CHEMICAL REACTORS Basic classification

No. Type of Reactor Batch Reactor Principle Advantage of Working s All reactants are added at the commence ment and the product withdrawn at the completion of the reaction. They are conducted in tanks attached with impellers, gas bubbles or pumps. Suitable for small scale production Suitable for processes where a range of different products or grades is to be produced in the same equipment Suitable for reactions requiring long reaction times Suitable for reactions with superior selectivity Limitation s Not suitable for large batch sizes It is a closed system in which once the reactants are added in the reactor, they will come out as products only after the completion of the reaction Area of Applicatio n Batch processes are used in chemical (inks, dyes, polymers) and food industry

1.

Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR)

One or more fluid reagents are introduced into a tank reactor equipped with an impeller while the reactor effluent is recovered. A stepped up concentratio n gradient exists

Highly flexible device By products may be removed in between the reaction

More complex and expensive than tubular units All calculations performed with CSTRs assume It is perfect economical mixing ly At steady beneficial state, the to operate flow rate in several must equal CSTRs in the flow rate series or in out, parallel. otherwise Reaction the tank will can be overflow or carried out go empty in horizontal as well as vertical reactors Higher efficiency than a CSTR of the same volume PFRs may have several pipes or tubes in parallel Both horizontal and vertical Not economical for small batches

Chemical industry especially involving liquid/gas reactions

Plug Flow Reactor (PFR)

One or more fluid reagents are pumped through a pipe or tube. These are characteriz ed by continuous gradients of concentrati on in the

The tubular reactor is specially suited to cases needing considerabl e heat transfer, where high pressures and very high or very low temperatur es occur

direction of flow

operations are common They can be jacketed Reagents may be introduced at locations even other then inlet

Reactors can be selected depending upon following factors; Process-based classification Phase-based classification Transfer-based classification

Process-based classification
1) Batch process Batch reactors are used.(i.e Batch processes are suitable for small production and for processes where a range of different products or grades is to be produced in the same equipment for example, pigments, dye stuff and polymers) 2) Contiouous process Continuous stirred tank reactors are uesd.(i.e For example, Haber Process for the manufacture of Ammonia) 3) Semibatch process Semi-batch reactors are uesd.(i.e chlorination of a liquid.) 4) Catalytic process Mostly followings are used; Packed-bed reactors where solid acts as catalyst. Batch reactors are used where enzymes are involved. 5) Biological processes Bioreactors are used depending upon mode of operation. Bioreactor may be classified as batch, fed batch or continuous moving media, also known as Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR)

packed bed fibrous bed membrane photobioreactor (PBR)

Phase-based classification
1) Homogeneous phase reactions For gaseous phase Tubular reactors are used.(i.e. in the thermal cracking of petroleum, crude oil fractions to ethylene, and the thermal decomposition of dichloroethane to vinyl chloride.) For liquid phase Batch or CSTR are used. 2) Heterogeneous phase reactions For Solid-liquid Gas phase we can use; 1) Trickle bed reactors 2) Flooded reactors 3) Slurry reactors 4) Fluidized bed reactors For liquid-liquid and Liquid-Gas phase we often use; CSTR For Gas and Gas-liquid phase we use; Packed bed reactors 3) Isolated elementary reaction or multi-step reaction mechanism Laminar flow reactors(LFR) are often used to study them.

Transfer-based classification
Agitated CSTRs are used for good Mass and Heat transfer based reactions depending upon the Phase and Process-type match with the given prerequities of CSTR. Fluidized bed reactors are used for excellent Mass and Heat transfer purposes if reaction conditions fullfill the requirements to go for FBR. Thus FBRs are well suited to exothermic reactions Tubular reactors are often used for high Heat transfer rates if the reaction conditions are Packed bed reactor often with large diameter are used where poor heat transfer is required. Laminar flow reactor (LFR) are operated at constant temperature systems. (i.e LFR is generally a long tube with constant diameter that is

kept at constant temperature. conversion from methane to higher hydrocarbons have been studied in a laminar flow reactor.)