Professional Documents
Culture Documents
CH E 441 RTDs
CH E 441 RTDs
>
<
=
0 t C
0 t 0
t C
o
o
constant can be brought
outside the integral
Divide by C
o
F(t) fraction of molecules that have spent a time
t or less in reactor (Cumulative age)
Differentiate to obtain RTD function E(t)
Step Input RTD Measurement
( ) ( ) t F ' dt ' t E
C
C
t
0
step
o
out
=
}
=
(
( )
step
o
out
C
C
dt
d
t E
(
=
Step Input RTD Measurement
Advantages
Easier to carry out experimentally than pulse test
Total amount tracer in feed need not be known
Disadvantages
Often difficult to maintain a constant tracer
concentration in feed.
differentiation of data, often leads to large error.
Requires large amount of tracer, which in some cases
can be expensive.
RTD Characteristics
E(t) is sometimes called the exit-age distribution
function.
If the age of an atom is regarded as the amount
of time it spends in the reactor, E(t) is the age
distribution of the effluent.
E(t) is the most often used distribution function
for reactor analysis.
Fraction of exit stream that has resided in the reactor
for a period of time shorter than a given value of t:
Fraction of exit stream that has resided in the reactor
for a period of time longer than a given value of t:
Integral Relationships
( ) ( ) t F dt t E
t
0
=
}
( ) ( ) t F 1 dt t E
t
=
}
Integral Relationships
Mean Residence Time
( )
( )
( )
}
=
}
}
=
0
0
0
m
dt t E t
dt t E
dt t E t
t
The nominal holding time, t, is equal to the
mean residence time, t
m
.
The mean value of the time is the first
moment of the RTD function, E(t).
can be used to determine reactor volume
1
st
moment mean residence time
2
nd
moment variance (extent of spread of
the RTD)
3
rd
moment skewness (extent RTD is skewed
relative to the mean)
Other Moments of the RTD
( ) ( )
}
= o
0
2
m
2
dt t E t - t
( ) ( )
}
=
o
0
3
m
1
3
dt t E t - t s
2 3
Normalized RTD Function, E(O)
t
= O
t
A normalized RTD is often used to allow
comparison of flow profiles inside reactors of
different sizes, where
( ) ( ) t E E t = O
( )
( ) ( )
O
t
= t = O
t
=
e t E E
e
1
t E
t
for an ideal CSTR
Internal-Age Distribution, I(o)
Fraction of material inside the reactor that has
been inside for a period of time between o and
o+Ao
( ) ( )
(
}
o o
t
= o
o
0
d E 1
1
I
RTD in a Batch or PFR
Simplest case
Spike at t = t (or O = 1) of infinite height and zero
width with an area of one
( ) ( ) t o = t t E ( )
=
=
= o
0 x
0 x 0
x
( ) 1 dx x =
}
o
+
( ) ( ) ( ) t =
}
t o
+
g dx x x g
Effluent concentration is identical to that of
reactor contents.
A material balance for t > 0 on inert tracer
injected as a pulse at t = 0
RTD in a CSTR
dt
dC
V C 0
acc out - in
= v
=
( )
t
=
t
0
e C t C
RTD in a CSTR
Recall definition of E(t), and substitute:
dt
dC
V C 0
acc out - in
= v
=
( )
t
=
t
0
e C t C
( )
( )
( )
t
=
}
=
}
=
t
t
t
t
0
t
0
t
0
0
e
dt e C
e C
dt t C
t C
t E
Ideal Reactor Response to Pulse
E
t
Batch/PFR
t
E
O
CSTR
1
1
Laminar Flow RTD
(
(
|
.
|
\
|
t
v
=
(
(
|
.
|
\
|
=
2
2
o
2
max
R
r
1
R
2
R
r
1 U U
Velocity profile in a pipe (cylindrical
coordinates) is parabolic according to:
Time for passage of an element of fluid is
( )
( )
( ) ( )
(
t
=
(
v
t
= =
2 2
o
2
R r 1
1
2
R r 1
1
2
L R
r U
L
r t
The fraction of total fluid passing between r
and r+dr is dv/v
0
:
Laminar Flow RTD
( )
0 0
rdr 2 r U d
v
t
=
v
v
( )
rdr
R
t 4
rdr
R r 1
2
R
4
dt
2
2
2
2 2
t
=
(
t
t
=
( )
( )
(
t
=
2
R r 1
1
2
r t
Laminar Flow RTD
Combining
dt
t 2
dt
t 4
R 2
t
L rdr 2
t
L d
3
2
2
2
0 0 0
|
|
.
|
\
|
t
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
t
|
|
.
|
\
|
v
t
=
v
t
=
v
v
( )
0 0
rdr 2 r U d
v
t
=
v
v
( )
rdr
R
t 4
rdr
R r 1
2
R
4
dt
2
2
2
2 2
t
=
(
t
t
=
Laminar Flow RTD
The minimum time the fluid will spend in the
reactor is
Therefore, the complete RTD function is
2 2
V
R
R
U 2
L
U
L
t
0
2
2
avg max
t
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
v
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
t
t
= =
( )
>
t
<
=
t
t
2 3
2
2
t
t 2
t 0
t E
( )
> O
O
< O
= O
5 . 0
2
1
5 . 0 0
E
3
Laminar Flow RTD
The RTD appears graphically as
( )
> O
O
< O
= O
5 . 0
2
1
5 . 0 0
E
3
E
O
1
0.5
RTD of PFR and CSTR in series
CSTR (t
s
) followed by PFR (t
p
)
CSTR output will be delayed by a time of t
p
( )
( )
t >
t
t <
=
t t
p
s
t
p
t
e
t 0
t E
s p
RTD of PFR and CSTR in series
PFR (t
p
) followed by CSTR (t
s
)
PFR output will delayed the introduction of the pulse
to the CSTR by a time of t
p
Regardless of the order, the RTD is the same. However, the
RTD is not a complete description of structure for a particular
reactor or system of reactors (see Example 13-4).
( )
( )
t >
t
t <
=
t t
p
s
t
p
t
e
t 0
t E
s p