Space velocity (chemistry)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about space velocity in chemical reactor design. For the motion of stars, see stellar
kinematics.
In chemical engineering and reactor engineering, space velocity refers to the quotient of the
entering [volumetric flow rate]] of the reactants divided by the reactor volume (or the catalyst bed
volume) which indicates how many reactor volumes of feed can be treated in a unit time (for
instance, a reactor with a space velocity of 7 hr 1 is able to process feed equivalent to seven times
the reactor volume each hour). It is commonly regarded as the reciprocal of the reactor space time.
In industry, space velocity can be further defined by the phase of the reactants at given conditions.
Special values for this measurement exist for liquids and gases, and for systems that use solid
catalysts.[1]
By definition, space velocity can be expressed mathematically as SV 0 / V. In this
expression, 0 represents the volumetric flow rate of the reactants entering the reactor
and Vrepresents the volume of the reactor itself. This expression is the reciprocal of the definition for
the reactor space time, (i.e. SV = 1/). However, the space time is measured at the conditions of
the reactor entrance while the space velocity is often measured at a set of standard conditions, so
the reported space velocity may be different from the reciprocal of the measured space time. [1]
Calculations are straightforward when the reactor volume is known and the incoming reactant flow
rate is known. For example, if 70 feet3/hour of a reactant enter a reactor with an internal volume of
250 feet3, the calculated space velocity is approximately 0.28 hour 1. This can be viewed as the
number of reactor changes the system is undergoing in one hour.[1]

Liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV = Reactant Li