Tank reactors, continuous flow

Continuous Flow Reactors—Stirred Tanks. The continuous flow stirred tank reactor is used extensively in chemical process industries. Both single tanks and batteries of tanks connected in series are used. In many respects the mechanical and heat transfer aspects of these reactors closely resemble the stirred tank batch reactors treated in the previous subsection. However, in the present case, one must also provide for continuous addition of reactants and continuous withdrawal of the product stream. 

The hydrolysis of sucrose catalyzed by the strongly acidic cation-exchange resin Amberlite 200C in RH form was chosen as a model reaction to compare the use of stirred tank and continuous-flow reactors [47-49], Scheme 10.6. 

Fig. 2.24. Model of a poorly agitated continuous stirred-tank reactor (a) Flow model fraction / of flow v by-passes only a fraction w of tank volume V is well-stirred (b) Equivalent C, curves for pulse input...

The reactor system may consist of a number of reactors which can be continuous stirred tank reactors, plug flow reactors, or any representation between the two above extremes, and they may operate isothermally, adiabatically or nonisothermally. The separation system depending on the reactor system effluent may involve only liquid separation, only vapor separation or both liquid and vapor separation schemes. The liquid separation scheme may include flash units, distillation columns or trains of distillation columns, extraction units, or crystallization units. If distillation is employed, then we may have simple sharp columns, nonsharp columns, or even single complex distillation columns and complex column sequences. Also, depending on the reactor effluent characteristics, extractive distillation, azeotropic distillation, or reactive distillation may be employed. The vapor separation scheme may involve absorption columns, adsorption units,... 

BR = batch reactor SBBC = semibatch bubble column SBBPR = semibatch bubble photoreactor CBPR = continuous bubble photoreactor system SBPR = semibatch photoreactor BPR = batch photoreactor SBBT = semibatch bubble tank CFPR = continuous flow photoreactor CFCB = continuous flow bubble column CST = continuous flow stirred tank SBR = semibatch stirred reactor SFC = stopped flow cell. 

In Table I the high-vacuum (HV) range means a pressure of 10 to 10 Torr entries designated by Torr mean pressures between 0.1 and 10 Torr flow refers to an unspecified steady-state flow pattern. It is apparent from Table I that there is a great diversity in the different oscillation conditions and catalytic systems. The pressures under which oscillations have been observed vary from 10 Torr for the CO/NO reaction on Pt(lOO) 141, 142) to atmospheric pressure for a large number of systems. The reactors used in these studies include ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV) systems, continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTRs), flow reactors, and reactors designed as infrared (IR) cells, calorimeters, and ellipsometric systems. 

Figure 7-22. Comparison of stirred tank reactor, plug flow reactor and continuous stirred tank reactor (Reaction S - P asterisks indicate time or position of substrate entering the reactor).

Compare these results to those of Equation 2.22 for the same reactions in a batch reactor. The CSTR solutions do not require special forms when some of the rate constants are equal. Intermediate components B and C will exhibit maximum concentration at particular values of t, and a plot of outlet concentrations versus t is qualitatively similar to the behavior shown in Figure 2.2. However, the value for t that gives a maximum in a CSTR will be different than the value of t that gives a maximum in a PFR. For the normal case of bi = 0, the value of t that maximizes bojn is a root mean, fniax = 1/V a s > rather than the log mean of Equation 2.23. The best possible yield of B is lower in a CSTR than in a PFR or batch reactor. Continuous flow stirred tank reactors are almost always worse in terms of selectivity because the entire reactor operates under conditions that favor production of undesired byproducts. 

Extent of reaction specified Two-phase, chemical equilibrium Multiphase, chemical equilibrium Continuous-stirred tank reactor Plug-flow tubular reactor Pump or hydraulic turbine Compressor or turbine Pressure drop in a pipe Stream multiplier Stream duplicator... 

Continuous-Flow Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) Flow reactor designed to achieve a perfect mix of all reactants in its tank sometimes called a backmix reactor. 

Feed purification generally involves absorption, adsorption, extraction, and/or distillation. Reaction involves agitated batch, agitated semibatch, continuous stirred tank, or continuous flow reactors. The continuous flow reactors may be empty or contain a mass of solid catalyst. Product separation and purification involves distillation in the petrochemical industry or extraction and crystallization in the extractive metallurgy and pharmaceutical industries absorption is used to a lesser extent. 

Specific reactor characteristics depend on the particular use of the reactor as a laboratory, pilot plant, or industrial unit. AH reactors have in common selected characteristics of four basic reactor types the weH-stirred batch reactor, the semibatch reactor, the continuous-flow stirred-tank reactor, and the tubular reactor (Fig. 1). A reactor may be represented by or modeled after one or a combination of these. SuitabHity of a model depends on the extent to which the impacts of the reactions, and thermal and transport processes, are predicted for conditions outside of the database used in developing the model (1-4). 

Continuous-Flow Stirred-Tank Reactor. In a continuous-flow stirred-tank reactor (CSTR), reactants and products are continuously added and withdrawn. In practice, mechanical or hydrauHc agitation is required to achieve uniform composition and temperature, a choice strongly influenced by process considerations, ie, multiple specialty product requirements and mechanical seal pressure limitations. The CSTR is the idealized opposite of the weU-stirred batch and tubular plug-flow reactors. Analysis of selected combinations of these reactor types can be useful in quantitatively evaluating more complex gas-, Hquid-, and soHd-flow behaviors. 

Continuous-flow stirred-tank reactors ia series are simpler and easier to design for isothermal operation than are tubular reactors. Reactions with narrow operating temperature ranges or those requiring close control of reactant concentrations for optimum selectivity benefit from series arrangements. 

Continuous-Flow Stirred-Tank Reactors. The synthesis of j )-tolualdehyde from toluene and carbon monoxide has been carried out using CSTR equipment (81). -Tolualdehyde (PTAL) is an intermediate in the manufacture of terephthabc acid. Hydrogen fluoride—boron trifluoride catalyzes the carbonylation of toluene to PTAL. In the industrial process, separate stirred tanks are used for each process step. Toluene and recycle HF and BF ... 

Copolymers are typically manufactured using weU-mixed continuous-stirred tank reactor (cstr) processes, where the lack of composition drift does not cause loss of transparency. SAN copolymers prepared in batch or continuous plug-flow processes, on the other hand, are typically hazy on account of composition drift. SAN copolymers with as Httle as 4% by wt difference in acrylonitrile composition are immiscible (44). SAN is extremely incompatible with PS as Httle as 50 ppm of PS contamination in SAN causes haze. Copolymers with over 30 wt % acrylonitrile are available and have good barrier properties. If the acrylonitrile content of the copolymer is increased to >40 wt %, the copolymer becomes ductile. These copolymers also constitute the rigid matrix phase of the ABS engineering plastics. 

Reactor types modeled A, stoichiometric conversion B, equiUbrium/free-energy minimization, continuous stirred tank, and plug flow C, reactive distillation. Some vendors have special models for special reactions also, private company simulators usually have reactors of specific interest to their company. 

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. 

A useful classification of lands of reaclors is in terms of their concentration distributions. The concentration profiles of certain limiting cases are illustrated in Fig. 7-3 namely, of batch reactors, continuously stirred tanks, and tubular flow reactors. Basic types of flow reactors are illustrated in Fig. 7-4. Many others, employing granular catalysts and for multiphase reactions, are illustratea throughout Sec. 23. The present material deals with the sizes, performances and heat effects of these ideal types. They afford standards of comparison. 

Continuous-flow Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) A reaction vessel in which the feed is continuously added, and the products continuously removed. The vessel (tank) is continuously stirred to maintain a uniform concentration within the vessel. 

Various experimental methods to evaluate the kinetics of flow processes existed even in the last centuty. They developed gradually with the expansion of the petrochemical industry. In the 1940s, conversion versus residence time measurement in tubular reactors was the basic tool for rate evaluations. In the 1950s, differential reactor experiments became popular. Only in the 1960s did the use of Continuous-flow Stirred Tank Reactors (CSTRs) start to spread for kinetic studies. A large variety of CSTRs was used to study heterogeneous (contact) catalytic reactions. These included spinning basket CSTRs as well as many kinds of fixed bed reactors with external or internal recycle pumps (Jankowski 1978, Berty 1984.)... 

CONTINUOUS FLOW ISOTHERMAL PERFECTLY STIRRED TANK REACTOR... 

A continuous flow stirred tank reactor (CFSTR) differs from the batch reactor in that the feed mixture continuously enters and the outlet mixture is continuously withdrawn. There is intense mixing in the reactor to destroy any concentration and temperature differences. Heat transfer must be extremely efficient to keep the temperature of the reaction mixture equal to the temperature of the heat transfer medium. The CFSTR can either be used alone or as part of a series of battery CFSTRs as shown in Figure 4-5. If several vessels are used in series, the net effect is partial backmixing. 

CONTINUOUS FLOW STIRRED TANK REACTOR (CFSTR) ... 

Fig ure 5-23. Battery of continuous flow stirred tank reactors. 

Battery of continuous flow stiiTcd tank reactors (CFSTRsJ The notations are ... 

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