Type of Principle of Advantages Limitations Area of

Reactor Working Applications

Batch All reactants Suitable for small Not Batch

Reactor are added scale production suitable for processes
at the Suitable for large batch are used in
commencement processes where a sizes chemical
and the product range of different It is a (inks,
withdrawn at products or grades closed dyes,
the is to system in polymers)
completion of be produced in the which once and food
the same the industry
reaction. equipment reactants
They are Suitable for are
conducted in reactions requiring added in
tanks attached long reaction the reactor,
with times they will
impellers, gas Suitable for come out as
bubbles or reactions with products
pumps. superior selectivity only
after the
completion
of the
reaction

Continuous One or more Highly flexible More Chemical

Stirred fluid device complex industry
Tank reagents are By products may be and especially
Reactor introduced removed in expensive involving
(CSTR) into a tank between the than liquid/gas
reactor reaction tubular reactions.
equipped with units
an It is economically All
impeller while beneficial to calculations
the operate performed
reactor effluent several CSTRs in with CSTRs
is series assume
recovered. or in parallel. perfect
A stepped up Reaction can be mixing
concentration carried out in At steady
gradient horizontal as well state, the
exists. as vertical reactors flow rate in
must equal
the flow
rate
out,
otherwise
the tank
will
 overflow or
go empty

Plug Flow One or more Higher efficiency Not The tubular

Reactor fluid than a CSTR of the economical reactor is
(PFR) reagents are same for small specially
pumped PFRs may have batches suited to
through a pipe several pipes or cases
or tube. tubes in parallel needing
These are Both horizontal and considerable
characterized vertical operations heat
by continuous are transfer,
gradients common where
of They can be high
concentration jacketed pressures
in the Reagents may be and
direction of introduced at very high or
flow. locations very
even other then low
inlet temperatures
occur.