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1: Basic Considerations in Reactor Design

Chemical Technological Processes
Basic consideration in Reactor Technology
Chemical Equilibria and Chemical kinetics
2: General principles in Reactor design
Material and Energy Balances
Chemical equilibrium
Design of reactors
3: Homogeneous reactors
Kinetics
Interpretation of batch data
4: Heterogeneous Reactors
Non catalytic reactors
Catalytic reactors

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5: Industrial Reactors
Plug-flow reactors
Fixed bed reactors
Fluidized bed reactors
Stirred tank reactors
Bubble column reactors

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 a reaction is heterogeneous if it requires the
presence of at least two phases to proceed at the
rate that it does, such a reaction occurs in a vessel
termed a heterogeneous reactor.
 In practice, the vast majority of nuclear reactors of
all possible types and purposes are heterogeneous.
 This broad distribution of heterogeneous reactors is
due to their vastly greater constructional and
technological advantages in comparison to
homogeneous reactors.
 The presence of heat-releasing elements, such as
fuel assemblies and fuel channels, is an indication
of the heterogeneous nature of a reactor.
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 Heterogeneous reactors are classified into
the following:
(1)Gas/liquid reactors
(2)Gas/solid reactors
(3)Liquid/solid reactors
(4)Gas/liquid/solid reactors

 (2) and (3) will be considered as fluid/solid

reactors

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 Processes taking place in such reactors are as
follows:
(1)Gas purification, or the removal of small
amounts of impurities such as CO 2, SO2 etc
from air or natural gas.
(2)Liquid phase processes such as hydrogenation,
halogenation, oxidation, alkylation etc.
(3)Manufacture of pure products such as
sulphuric acid and nitric acid
(4)Biochemical processes such as fermentation

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(1) Packed and Tray Towers
 Commonly used for the removal of CO2
and H2S from inert gases
 The principal reactive solvents for the
removal of acidic constituents from gas
streams are aqueous solutions mon-
ethanol-amine (MEA), di-ethanol-amine
(DEA) and K2CO3
 Figure on next slide shows (a) tray and (b)
packed countercurrent towers and (c)
packed co-current tower
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(2) Sulphur dioxide, Spray towers

Flue gases and off-gases from sulphuric acid

plants contain up to 0.5% SO2 gas.
The removal processes that has become
popular utilizes limestone
Limestone is pulverised and contacted with

the gas in a spray tower.

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 These are generally reactors where fluids are
reacting in the presence of granular catalysts.
 Most solid catalytic processes employ fixed

beds.
 Fluidized and moving beds are also

considered in few cases.

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 The catalyst is contained in a fixed packed
bed

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 In this type of reactor, a fluid (gas or liquid) is
passed through a granular catalyst at high
enough velocities to suspend the solid and
cause it to behave as though it were a fluid.
 This process, known as fluidization, imparts

many important advantages to the reactor.

 As a result, the fluidized bed reactor is now

used in many industrial applications.

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 The catalyst is in the form of granules and
circulates in the reactor due to gravity and
gas lift.
 Examples are the Houdry cracker and the UOP

platinum reformer

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 Most scenarios involve gas/liquid reactions
occurring on the porous surface of a solid
catalyst.
 The common reactors are the (1) trickle bed,

(2) flooded fixed bed, and (3) suspended

catalyst bed reactors.

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 The catalyst is a fixed bed
 Flows of gas and liquid are co-current

downwards

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