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Non-ideal Reactors
(477306S - 5 op)

Environmental and Chemical Engineering

Faculty of Technology
University of Oulu

Course period (10 Nov-12 Dec 2014)

Contact: Prof. Riitta Keiski, E-mail: riitta.keiski@oulu.fi

Dr. Prem Kumar Seelam, E-mail: prem.seelam@oulu.fi

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Course contents: Non-ideal Reactors

• Theory of residence time distribution (RTD)

• Mixing models
• Dispersion and Tank-in-series models
• Microreactor technology
• Bioreactors
• Heterogeneous catalysis: Mechanism and Kinetics
• Gas-Liquid reactions: reactor modelling, mechanism and
reactor design
• Exercises, home assignments and exam
(Contact: Prem and ???,)
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Outline

L1a. Introduction
– Ideal Vs. Non-ideal reactors
– Measurement and/or Diagnosing of
Non-ideality

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Ideal Reactor Types

CSTR Batch
XA
XA Vr XA dX A
t  CA0 
FA0 (rA )
t  C A0  (rA )
dV 0

PFR design equations

XA
Vr dX A dX F dF
  FA0  rA  F rA
A A
V
FA 0 (rA )
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0
dV A0
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Ideal Reactor Types

0% Backmixing (PFR)

Three ideal reactors: (a) batch reactor, or BR; (b) plug flow reactor, or PFR; and (c) mixed flow
reactor, or MFR.

100% Backmixing (CSTR)

1. It has neither inflow nor outflow of reactants or
products which the reaction is being carried out.
2. Perfectly mixed.
3. No variation in the rate of reaction throughout the
reactor volume.
4. Normally run at steady state.
5. Generally modelled as having no spatial variations
in concentration, temperature, or reaction rate
throughout the vessel.
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CSTR: well stirred and uniform throughout
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Ideal Vs. Non-ideal reactors

Ideal Reactors Non-ideal Reactors

• Uniform flow distribution • Non-uniform flow

• Uniform mixing • In-efficient mixing, unmixed
• Ideal mixing • Design equations changes
• Ideal design equations • Different flow effects can
• No flow effects occur: Laminar & turbulent
• No bypass • Bypass
• No radial variation in • Affect the reactor design,
concentration the yield or temperature
• No hot spots development of a chemical
process
Non-ideal……….Deviation of real reactors from ideal reactors
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Non-ideal
1. Dead Zone
2. Short Circuit
3. ideal mixing
4. ideal plug flow
behaviour in
corresponding
reactors.

(1). The ideal plug

flow Radial
concentration
& temperature
differences occur,
depending on the
particular flow
conditions
(e.g. (2) Turbulent
(3) Laminar
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Non-ideal flow patterns which may exist in process equipment.

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Two extremes of aggregation of fluid

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Examples of macro- and micro fluid behavior.
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Measurement of Non-ideality

Three concepts used to describe non-ideal

reactors:
• The residence times distribution (RTD) in
the system
• The quality of mixing
• The model used to describe the system

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 Generally, the performance of non-ideal flow systems
can be determined from known parameters, such as:

• The kinetics of the system

• The RTD of fluid in the system

• State of aggregation

• The earliness or lateness of fluid mixing in the system

• The nature of the fluid (i.e., whether a micro or macro

fluid) in the system, whether the mixing occurs in micro
or macroscopic level.

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 Reactor modeling with the RTD
• When the fluid in a reactor is neither well mixed nor
approximates plug flow (i.e., non-ideal), one can use RTD data
and some model to predict conversion in the reactor.

• Frequently used models include:

– Zero adjustable parameters
• segregation model
• maximum mixedness model
– One parameter model
• tanks-in-series model
• dispersion model
– Two adjustable parameters
• real reactor modeled as combinations of ideal reactors
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Summary
 Non-ideal reactors – PFR and CSTR
 TR with bypassing
 STR with incomplete mixing
 LFTR
– Tracer response techniques and
– Curves for ideal and non-ideal reactors

 RTD
- E(t) – E(Θ), F(t), I(t)
- Estimating reactor performance using E(t)
- Predicting reactor behaviour
- The macro fluid model
- Moments of RTD
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