- 1.1 The Rate of Reaction, -rA
- 1.2 The General Mole Balance Equation (GMBE)
- 1.3 Batch Reactors (BRs)
- 1.4 Continuous-Flow Reactors
- 1.5 Industrial Reactors
- 1.6 And Now... A Word from Our Sponsor-Safety 1 (AWFOS-S1 Safety)
- Summary
- CRE Web Site Materials
- Questions, Simulations, and Problems
- Supplementary Reading
1.5 Industrial Reactors
Be sure to view the actual photographs of industrial reactors on the CRE Web site so you will know them when you run into them. There are also links to view reactors on different Web sites. The CRE Web site also includes a portion of the Visual Encyclopedia of Equipment, encyclopedia.che.engin.umich.edu, “Chemical Reactors” developed by Dr. Susan Montgomery and her students at the University of Michigan. Also see Professional Reference Shelf on the CRE Web site for “Reactors for Liquid-Phase and Gas-Phase Reactions,” along with photos of industrial reactors, and Expanded Material on the CRE Web site.2
In this chapter, and on the CRE Web site, we’ve introduced each of the major types of industrial reactors: batch, stirred tank, tubular, and fixed bed (packed bed). Many variations and modifications of these commercial reactors (e.g., semibatch, fluidized bed) are in current use and these reactors will be discussed in Chapters 6 and 10, respectively. For further elaboration, refer to the detailed discussion of industrial reactors given by Walas.3
The CRE Web site describes industrial reactors, along with typical feed and operating conditions. In addition, two solved example problems for Chapter 1 can be found on the CRE Web site, http://www.umich.edu/~elements/6e.