Category: Essentials of Chemical Reaction

Before proceeding to Chapter 3, some terms and equations commonly used in reaction engineering need to be defined. We also consider the special case of the plug-flow design equation when the volumetric flow rate is constant. 2.6.1 Space Time The space time tau, τ, is obtained by dividing the reactor volume by the volumetric flow rate…

Many times, reactors are connected in series so that the exit stream of one reactor is the feed stream for another reactor. When this arrangement is used, it is often possible to speed calculations by defining conversion in terms of location at a point downstream rather than with respect to any single reactor. That is,…

For a batch reactor, we saw that conversion increases with time spent in the reactor. For continuous-flow systems, this time usually increases with increasing reactor volume, e.g., the bigger/longer the reactor, the more time it will take the reactants to flow completely through the reactor and thus, the more time to react. Consequently, the conversion X is…

In most batch reactors, the longer a reactant stays in the reactor, the more the reactant is converted to product until either equilibrium is reached or the reactant is exhausted. Consequently, in batch systems the conversion X is a function of the time the reactants spend in the reactor. If NA0 is the number of moles of A initially…

Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation, because character is what you really are while reputation is merely what others think you are. —John Wooden, former head coach, UCLA Bruins Overview. In the first chapter, the general mole balance equation was derived and then applied to the four most common types of industrial…

When is a batch reactor used? A batch reactor is used for small-scale operation, for testing new processes that have not been fully developed, for the manufacture of expensive products, and for processes that are difficult to convert to continuous operations. The reactor can be charged (i.e., filled) through the holes at the top (see Figure…

The first step to knowledge is to know that we are ignorant. —Socrates (470-399 B.C.) How is a chemical engineer different from other engineers? The Wide Wild World of Chemical Reaction Engineering Chemical kinetics is the study of chemical reaction rates and reaction mechanisms. The study of chemical reaction engineering (CRE) combines the study of chemical…