Stirred-Tank Reactor Flow Regimes

Over 25 years ago the coking factor of the radiant coil was empirically correlated to operating conditions (48). It has been assumed that the mass transfer of coke precursors from the bulk of the gas to the walls was controlling the rate of deposition (39). Kinetic models (24,49,50) were developed based on the chemical reaction at the wall as a controlling step. Bench-scale data (51—53) appear to indicate that a chemical reaction controls. However, flow regimes of bench-scale reactors are so different from the commercial furnaces that scale-up of bench-scale results caimot be confidently appHed to commercial furnaces. For example. Figure 3 shows the coke deposited on a controlled cylindrical specimen in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and the rate of coke deposition. The deposition rate decreases with time and attains a pseudo steady value. Though this is achieved in a matter of rninutes in bench-scale reactors, it takes a few days in a commercial furnace. 

It is useful to examine the consequences of a closed ion source on kinetics measurements. We approach this with a simple mathematical model from which it is possible to make quantitative estimates of the distortion of concentration-time curves due to the ion source residence time. The ion source pressure is normally low enough that flow through it is in the Knudsen regime where all collisions are with the walls, backmixing is complete, and the source can be treated as a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The isothermal mole balance with a first-order reaction occurring in the source can be written as... 

When a liquid warms up, its density decreases, which results in buoyancy and an ascendant flow is induced. Thus, a reactive liquid will flow upwards in the center of a container and flow downwards at the walls, where it cools this flow is called natural convection. Thus, at the wall, heat exchange may occur to a certain degree. This situation may correspond to a stirred tank reactor after loss of agitation. The exact mathematical description requires the simultaneous solution of heat and impulse transfer equations. Nevertheless, it is possible to use a simplified approach based on physical similitude. The mode of heat transfer within a fluid can be characterized by a dimensionless criterion, the Rayleigh number (Ra). As the Reynolds number does for forced convection, the Rayleigh number characterizes the flow regime in natural convection ... 

Backmix flow reactor or continuously stirred tank reactor. The conversion rate is lower than for plug-flow reactors because the reagent is immediately diluted on being introduced into the reactor. Many flow reactors, e.g. tubular reactors, and especially in the turbulent regime are in this class. 

Basic Design ofEnv me Reactors Under Ideal Conditions. Batch Reactor Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor Under Complete Mixing Continuous Packed-Bed Reactor Under Plug Flow Regime... 

The above experiments, if done under conditions equivalent to full scale ones with a well-mixed stirred tank reactor at steady state, give the basic rate of overall reaction plus information on what influences it. These can be used for scale-up calculations, either keeping to a stirred tank, or where appropriate, scaling up a different type of reactor, e.g. a bubble column for Regime I, a cascade of stirred tanks if plug flow is required in Regime II, or a packed tower or gas-liquid annular flow tubular reactor for Regime III or for gas-fllm controlled mass transfer. 

Flow regimes in two-phase (gas-liquid) stirred tank reactor... 

Bubble columns Loop reactors Stirred tanks Hydrocyclones Reasonable Reasonable Reasonable Reasonable Modeling of chum-turbulent flow regime Modeling of chum-turbulent flow regime Improved geometrical representation of impeller and baffles Improved geometrical representation of system... 

Any deviations from ideal displacement regime are called stirring or inverse stirring. In that case tank reactors of ideal stirring are the idealized model of continuously operating apparatus in opposition to ideal plug-flow reactors. 

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