Effect of Scale-up on Reactor Performance

To minimize or eliminate harmful effects of scale-up requires models. Modeling means dimensional analysis or physicochemical mathematical 

THE PROBLEM An electrolytic reaction takes place in a parallel plate cell of length L, width w, and interelectrode gap d, with w d. The reaction takes place under mass transport control with a mass transfer coefficient kj. The flow regime is turbulent and it can be assumed that the electrolyte volume V= w x d x L. Use dimensional analysis to obtain a scale-up criterion that will keep conversion constant. 

THE SOLUTION Dimensional analysis leads to the conversion as a function  

A factorial experiment to evaluate this function would be most demanding. Fortunately, Eq. (4.17) leads to an expression for X  

In Chapter 2 it was shown that for a parallel plate reactor under turbulent conditions, was given by the dimensionless correlation in Eq. (2.18)  

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