Theory

Reactors are integral components of industrial plants in producing desired products from raw materials.
It is further classified into three (3) basic types: batch reactors, continuously stirred tank reactors, and
plug flow reactors. In this experiment, a plug flow reactor is used to obtain the target objectives. A plug
flow reactor, as shown in figure 1, is a long hollow cylindrical tube enclosed in a tank, usually submerged
in water, to maintain the temperature of the system.

Reactants Products

Figure 1. Schematic diagram of a Plug Flow Reactor

However, in carrying out exothermic reactions, the reactor temperature may be difficult to control and
hot spots, areas at which the temperature is appreciably higher than in the bulk of the reactor, may be
introduced to the system. It is applied in industries such as gasoline production, oil cracking, synthesis of
ammonia from its elements, and the oxidation of sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide due to its simple
mechanism and high conversion per reactor volume. As the reactants flow radially through the tube, it is
assumed the reactants are perfectly mixed without dead time occurrence in the reactor and the reaction
operates at steady state. The flow of the reactor is laminar, the properties of the reaction medium are the
same throughout the entire cross section of flow, and reaction rates vary along the length of the reactor.
The concentration of the reactants gradually decrease through the reactor at differential volume. To
calculate for the reaction rate, an equation (eqn. 1) is devised relating the concentration of the reactants
and residence time where CAo is the initial concentration of the reactant, τ is the residence time, and rA is
the reaction rate.
V dX A
τ= = CAO ∫ Eqn. 1
F −rA

References

Aboghander, N. & Shaikh, A. (n.d.). A chemical reaction engineering laboratory experiment: Isothermal
laminar-flow reactor. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/28d9/dcce95ff0696825ea3864
e98c803e66ea898.pdf.

Al Mesfer, M. K. (2017). Experimental Study of Batch Reactor Performance for Ethyl Acetate
Saponification. International Journal of Chemical Reactor Engineering, 16(1).

Khairul, A. et al. (2018). ChE 506: Lab report on plug flow reactor. Retrieved from
https://www.academia.edu/37932046/CHE506_-_Lab_Report_On_Plug_Flow_Reactor_L5_2018_.

University of Michigan Chemical Engineering. (n.d.). Visual encyclopedia of chemical engineering.

Retrieved from http://encyclopedia.che.engin.umich.edu/Pages/Reactors/PFR/PFR.html.