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12. Reactor design

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Product-Driven Process Design
This chapter is in the book Product-Driven Process Design
12 Reactordesign12.1 EssenceofreactorsThe conversion of feed to products is the essence of a chemical process and, thus,the reactor is the heart of a chemical plant. When designing a reactor, an engineermustfirstcollectdataaboutthechemicalreactionandthenselectappropriatereac-tionconditions,whichwillhelpdeterminesuitablematerialsofconstruction.Next,thedesignershoulddeterminetheratelimitingstepand,fromthis,thecriticalsizingparameter.Next,preliminarysizing,layoutandcostingcanbeconductedforthere-actor.Atthispoint,simulationsandexperimentscanbeconductedtoverifythattheproposedreactorwillmeetthedesiredspecifications.Thedesignisoptimizeduntilthesetargetsaremet.Throughoutthedesignprocess,itisimportantfortheengineertoconsiderthemostappropriatetypeofreactortouse,anymixingorheattransferequipmentthatmustbeaddedandsafetyconsiderations.ThischapterfollowsTowlerandSinnott(2013)andtheopenprocessdesigntex-booktoalargeextent.12.2 Idealreactors12.2.1 BatchreactorsIn a batch reactor, the reagents are added together and allowed to react for a givenamountoftime.Thecompositionschangewithtime,butthereisnoflowthroughtheprocess.Additionalreagentsmaybeaddedasthereactionproceeds,andchangesintemperaturemayalsobemade.Productsareremovedfromthereactorafterthereac-tionhasproceededtocompletion.Batchprocessesaresuitableforsmall-scaleproduction(lessthan1,000,000lb/yr)and for processes where several different products or grades are to be produced inthesameequipment(Douglas,1988).Whenproductionvolumesarerelativelysmalland/orthechemistryisrelativelycomplex,batchprocessingprovidesanimportantmeansofqualitycontrol.12.2.2 Plugflowreactor(PFR)Aplugflowreactor(PFR)withtubulargeometryhasperfectradialmixingbutnoaxialmixing.Allmaterialshavethesameresidencetime,τ,andexperiencethesametem-peratureandconcentrationprofilesalongthereactor.TheequationforPFRsisgivenbydM=rdV,(12.1)https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110570137-012
© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Munich/Boston

12 Reactordesign12.1 EssenceofreactorsThe conversion of feed to products is the essence of a chemical process and, thus,the reactor is the heart of a chemical plant. When designing a reactor, an engineermustfirstcollectdataaboutthechemicalreactionandthenselectappropriatereac-tionconditions,whichwillhelpdeterminesuitablematerialsofconstruction.Next,thedesignershoulddeterminetheratelimitingstepand,fromthis,thecriticalsizingparameter.Next,preliminarysizing,layoutandcostingcanbeconductedforthere-actor.Atthispoint,simulationsandexperimentscanbeconductedtoverifythattheproposedreactorwillmeetthedesiredspecifications.Thedesignisoptimizeduntilthesetargetsaremet.Throughoutthedesignprocess,itisimportantfortheengineertoconsiderthemostappropriatetypeofreactortouse,anymixingorheattransferequipmentthatmustbeaddedandsafetyconsiderations.ThischapterfollowsTowlerandSinnott(2013)andtheopenprocessdesigntex-booktoalargeextent.12.2 Idealreactors12.2.1 BatchreactorsIn a batch reactor, the reagents are added together and allowed to react for a givenamountoftime.Thecompositionschangewithtime,butthereisnoflowthroughtheprocess.Additionalreagentsmaybeaddedasthereactionproceeds,andchangesintemperaturemayalsobemade.Productsareremovedfromthereactorafterthereac-tionhasproceededtocompletion.Batchprocessesaresuitableforsmall-scaleproduction(lessthan1,000,000lb/yr)and for processes where several different products or grades are to be produced inthesameequipment(Douglas,1988).Whenproductionvolumesarerelativelysmalland/orthechemistryisrelativelycomplex,batchprocessingprovidesanimportantmeansofqualitycontrol.12.2.2 Plugflowreactor(PFR)Aplugflowreactor(PFR)withtubulargeometryhasperfectradialmixingbutnoaxialmixing.Allmaterialshavethesameresidencetime,τ,andexperiencethesametem-peratureandconcentrationprofilesalongthereactor.TheequationforPFRsisgivenbydM=rdV,(12.1)https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110570137-012
© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Munich/Boston

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Foreword VII
  3. Contents IX
  4. Part I: Process Design
  5. 1. Introduction 3
  6. 2. Performance products in a challenging environment 9
  7. 3. A structured approach for product-driven process design of consumer products 89
  8. 4. Formulation of design problems and identification of consumer wants 119
  9. 5. Product function and generation of ideas 145
  10. 6. Network of tasks, mechanisms and operational window 165
  11. 7. Equipment selection and design 185
  12. 8. Multi-product and multi-product-equipment integration 233
  13. 9. Molecular product design 243
  14. Part II: Process Design Principles
  15. 10. Process synthesis 261
  16. 11. Process simulation 277
  17. 12. Reactor design 337
  18. 13. Batch process design 369
  19. 14. Separation train design 389
  20. 15. Plant-wide control 417
  21. 16. Heat integration 435
  22. 17. Process economics and safety 451
  23. 18. Design for sustainability 469
  24. 19. Optimization 479
  25. 20. Enterprise-wide optimization 491
  26. A Appendix 505
  27. Index 507
Readers are also interested in:
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110570137-012

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Foreword VII
  3. Contents IX
  4. Part I: Process Design
  5. 1. Introduction 3
  6. 2. Performance products in a challenging environment 9
  7. 3. A structured approach for product-driven process design of consumer products 89
  8. 4. Formulation of design problems and identification of consumer wants 119
  9. 5. Product function and generation of ideas 145
  10. 6. Network of tasks, mechanisms and operational window 165
  11. 7. Equipment selection and design 185
  12. 8. Multi-product and multi-product-equipment integration 233
  13. 9. Molecular product design 243
  14. Part II: Process Design Principles
  15. 10. Process synthesis 261
  16. 11. Process simulation 277
  17. 12. Reactor design 337
  18. 13. Batch process design 369
  19. 14. Separation train design 389
  20. 15. Plant-wide control 417
  21. 16. Heat integration 435
  22. 17. Process economics and safety 451
  23. 18. Design for sustainability 469
  24. 19. Optimization 479
  25. 20. Enterprise-wide optimization 491
  26. A Appendix 505
  27. Index 507
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