Choice of Reactors

Choice of chemical reactors
The basic purpose in the design of a reactor is to produce a specified product at a given rate from
the given reactants.
The first question arises if the process will be conducted as a batch or continuous process or it
should part batch and part continuous - a hybrid type? The next question is more thermodynamics
related, if the reaction would be conducted isothermally or adiabatically? The next question comes
from the physical condition of reactants and their compositions to start with? Processing
conditions, temperature, pressure, etc.
Two broad groups
There are two broad groups [1] homogeneous and [2] heterogeneous. In homogeneous reactors
only one phase, usually a gas or a liquid, is present. If more than one reactant is involved, provision
must of course be made for mixing them together to form a homogenous whole. In heterogeneous
reactors, where there is more than one phase, it could be any of these systems, gas-liquid, gas-
solid, liquid-solid, and liquid-liquid. In a heterogeneous reactor, the chemical reaction may itself be
heterogeneous. Because of these complexities, heterogeneous reactors are more complex than
homogeneous reactors with a greater variety of configurations and contacting patterns.
Batch vs continuous reactors
There are two basic types of flow reactor

In the tubular-flow [plug flow] reactor at the middle [CPFR], here the aim is to pass the reactants
along a tube so that there is as little intermingling as possible between the reactants entering the
tube and the products leaving at the far end. In the continuous stirred-tank reactor (C.S.T.R.) at the
bottom of the image, an agitator is mixing to disperse the reactants thoroughly into the reaction
mixture immediately they enter the tank. The product stream is drawn off continuously and, in the
ideal state of perfect mixing, will have the same composition as the contents of the tank. Because
as soon as the reactants enter the tank, they are mixed and a portion leaves, it is often
advantageous to employ a number of stirred tanks connected in series in the product stream
flowing out. The batch stirred-tank reactor [BSTR] at the top of the image is by its nature well suited
to liquid-phase reactions. The tubular reactor, although sometimes used for liquid-phase reactions,
is the natural choice for gas-phase reactions
The above image shows diagrams of the three ideal reactor types, namely the batch stirred tank
reactor (BSTR), the continuous plug-flow reactor (CPFR) or continuous tubular flow reactor, TFR in
the middle, and the continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) at the bottom.
BSTR [Batch stirred tank reactor at top]
In a BSTR, is a mechanically stirred vessel. It is first filled with reactants and catalyst to initiate the
reaction, after which no material is removed until the reaction is stopped. BSTRs are well-mixed
reactors, meaning that concentrations are the same regardless of location within the reactor. BSTRs
are commonly used for biocatalytic reactions due to their simplicity and flexibility. Additionally, pH
changes in a reaction can be neutralized through the addition of an acid or base to maintain the
optimal pH.
CSTR [Continuous stirred tank reactor at the bottom of image]
The design of a CSTR is similar to that of a BSTR, except that material is continuously added to, and
removed from, the reactor such that the working volume remains constant. Like BSTRs, CSTRs are
well-mixed and so the reactor contents. However, since there must be enough reactants in the
reactor to achieve an adequate reaction rate, the products will always contain some unconverted
reactants. Therefore, full reactants conversion is not possible. This trade-off between reaction rate
and conversion is an important characteristic of CSTRs.
CPFR [Continuous plug flow reactor in the middle of the image]
In a CPFR, reactants are pumped into a long tubular reactor where, unlike stirred tanks, material
flowing through does not mix with any material flowing ahead of it, or behind it. This results in
concentration gradients over the length of the reactor, identical to the concentration gradients over
time in a BSTR. Therefore, if the reactor is sufficiently long, the reactants can be fully converted. For
this reason, in the image at the middle, the concentration profile is given with respect to length,
since the time material spends in a CPFR is simply a function of the reactor length and volumetric
flowrate.
Two important considerations while choosing a reactor
[1] The residence time distribution (RTD) and
[2] The kinetics of a catalyzed reaction.
BSTRs and CPFRs both have identical kinetic behavior and both afford good control over RTDs.
Consequently, it would appear that there is little motivation to invest in the shift from batch
operation to continuous since both give the same result. The key advantage of a continuous process
is, at production scales, where mixing and heat transfer in large batch reactors are less efficient,
shifting to continuous operation could be beneficial. Additionally, the steady-state operation of a
continuous reactor affords simpler control and greater consistency than a dynamic batch process at
a large scale.

Choice of Reactors

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Choice of Reactors

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Choice of Reactors

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Choice of chemical reactors

There are two basic types of flow reactor

You might also like