10.37 Chemical and Biological Reaction Engineering, Spring 2007 Prof. William H.

Green Lecture 5: Continuous Stirred Tank Reactors (CSTRs) This lecture covers: Reactions in a perfectly stirred tank. Steady State CSTR.

Continuous Stirred Tank Reactors (CSTRs)

Batch Plug Flow Reactor Continuous CSTR Open system Steady State Well mixed

Close system Well mixed Transient

Open system Steady State Continuous

Figure 2. A batch reactor. Figure 1. A plug flow reactor, and continuous stirred tank reactor.

Mole Balance on Component A

In-Out+Production=Accumulation FAo FA + rAV = 0 (steady state)

V=

FAo FA rA

FA = FAo X A FAo

In terms of conversion, XA? What volume do you need for a certain amount of conversion?

V=

FAo X A rA

where rA is evaluated at the reactor concentration. This is the same as the exit concentration because the system is well mixed. For a liquid phase with constant P: FAo = C Ao v0 (v0 =volumetric flow rate)

FA = C Av0 V C Ao X A = v0 rA V = average time a volume element of fluid stays in the reactor v0

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C Ao X A rA

Consider: 1st Order Reaction Kinetics

rA = kC A concentration or conversion?
convert rate law from CA to XA

C A = C Ao (1 X A )

rA = kC Ao (1 X A )

C Ao X A XA = reactor size in terms of conversion and rate constant kC Ao (1 X A ) k (1 X A )

rearrange to find how much conversion for a given reactor size

XA =

1 k

average reactor residence time

k 1+ k

average time until reaction for a given molecule

For a liquid at constant pressure with 1st order kinetics:

We can now define a Damkhler number reaction rate rAoV , rAo is the reaction rate law at the feed conditions Da = = flow FAo

Da = k

XA =

therefore: As Da, XA1 As Da, XA0 (molecule probably leaves before it can react) For a liquid at constant pressure with 2nd order kinetics:

Da 1 + Da

rA = kC A2 = kC Ao 2 (1 X A )
2

C Ao X A C Ao X A XA = = 2 2 rA kC Ao (1 X A ) kC Ao 2 (1 X A )

solving for conversion:

XA =

(1 + 2 kC Ao )

1 + 4 kC Ao

2 kC Ao
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10.37 Chemical and Biological Reaction Engineering, Spring 2007 Prof. William H. Green

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Da =

kC Ao 2 V = kC Ao C Ao vo

Thus, conversion can be put in terms of Da.

XA =

(1 + 2 Da )

1 + 4 Da

How long does it take for a CSTR to reach steady state? In-Out+Production=Accumulation

2 Da

FAo FA + rAV =

For a liquid at constant density this is:

dN A dt

C Ao C A + rA =
= CA C A C Ao

non-dimensionalize

dC A dt

t t =

kC C = C Ao dC A C Ao C Ao C A Ao A dt
Da P dC A =1 + 1 + k C A dt dC A =1 + (1 + Da ) C A dt

with initial conditions:

= 0, t = 0 C A
we have the solution:

= C A

In nondimensional terms, it exponentially approaches a new steady state with a characteristic time

1 1 e (1+ Da )t 1 + Da

)
.

1 + Da

10.37 Chemical and Biological Reaction Engineering, Spring 2007 Prof. William H. Green

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 C A
1 1 + Da

1 1 + Da

Figure 3. Approach to steady state in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR).

The time at which of the steady state concentration of CA is achieved is the half time:

ln(2) 1 + Da

CSTRs in Series
(Liquid and at constant pressure) CA0

Da1

Da2

CA2

Figure 4. Two tanks in series. The output of the first tank is the input of the second tank.

1st order reaction kinetics

C A1 =
C A2 =

C A0 1 + Da1
C A0 (1 + Da1 )(1 + Da2 )

For the second reactor iterate

If the CSTRs are identical,

C An =

(1 + Da )

C A0

many CSTRs in series looks like a plug flow reactor.

10.37 Chemical and Biological Reaction Engineering, Spring 2007 Prof. William H. Green

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