Description
Aims:
To provide a basic understanding of the principles of reactor design and of the reasons underlying the selection of reactor type to meet particular sets of process conditions for single phase systems.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this module students should:
- have a fundamental understanding of reaction engineering;
- have developed a critical thinking approach for reactor selection and design;
- be able to design simple ideal reactors;
- appreciate technical, economic, safety and sustainability issues that can arise during reactor design
Synopsis:
- Introduction: Brief survey of the scope of the subject together with a review of some of its foundations.
- Mole Balances: Definition of reaction rate. The general mole balance. The batch, plug flow and continuous stirred reactors. Industrial reactors.
- Conversion and Reactor Sizing: Definition of conversion. Design equations for batch and flow systems. Reactors in series. Space velocity and space time.
- Rate Laws and Stoichiometry: Concepts of reaction rate, reaction order, elementary reaction and molecularity. Stoichiometric table.
- Isothermal Reactor Design: Design structure for isothermal batch, plug flow and continuous stirred reactors. Design of multiple reactor systems. Reversible reactions.
- Multiple Reactions: Conditions for maximising yield and selectivity in parallel and series reactions
- Non-isothermal Reactor Design: The energy balance. Algorithms for non-isothermal plug flow and continuous stirred reactor design. Equilibrium conversion. Steady state multiplicity.
Module deliveries for 2024/25 academic year
Last updated
This module description was last updated on 19th August 2024.
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