Plug Flow Reactors

Plug flow, or tubular, reactors consist of a hollow pipe or tube through which
reactants flow. Pictured below is a plug flow reactor in the form of a tube wrapped
around an acrylic mold which is encased in a tank. Water at a controlled
temperature is circulated through the tank to maintain constant reactant
temperature.

(Copyright Armfield Limited, Ringwood, UK)

General Information

Plug flow reactors, also known as tubular reactors, consist of a cylindrical pipe with
openings on each end for reactants and products to flow through.
 (Copyright High Pressure Equipment Co., Erie, PA)

Plug flow reactors are usually operated at steady-state. Reactants are continually
consumed as they flow down the length of the reactor.

Equipment Design

The movie below shows the operation of a plug flow reactor. Plugs of reactants are
continuously fed into the reactor from the left. As the plug flows down the reactor
the reaction takes place, resulting in an axial concentration gradient. Products and
unreacted reactants flow out of the reactor continuously.

Plug flow reactors may be configured as one long tube or a number of shorter
tubes. They range in diameter from a few centimeters to several meters. The
choice of diameter is based on construction cost, pumping cost, the desired
residence time, and heat transfer needs. Typically, long small diameter tubes are
used with high reaction rates and larger diameter tubes are used with slow reaction
rates.

(Copyright High Pressure Equipment Co., Erie, PA)

The picture below shows a disassembled tubular reactor.

 (Copyright High Pressure Equipment Co., Erie, PA)

Usage Examples

Plug flow reactors have a wide variety of applications in either gas or liquid phase
systems. Common industrial uses of tubular reactors are in gasoline production, oil
cracking, synthesis of ammonia from its elements, and the oxidation of sulfur
dioxide to sulfur trioxide. Pictured below is a tubular reactor used in research on
the oxidation of nitrogen compounds. It reaches temperatures of 800 - 1100°C.

(Copyright Robert Hesketh, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ)

Tubular reactors can also be used as bioreactors or for small scale production. The
tubular bioreactor shown below is used for the production of algae. The algae is
then compressed and dried and can be used as feed for a biodiesel reactor.
 Advantages

 Easily maintained since there are no moving parts.

 High conversion rate per reactor volume.
 Mechanically simple.
 Unvarying product quality.
 Good for studying rapid reactions.
 Efficient use of reactor volume.
 Good for large capacity processes.
 Low pressure drops.
 Tubes are easy to clean.

Disadvantages

 Reactor temperature difficult to control.

 Hot spots may occur within reactor when used for exothermic reactions.
 Difficult to control due to temperature and composition variations.