Chemical/Polymer

Reactor Design

Muhammad Zafar Iqbal

 What to do today..
Introduction to Reactor Design
Reactor Classification
Modes of Operation of Reactors
Choice of Operating Conditions: A
practical approach
Design of an ideal batch Reactor
 Fundamentals
Chemical reactor is the heart of the plant
Basic aim is to produce a specified product at a
given rate from unknown reactants.
How to proceed:
1- The type of reactor and its method of operation
2- The physical condition of reactants at inlet
What is desired:
1- Reactor Size: Volume and important dimensions
2-Composition and physical conditions of product
3- Temperature inside the reactor and H.T
methodology
4- Operating pressure and any pressure drop
occurring at inlet or outlet of reaction mixture
The existence of any by product must be known
 Reactor Classification and type
selection
Homogenous Reactors:
Only one phase is involved: gas or liquid
When more phases are involved the mixing is very
important
Heterogeneous Reactors:
Two or more phases are involved.
Normally solids if present then are in catalyst form.
A heterogeneous reactor may involve a heterogeneous
reaction or a homogeneous reaction.

Heterogeneous reactors show greater variety of

configuration and contacting patterns than
homogenous reactors.
 Types of Reactors
Batch Reactor (BR, STR)
The reactants are initially charged into the vessel
and are well mixed and left to react for a certain
period of time. The resultant mixture is then
discharged. This is an unsteady operation where
the composition changes with time but is uniform
throughout the reactor at a specific time.
 Continuous Reactors
Continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR, MFR,
BMFR)
An agitator is introduced to disperse the reactants
thoroughly into the reaction mixture immediately
they enter the reactor.
Product is continuously drawn out and thats why
known for perfect mixing.
Compositions at outlet and inside reactor are same.
Best suitable for liquid phase reactions
Plug Flow Reactor: (PFR)
These are tubular reactors generally but not
necessarily.
Often called piston flow, slug flow, ideal tubular flow or
unmixed flow reactors.
The residence time for all the elements is same: Must
be
Sometimes used for liquid phase reactions but best
suited for gas phase reactions.
 Semi-Batch Reactors
Aim of their invention is to get benefit of any thing by
changing the contacting pattern.
One of the reactants may not be charged at once but
slowly.
When required:
To react a gas with a liquid
To control a highly exothermic reaction
To improve the product yield in suitable
circumstances
Heat of Reaction and Reactor Type
When heat of Reaction is too small then can be
neglected
But if it is high then this is major influencing factor
The temperature of the system can rise or fall
depending upon the reaction type: Exothermic or
Endothermic
A relation must be there among enthalpy, heat
transferred, and temperature change of the
system (Energy balance)

Before designing, check for:

1- What is the heat of reaction?
2- Acceptable range of temperature?
Different reactor configurations based
on Temperature(Modes of Operation)

Adiabatic Reactors

Very easy to design

Temperature drop or rise remains within
acceptable range
The properties of the product are not affected by
such rise or fall in temperature
Reactors with Heat Transfer
This arrangement is used when isothermal
operation is desired
The temperature can be controlled through internal
coils, external jackets or external heat exchanger
The factors which influence the H.T. are:
1-H.T. coefficient
2- Jacket Pressure
3- Jacket Pressure drop
4- Reactor pressure
5- Cleanliness
6- Cost
Reactor with Internal Coils
Jacketed Reactor and its types
Reactor with heat exchanger
 Auto thermal Reactors
These are the self supporting systems in which
heat of one stream is used to heat feed stream in
order to raise the reaction rate and save the time
and the cost.
These show integrated reactor system with feed
back systems
An external source of heat is required to start the
reaction once and then reaction proceeds on
itself.
This is valid for Highly Exothermic Reaction
Systems
 Choice of Process Conditions
Two main principles are involved:
1- Chemical Equilibrium
2- Chemical Kinetics
If equilibrium contact is very large, then reaction is
said to be irreversible. But there lies a max. extent of
that reaction upto which it can proceed (Chem. Equil.).
How to proceed: Find the applicable temperature
range of reaction and then investigate Kc under that
temperature range.

From recommended literature it is found that:

 Example (Coulson)
Statement:
A process for the manufacture of styrene by the
dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene

C6H5-CH2-CH3 = C6H5-CH=CH2 +
H2
At T= 560 degree C

Tasks:
1- Determine max. conversion of Et at P=1 bar
2- Determine max. conversion at Et: Steam = 1 : 15
Solve Yourself
 Ideal Batch Reactor
Designing: Calculation of Reaction Time: basic
Design Equation

1-

2-

3-

4- Time to reach a specific

conversion
For Constant Density systems

For gas-phase reactions