Title: Non-isothermal Reactors design

Author: By Antonio Torres Ayala

Introduction:

Whereas isothermal reactors do not consider the effects of the temperature, non-isothermal
reactors do it. Fogler (2004) indicates that “Isothermal operation occurs when the feed
temperature is identical to the temperature of the fluid inside the reactor.” (p. 441) but this
hardly happens in practice. Although the isothermal reactors are a good approach to
understanding how to design a chemical reactor when students are learning about the
influence of size and reactor type on the conversion, in real-life processes most chemical
reactions are affected by the temperature.

The non-isothermal reactor design involves the effect of the temperature when the reaction
either absorbs heat (endothermic reactions) or generates heat (exothermic reactions) and their
implications on the conversion. Temperature also affects the properties of reactants, such as
density and viscosity, increasing the complexity of design equations.

Development:

We have different temperature effects in reactions, it depends on the type of reaction, Fogler
(2004) explains that “For endothermic reactions, the equilibrium conversion increases with
increasing temperature up to a maximum of 1.0. For exothermic reactions the equilibrium
conversion decreases with increasing temperature.” (p. 468). In other words, If the reaction
is endothermic (∆𝐻 > 0), we will better product formation when the temperature increase.
Also, If the reaction is exothermic (∆𝐻 < 0), we will better product formation when the
temperature decrease. This relation is expressed in van’t Hoff equation:

𝑘 ∆𝐻 1 1
ln =− −
𝑘 𝑅 𝑇 𝑇

Where 𝑘 and 𝑘 are the reaction rate constants at temperature 1 and temperature 2.

Density and viscosity change with the temperature. This directly affects the design of
reactors, as changes in gas density cause changes in the size of the equipment, on the other
hand, changes in viscosity will affect the energy required to pump the reagents in and out of
the reactor. The density is inversely proportional to temperature, when temperature increases,
the density decrease. Viscosity will decrease with increased temperature because as particles
move more quickly, they interact for shorter time reducing internal friction.

Conclusion:

The design of non-isothermal reactors allows finding the best operation temperature to obtain
the wished conversion with a certain type and size reactor. This type of system is harder to
solve than isothermal reactors. When you are designing a reactor for an endothermic reaction
you could consider using high temperature, but you need to consider the effect on density
and viscosity. When you are designing an exothermic reactor, you could try to evaluate it in
low-temperature conditions to increase the equilibrium conversion. The non-isothermal
reactor design is not recommended unless you are not a beginner in this topic.

APA references:

Science-Direct. (2001). Non-Isothermal Reactors. Modeling of Chemical Kinetics and

Reactor Design, 424–551. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-088415481-5/50008-5

Fogler, H. S. (2004). Elements Of Chemical Reaction Engineering (3.a ed.). Prentice Hall.