_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

ABSTRACT

On 24th of August 2005, an experiment was conducted . Title of the experiment

was Continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) in series. Two experiments were
conducted. The first one is the effect of step change input which is a step-change
input would be introduced and the progression of the tracer will be monitored via
the conductivity measurements in all three reactors and the second one is the
effect of pulse input which is a pulse input would be introduced and the
progression of the tracer will be monitored via the conductivity measurements in
all three reactors too. Also we have to plot the graph of conductivity against time
for all three reactors to the both experiments.

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

INTRODUCTION

A stirred tank is the most fundamental of mixers and many common mixers from
the Brabender mixer used in lab to a cup of coffee with a spoon can be
considered a stirred tank under some set of approximation. Mixing in a stirred
tank is complicated and not well described (Middleman p. 340-348) although the
use of dimensionless numbers and comparison with literature accounts can lead
to some predictive capabilities. Often stirred tanks are used as industrial reactors
where a chemical component of a flow stream resides for some time in the tank
and then proceeds on to other steps in a chemical process. The residence time
distribution becomes a measure of the extent of a chemical reaction in this
situation. For mixing one can sometimes assume a constant rate of strain in the
stirred tank, Middleman p. 340-348, and the residence time distribution can then
be used under this approximation, as a measure of the extent of mixing. Dead
zones in a stirred tank for high viscosity fluids should be very familiar to anyone
who has worked in a kitchen mixing dough with a hand mixer.
Fluid motion in a stirred tank is confined to the immediate region of the
mixer blades for high viscosity fluids. In the simplest approximation that a uniform
extent of mixing occurs in the stirred tank, Middleman p. 301-306, this is called
the "perfect mixer". Consider a stream of butene in cyclohexane that is converted
to butene epoxide by reaction with a peroxide in a CSTR. The flow rate through
the tank is Q and the concentration of heptene is C 0. The tank is at steady state
meaning the volumetric in-flow equals the volumetric out-flow. The tank volume is
V. The ratio of butene epoxide to butene is governed by the temperature, catalyst
concentration, effectiveness of the catalyst and the residence time in the reactor.
A master curve in terms of conversion at constant conditions as a function of
reaction time can easily be made in the lab.

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

Then a calculation of residence time distribution in the reactor can be

directly mapped, using the lab results, to conversion ratio for the desired product.
If the butene epoxide is to be used in a second CSTR to produce the final
product then this conversion ratio becomes the input concentration for the
second CSTR. Typically a synthetic chemical process will involve a number of
CSTR's joined in this way. Then we need to determine the residence time
distribution (RTD), f(t), for a perfect mixer to approximate the conversion for this
CSTR.
In order to determine the RTD, f(t), for the CSTR we consider a simpler
situation where a concentration C 0 of a component in a flow stream Q flows into a
tank of volume V. At an instant of time all of the concentration C 0 is tagged red so
that it can be distinguished from the other reactant in the stirred tank. We then
look for the red tagged reactant in the outflow stream to determine the residence
time of the reactant in the tank. The amount of tagged material the has left the
tank at time "t" is given by the cumulative residence time distribution function,
F(t), F(t)C0Q. This is related to the concentration of tagged material in the effluent
stream, QC(t),

so

Then F(t) is the response, efflux, of the system to a pulse of concentration in the
influx.A material balance for the CSTR under the assumption of perfect mixing
yields,

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

with the starting condition that the concentration of the tagged component in the
effluent is 0 at t = 0, C(t=0) = 0. The solution to this differential equation is, where
V/Q = t is a kind of time constant for the system. Under the assumption of perfect

mixing, this time constant is the mean residence time for the CSTR, t = V/Q. The
residence time distribution function is the derivative of the cumulative residence
time distribution function,

The function has a value at t = 0 of 1 t =Q/V which decays exponentially with

time. The function has a value at t = 0 because mixing is perfect, that is some
material is instantaneously in the effluent at the instant material is introduced to
the tank. Obviously this is not realistic. Nonetheless, the exponential
approximation for a CSTR is a common assumption both in polymer processing
and in the chemical process industry as a whole. It is widely used in a wide range
of scientific fields as for a first approximation for quantities such as residence
time in a lake or ocean or for an approximation of a drug or toxins residence in
the human body since it depends only on the system volume and rate of dilution.
The function can be modified for dead space using an effective volume rather
than the actual volume of the system. Alternatively, tracer studies can be used to
measure the mean residence time.

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 _______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

THEORY

Continuous Stirred Tank Reactors (CSTRs)

Figure 1

Type of Reactor Characteristics

Continuously Stirred Run at steady state with continuous flow of reactants and
Tank Reactor (CSTR) products; the feed assumes a uniform composition throughout
the reactor, exit stream has the same composition as in the
tank

Kinds of Phases Usage Advantages Disadvantages

Present

1. Liquid phase 1.When 1.Continuous operation 1.Lowest

agitation is conversion per unit
2. Gas-liquid rxns 2.Good temperature control
required volume

3. Solid-liquid rxns 3.Easily adapts to two

2.Series 2. By-passing and
phase runs
configurations channeling
for different possible with poor
4. Good control
concentration agitation

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

streams 5. Simplicity of construction

6.Low operating (labor) cost

7.Easy to clean

General Mole Balance Equation

Figure 2

Assumptions

1) Steady state therefore

2) Well mixed therefore rA is the same throughout the reactor

Rearranging the generation

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

In terms of conversion

Reactor Sizing

Given rA as a function of conversion, rA = f(X), one can size any type of reactor.
The volume of a CSTR can be represented as the shaded areas in the
Levenspiel Plot shown below:

Figure 3

Reactors in Series

Given rA as a function of conversion, , r A = f(X), one can also design any

sequence of reactors in series provided there are no side streams by defining the
overall conversion at any point.

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

Figure 4

Mole Balance on Reactor 1

Mole Balance on Reactor 2

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

Given rA = f(X) the Levenspiel Plot can be used to find the reactor volume

Figure 5

For a PFR between two CSTRs

Figure 6

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

Given -rA = f (x), the Levenspiel Plot can be used to find the reactor volume

Figure 7

Tracer Analysis on the Transient Behaviors of Continuous

Stirred-Tank in Series.
Unlike the above, the tracer analysis will help to understand the transient
behaviors of the continuous stirred tank reactor in series by having a step input
or pulse of tracer component such as salts. The conductivity measurement will
indicate the progression of the tracer throughout the stirred tank in series.

CO

C1 C2 C3

Figure 8

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

dCi/ dt = (C1-1 Ci ) / where = V/v and V = Tank Volume, v = volume flow

rate, and Ci= concentration in i thTank. The differential equations must be solved
simultaneously.

A real reactor will be modeled as a number of equality sized tanks-in-series.

Each tank behaves as an ideal CSTR. The number of tanks necessary, n (our
one parameter), is determined from the E(t) curve.

For n tanks in series, E(t) is,

E (t) = tn-1 e-t/I

(0 - 1)/ In

Where, I = /n

It can be shown that

tm = = nI

In dimensionless from

= t / = t/I
n = t / I

E () = E (t) = n(n)n-1 e-n

(n-1)

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

2 = 2 = 0 ( t )2 E (t) d
2 2

2 = 2 = 0 ( - 1 )2 E ( ) d
2

Carrying out the integration for the n tanks in series E(t).

2 = 2 = 1
2 n

n= 2
2

For a first order reaction,

X = 1- 1 i =
( 1 + i k ) n n

For reactions other than first order and for multiple reactions, the sequential
equations must be solved.

Vi = V / n

Vi = vo ( CAo CA1)
-rA1

Vi = vo ( CA1 CA2)
-rA2

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

Vi = vo ( CA(n 1) CAn )
-rAn

Example

For a second order reaction with n = 3,

( V1 = V2 = V3 = V / 3 )

V3 = ( CAo CA ) vo
kCA2
( 1 = 2 = 3 )

3 = kCA2 + CA - CA = 0

CA1 = -1 + 1+ 4 3 k C Ao
2 3 k

Similarly,

CA2 = -1 + 1+ 4 3 k C A1
2 3 k

CA3 = -1 + 1+ 4 3 k C A2
2 3 k

X = 1 - (CA3 / CA0) , 3 = / 3

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

Effect of Step Change in Input Concentration to the Concentration of Solute in

Stirred Tank Reactors in Series.

When a step change of solute concentration is introduced at the feed of

tank 1, the tank in series will experience a transient behavior as of Figure 8
below. The response will be dependent on the residence time of each reactor in
series.

figure 9a: step change input. Figure 9b: transient

response of tank in series
to the step input.

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

Effect of Pulse in Input Concentration to the Concentration of solute in Stirred

Tank in Series.

When a pulse input of solute concentration is introduced at the feed of

tank 1, the transient behavior will be different than the step change input due to
the diminishing concentration from the input after pulsing.

figure 10a: pulse input. Figure 10b: Transient response of tank in

series to the pulse input.

OBJECTIVE

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

To determine;
The effect of step changes in input concentration of solute.
The effect of pulse or residence time in input concentration of solute
curve.

APPARATUS
1. Distillation water
2. Sodium Chloride
3. Continuous reactor in series
4. Stirrer system
5. Feed tanks
6. Waste tank
7. Dead time coil
8. Computerize system

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

APPARATUS DISCRIPTION

Figure 11

Before operating the unit, we must familiarize ourselves with the unit. Please
refer to figure 1 to understand the process. The unit consists of the followings:

Reactors
Three reactors made of borosilicate glass, each having approximately 2 liters
capacity. Each reactor is fitted with variable speed stirred mounted on the top
plate. Temperature and conductivity sensors are provided for each reactor. Flows
between vessels are by gravity. Overflow tubes are provided for the 2 nd and 3rd
reactor.

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

Stirred System
Variable speed stirred system with digital display consisting of a motor and a
shaft with impellers made of stainless steel. Speed adjustment by means of a
speed controller knob on each stirrer.

Feed Tanks
Two 15-L cylindrical tanks made of stainless steels are provided with the unit.
Each tank has a feed pump to transfer the liquid from feed tank to the reactors.
Each tank is fitted with a level switch to protect the pumps from dry on.

Waste Tank
A rectangular 50-L waste tank made of stainless steel is provided at the bottom of
the equipment.

Dead Time Coil

Material: 3/8 stainless steel tubing
Volume: approx. 200 ml
Instrumentations
1) Flow meter
Range: 0 to 500 ml/min
Output: 0 to 5 VCD
Display: LCD digital display

2) Conductivity Meter
Sensor Range: 0 to 200 mS/cm
No. of sensors: 4 (CT1, CT2, CT3, CT4)
Output: 4 to 20 mA
Display: conductivity controller with digital display for each sensor
mounted on the control panel.

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

3) Temperature Sensor
No. Of sensors: 3 (TT1, TT2, TT3)
Sensor type: RTD

4) Data Acquisition System

The Data Acquisition System consists of a personal computer, ADC

modules and instrumentations for measuring the process parameters. A
flow meter with 0 to 5 VCD output signal is supplied for feed flow rate
measurement. Conductivity sensors with controller are provided for
monitoring the tracer concentration in each reactor. The ADC modules into
digital signals will convert all analog signals from the sensors before being
sent to the personal computer for display and manipulation.

Equipment Description

The system consists of three agitated, glass reactor vessels connected in series,
two feed tanks, two variable through put feed pumps, variable speed
agitators, fixed height overflow, and an electrical conductivity meter. Two
feed systems are provided. Each feed system consists of a feed tank, a
variable speed pump, and a mixer (tee-type) at the first tank inlet. The feeds
flow through each tank where a constant liquid holdup (steady-state
operation).

Chemicals

The conductive component with be potassium chloride at low concentrations.

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES
Experiment A: The effect of Step Change
In this experiment a step change input would be introduced and the
progression of the tracer will be monitored via the conductivity measurement in
all the three reactors.

1. The two of three tanks (tank 1 and tank 2) was filled up with 20L feeds
deionized water.
2. 300 g of sodium chloride in tank 1 was dissolved. Make sure the salts
dissolve entirely and the solution is homogenous.
3. The three way valve (V3) was setting to position 2 so that the deionized
water from tank 2 will flow into reactor 1.
4. The pump 2 is switch on to fill up all three reactors with deionized water.
5. The flow rate (Fl1) was set to 150 ml/min by adjusting the needles valve
(V4). Do not use too high flow rate to avoid the over flow. Make sure no air
bubbles trapped in the piping. The stirrers 1, 2 and 3 were switch on.
6. The deionized water was continued pumped for about 10 minute until the
conductivity readings for all three reactors are stable at low values.
7. The values of conductivity were recorded at t 0.
8. T he pump 2 was switch off after 5 minutes. The valve (V3) was switch to
position 1 and the pump 1 was switch on. The timer was started.
9. The conductivity values for each reactor were recorded every three
minutes.
10. Record the conductivity values were continued until reading for the three
reactors were closed to the starting value recorded.
11. Pump 2 was switch off and the valve (V4) was closed.
12. All liquids in reactors were drained by opening valves V5 and V6.

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

Experiment 2: The effect of pulse input.

In this experiment a pulse input would be introduced and the progression

of the tracer will be monitored via the conductivity measurements in all three
reactors.

1. The two of three tanks (tank 1 and tank 2) was filled up with 20L feeds
deionized water.
2. 300 g of sodium chloride in tank 1 was dissolved. Make sure the salts
dissolve entirely and the solution is homogenous.
3. The three way valve (V3) was setting to position 2 so that the deionized
water from tank 2 will flow into reactor 1.
4. The pump 2 is switch on to fill up all three reactors with deionized water.
5. The flow rate (Fl1) was set to 150 ml/min by adjusting the needles valve
(V4). Do not use too high flow rate to avoid the over flow. Make sure no air
bubbles trapped in the piping. The stirrers 1, 2 and 3 were switch on.
6. The deionized water was continued pumped for about 10 minute until the
conductivity readings for all three reactors are stable at low values.
7. The values of conductivity were recorded at t 0.
8. Switch off pump 2 after 5 minutes. The valve (V3) was switch to position 1
and switch on pump 1. The timer was started.
9. Let the pump 1 to operate for 5 minute, and then switch off pump 1.
Switch the three ways valve (V3) back to position 2. The pump 2 was
switch on.
10. The conductivity values for each reactor were recorded every three
minutes.
11. Record the conductivity values were continued until reading for the three
reactors were closed to the starting value recorded.
12. Pump 2 was switch off and the valve (V4) was closed.
13. All liquids in reactors were drained by opening valves V5 and V6.

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

RESULTS
Experiment 1: The effect of step change input.
FT: 139.8 ml / min TT1: 25.5 oC TT2: 25.4 oC TT3 25.3 oC

Time (min) QT1(mS/cm) QT2(mS/cm) QT3(mS/cm)

0 0.0126 0.0389 0.0686
3 1.3219 0.1109 0.0000
6 2.1260 0.6421 0.0000
9 2.6304 0.8866 0.1946
12 3.0477 1.3243 0.3556
15 3.3034 1.9302 0.6332
18 3.5090 2.2321 1.0517
21 3.6304 2.5395 1.2374
24 3.7146 2.8006 1.6147
27 3.5343 3.0621 1.8299
30 3.8813 3.2544 2.0741
33 3.9561 3.4134 2.3752
36 4.0157 3.4241 2.6279
39 3.9349 3.5468 2.6996
42 3.8083 3.5900 2.9115
45 4.0114 3.7752 2.9957
48 4.0294 3.7211 3.1716
51 3.9380 3.7843 3.2389
54 4.0201 3.8207 3.3472
57 3.9122 3.8028 3.2233
60 4.0844 3.7139 3.3454
63 4.0220 3.8698 3.5177
66 4.1531 3.9130 3.3882
69 4.1140 3.9109 3.4497
72 4.0197 3.9402 3.5086
75 4.0778 3.8673 3.4742
78 4.0297 3.9166 3.6840
81 3.9986 3.8304 3.5867
84 4.1068 3.9662 3.5754
88.1 4.0198 3.8499 3.5305

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

Experiment 2: The effect of pulse input.

FT: 0.2 ml / min TT1: 24.9 oC TT2: 24.9 oC TT3 24.8 oC

Time (min) QT1(mS/cm) QT2(mS/cm) QT3(mS/cm)

0 1.3767 0.3259 0.2262
3 1.4100 0.6906 0.2822
6 1.1217 0.8530 0.3149
9 0.8780 0.8989 0.4877
12 0.6144 0.8570 0.5634
15 0.4597 0.7494 0.6211
18 0.3506 0.7071 0.7105
21 0.2307 0.6185 0.6560
24 0.1596 0.4772 0.5734
27 0.1578 0.4298 0.5716
30 0.0934 0.3096 0.5631
33 0.1610 0.2545 0.4254
36 0.0319 0.2005 0.3905
39 0.0513 0.2184 0.3477
42 0.0596 0.1412 0.3184
45 0.0056 0.0925 0.2914
48 0.0011 0.1384 0.1847
51 0.0553 0.0898 0.2365
54 0.0000 0.0377 0.1309
57 0.0515 0.0229 0.1486
60 0.0636 0.0367 0.1445
63 0.0185 0.0173 0.0804
66 0.0000 0.0000 0.1223
69 0.0094 0.0669 0.0644
72 0.0000 0.0315 0.0673
75 0.0395 0.0000 0.0518
78 0.0663 0.0000 0.0561

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

GRAPH: EXPERIMENT 1

Graph 1

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

GRAPH: EXPERIMENT 2

Graph 2

SAMPLE OF CALCULATION

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

No sample of calculation involve.

DISCUSSIONS
The Continuous Flow Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) is probably the easiest way to
transfer a batch process to a continuous one since all engineering and scale-up
data can be used from the batch process. The very broad residence time
distribution (RTD) profile however can pose some sever complications, therefore
the pitfalls are mentioned first

A minor problem is that the lower volumetric reaction rate results in a lower
productivity, this can easily be compensated by the reduction of waiting times
(filling, heating, cooling, emptying of the batch reactor) and a more constant
product quality. The effect on the selectivity of reactions can either be good or
bad. In the case of production of homogeneous copolymers for example, the
CSTR can be an ideal reactor since composition drift is absent during steady
state operation. The main reason that a series of CSTRs is not suited for the
entire emulsion polymerisation process is that the first stage of the process, the
particle nucleation, is very sensitive towards residence time distribution.

First of all, compared to the batch process, the steady state operation results in
more constant product properties, an improved energy consumption (the heat of
reaction can be used to heat feed streams) and a higher productivity through the
reduction of inactive periods (filling, heating, cooling, emptying). The control over
local mixing independently from net flow is one of the key advantages compared
to a traditional tubular reactor.

The ideal mixing in a single vessel can, besides all the negative effects
mentioned above, also have its positive effects. For the production of
homogeneous copolymers, the steady state concentrations in each CSTR make
it a lot easier to calculate and feed additional monomer streams to each CSTR
compared to the time-based addition profile for the semi-batch process. Because

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

no backmixing is possible from downstream CSTRs, the reaction conditions can

be changed sharply in subsequent reactors, without having a (negative) effect on
the reactors upstream.

In the first experiment of the effect of step change, the values of the conductivity
for those three stirrers were recorded in each three minutes. From the graph we
can see that the concentration of the deionized water was increasing with time.
The concentration of the tank 1 is higher than the others. This is because; the
300 g of sodium chloride was dissolved firstly in tank 1. Then, the deionized
water that was dissolved to the sodium in tank 1 was pumped to other one by
one which was full with deionized water. Though the concentration is uniform in
each reactor, nevertheless there are changes in concentration as fluid moves on
from 1st reactor to others. After 93 minutes, the concentration in the 3 reactors
becomes stable which is equivalent for each reactor. The resulted was shown in
graph 1.

In the second experiment, the purpose on running this experiment was to

determine the concentration response to pulse change. Same as before, the
conductivity was recorded for those reactors in each 3 minutes. From the graph,
we can see that the concentration of the deionized water was increasing with
time. After 87 minute mixing, the concentration reading of the three stirrers
reached a stable at low value which is equivalent for each stirrer.

This situation above is one of the draw back of using cstr in series if compared to
single STR. Although the series STR requires a lower reactor volumes but it take
longer to reach the conversion and it also requires more stirrer than the single
STR.

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CONCLUSIONS

From the graph and observation, it can be concluding that;

o Both first experiment and second experiment has the graph pattern as the
standard graph (figure 9 and 10).
o For the first experiment, it takes more time to achieving equilibrium in
concentration which rather it can be said that the concentration on the
reactor are directly proportional with time .
o Time measuring very important because it is can affect the conductivity.

RECOMMENDATIONS

During the experiment there are some problem occur, so these is the list of the
recommendation that can be considered if we want to produce better results;

o Firstly all the basic procedure and maintenance must be followed.

o Secondly, the instrument must have certain program which can
automatically record every 3 minutes.
o The time for doing the experiment must be extended because it takes time
to achieved equivalent data.

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REFERENCES

i. Levenspiel Octave, Department of Chemical Engineering Oregon State

University, Chemical Reaction Engineering Third Edition, John Wiley &
Sons, 1999.
ii. Schmidt, Lanny D., The Engineering of Chemical Reactions. New York:
Oxford University Press, 1998.

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APPENDICES
CE 442

DESIGN EXAMPLE

- Application of Chemical Reactor Theory -

A chemical manufacturing facility is planning on a product modification that will result in a change in wastewater character.
Of significance is the anticipated presence of phenol, an organic chemical that has not been treated by the company's
wastewater treatment facility. Consequently, the ability of the existing facility to treat phenol is in question. In order to
predict the existing reactor performance, kinetic and dispersion information is needed.

Reaction kinetic data have been collected for the chemical destruction of phenol through batch reactor tests (Table 1).

Table 1. Batch reactor reaction kinetic data.

Time Phenol
(min) (mg/L)
0 100
10 55
20 22
30 8
40 5
60 0.82
80 0.15

The phenol-bearing wastewater flow is projected to be 0.45 MGD with an anticipated phenol concentration of 95 mg/L.
The reactor ( a chemical oxidation process) has a total liquid volume of 25,000 gal. (L=35 ft., W=12 ft., H=8 ft.). A reactor
dispersion analysis has been performed by injecting an impulse of non-reactive material into the reactor feed stream. The
flow rate was monitored during the dispersion study and was determined to be 0.45 MGD. The reactor dye trace data are
presented in Table 2.

The phenol discharge permit limit has been set at 0.1 mg/L by the state regulatory board. Estimate the effluent
concentration of phenol based on the available information. Determine what might be done to meet the discharge limit. It
would be desirable to maintain the existing reactor due to obvious economic reasons. However, any reasonable design
option may be considered. Justify your final design recommendation. Show all calculations in a clear and concise
fashion. State all assumptions that you make in the design process. It should be assumed that the kinetic relationship
(Table 1) are fixed and cannot be altered. That is, the reaction kinetic data represents optimum conditions.

Table 2. Field scale reactor dispersion data.

t Conc
(min) (mg/L)
0 0
44.75 0.23
46 0.32

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46.92 0.36
48 0.82
48.5 1.24
49 2.15
49.33 2.61
50 2.98
50.75 2.93
51.67 2.98
52.75 2.89
54 2.84
56 2.89
58 2.84
60 2.52
62 2.52
64 1.92
66 1.79
68 1.6
70 1.33
75 1.28
79 1.14
83 1.1
98 0.41
113 0.39
128 0.27

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Solution
The solution approach is based on utilizing the kinetic information (Table 1) and dispersion information (Table 2) to
estimate existing reactor performance and to develop alternatives for upgrading the treatment process. The solution
approach is presented below.

1. determine reaction rate and order,

2. determine the normalized variance (

2 = /tbar ),
2 2

3. determine the number (N) of CSTR's in series that simulates the calculated dispersion (
2 = 1/N),
3. estimate the existing reactor effluent concentration, and
4. develop alternative reactor design modifications.

Reaction rate constant and order. Reaction rate and order is determined using the data in Table 1 of the problem
statement. The general rate expression (equation 1) is applied in the analysis process.

dC
kC n (1)
dt
where
k = reaction rate constant
n = reaction order

After assuming a reaction order, equation 1 is integrated and algebraically manipulated such that a general straight line
relationship (equation 2) is developed.

y mx b (2)
For example, if we assume n=0, the following solution applies.

Ct kt C 0 (3)
dC
kC 0 k
dt

dC kdt

Ct t

dC k dt
C0 0

C t C 0 kt

Equation 3 is a straight line relationship and indicates that if the reaction data is truly zero order, a plot of C t vs. t would
result in a straight line. If, however, the data is not linear, another order must be assumed and the process repeated.

For example, assuming n=1 yields the following solution to equation 1.

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_______________________________________ CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK REACTOR in SERIES

dC
kC
dt

dC
kdt
C

Ct t
dC
C C k 0 dt
0

ln C t ln C 0 kt
LnC t kt ln C 0

The result of performing these operations on the kinetic data is presented in Figure 1.

Kinetic Data

120 6

5
100 y = -0.0819x + 4.7085
4
C
80 3
Ln(C)
C (mg/L)

2
Ln(C)
60
1

40 0

-1
20
-2

0 -3
0 20 40 60 80 100
Time (min)

Figure 1. C and ln(C) vs. time for the rate data from Table 1.

The data in Figure 1 indicate that a zero (n=0) order assumption does not result in a linear relationship (C vs. t data is
non-linear). ln(C) vs. t, however, does fall on a straight line. The reaction rate is therefore first order with the slope equal
to k = 0.08 min-1.

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