RE-401

Residence Time Distribution

GROUP : A12-b
Date of Experiment: 14/08/2015
Date of Presenting: 18/08/2015

Aakash Rajwani (120020021)

Chirag Jha (120020015)
Rupansh Goyal (120020011)
Nikhil Sharma (120020058)

Aim of the experiment

To determine the residence time distribution in the given

configuration for pulse and step inputs

Theory
u

Residence Time Distribution - Different atoms take different time to

The residence time distribution (RTD) or more precisely the E(t) function
may be looked upon as a correction factor to account for the non-ideality

come out of the reactor, the distribution of the various atoms coming out of
the reactor with respect to time is called the residence time distribution

RTD can be determined experimentally by injecting an inert chemical,

molecule, or atom, called tracer, into the reactor at some time t = 0 and
then measuring the tracer concentration 'C' in the exit stream as a
function of time

Pulse and Step inputs are the two commonly used methods of injection.

Pulse Input u

An amount of tracer No is suddenly injected in one shot into the feed stream
in as short a time as possible

The outlet concentration is then measured as a function of time

The effluent concentration-time curve is referred to as the C curve in the

RTD analysis

We select t sufficiently small that the concentration of tracer, C(t), exiting

between time t and t+ t is essentially constant

Then the amount of tracer material N, leaving the reactor between time t
and t + t is

N = C (t) v t

N/No = C(t) v t / No
u

represents the fraction of the material that has a residence time in the
reactor between time t and t +t

For a pulse injection we define,

E(t) = v C(t)/ No

therefore,
N / No = E(t) t
dN = v C(t) dt

and integrating, we obtain

No = 0 v C(t) dt
u

volumetric flow rate v is constant,

E(t) = C(t) / 0 C(t)dt

Step Input u

A constant rate of tracer is added to the feed at time t = 0

Thus, we have
C0(t) = 0 t < 0
C0(t) = C0 t 0

The concentration of the tracer in the feed to the reactor is kept at this
level until the concentration in the effluent is indistinguishable from that in
the feed
Cout(t) = Cin (t-t') E(t) dt'

Therefore,
[Cout/Co] = 0t E(t) dt

normalized concentration vs. time profile gives the

F curve

dF(t)/dt = E(t)
u

For a laminar flow reactor, the velocity profile is parabolic with the fluid in
the center of the tube spending the shortest time

By using a similar analysis as shown above, we obtain the complete RTD

function for a laminar flow reactor as,
E(t) = 0

t < /2

E(t) = 2/2t3 t /2
u

For pulse input (CSTR) E(t) = (1/) exp(-t/)

the mean residence time:

variance of residence time is defined as,

The Dispersion number is defined as D/uL and is given by,

Apparatus

Apparatus

Given Data

Pulse

Pulse

Step

Step

Graphs
C vs t (STEP LFR)
2000
1800

Conductivity C(t)

1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
0

500

1000

1500

Time (s)

2000

2500

3000

Ftheo vs t (STEP LFR)

y = 0.0004x - 0.0924

1.200
1.000
0.800
0.600
0.400
0.200
0.000
0
-0.200

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Fexp vs t (STEP LFR)

1.200

1.000

0.800

0.600

0.400

0.200

0.000
0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

E(t) vs t (STEP LFR)

0.06

0.05

0.04

0.03

0.02

0.01

0
0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

E vs t (PULSE CSTR)
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
0

200

400

600

800
E(t)

1000
E(theo)(t)

1200

1400

1600

1800

C vs t (PULSE CSTR)
1600
1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

1800

Final Values
CSTR (Pulse)

LFR (Step)

Variance

193158

512551.2

Scaled Variance

0.789

0.222

Space time

269.39 s

220 s

Mean Residence Time

495.26 s

1518.58 s

D/uL

0.126