PFR- not all molecules will travel at the same speed i.

e will not have the same RT because of the friction on the walls so molecules in the middle of the reactor will travel fastest and therefore less RT. Dispersion model In reality the plug flow reactor has some axial dispersion and back mixing. The dispersion model accounts for this non ideality in the PFR. The axial dispersion is governed by an analogy to Ficks law of diffusion, superimposed on the flow. (Fogler p877 3rd edition) .Dispersion can occur at any point in the reactor and there is no dead volume or channelling involved. For this model the parameter is the dispersion coefficient, Da.

( )
( )

( (

) )

Da=k Per =

q=

( ( ) ( ) (

) ) ( )

Tanks in series Tanks in series is used to analyse the RTD to determine n-CSTR ideal tanks in series that will give the same RTD as the non- ideal reactor. For ideal CSTR n=1 and for PFR n= . The parameter is n.
( )

for first order reaction

IDEAL behaviour
An ideal PFR has no back flow or axial mixing. It assumes all the atoms leaving the reactor have spent the same amount of time. Therefore the distribution function is a spike of infinite height. An ideal CSTR assumes the concentration of any substance in the exit stream is the same as the concentration throughout the reactor so it is perfectly mixed with no dead volumes associated. The result is a decreasing exponential graph as the tracer decreases in the reactor.

CSTR PFR Water In PBR Conductivity Meter

Rotameter

Tracer injected