apparatus also includes structure for contacting the
catalyst candidates with a potentially reactive feed stream or batch e.g., biochemical,
gas oil, hydrogen plus oxygen, propylene plus oxygen, CCl2F2
and hydrogen, etc. The reaction occurring in each cell can be measured, e.g. by
infrared thermography, spectroscopic detection of products or residual reactants,
or by sampling, e.g. by multistreaming through low volume tubing, from the vicinity
of each combination, followed by analysis e.g. spectral analysis, chromatography
etc., or by observing temperature change in the vicinity of the catalyst e.g. by
thermographic techniques, to determine the relative efficacy of the catalysts in
each combination. Robotic techniques can be employed in producing the cells, spots,
pellets, etc.
