CLASSIFICATION & SELECTION OF CHEMICAL REACTORS

BASIC CLASSIFICATION

Sr. Type of Principle of Working Advantages Limitations Area of

No. Reactor Applications
1. Batch All reactants are added Batch processes
Reactor at the commencement • Suitable for small scale • Not suitable for large batch are used in
and the product production sizes chemical (inks,
withdrawn at the • Suitable for processes • It is a closed system in dyes, polymers)
completion of the where a range of different which once the reactants are and food industry
reaction. products or grades is to added in the reactor, they will
They are conducted in be produced in the same come out as products only
tanks attached with equipment after the completion of the
impellers, gas bubbles or • Suitable for reactions reaction
pumps. requiring long reaction
times
• Suitable for reactions
with superior selectivity

2 Continuous One or more fluid Chemical industry

Stirred reagents are introduced • Highly flexible • More especially
Tank into a tank reactor device complex and expensive than involving
Reactor equipped with an • By products may be tubular units liquid/gas
(CSTR) impeller while the removed in between the • All calculations performed reactions.
reactor effluent is reaction with CSTRs assume perfect
recovered. mixing
A stepped up • It is economically • At steady state, the flow rate
concentration gradient beneficial to operate in must equal the flow rate
exists. several CSTRs in series out, otherwise the tank will
or in parallel. overflow or go empty
• Reaction can be carried
out in horizontal as well
as vertical reactors

3 Plug Flow One or more fluid The tubular

Reactor reagents are pumped • Higher efficiency than a
(PFR) through a pipe or tube. CSTR of the same
These are characterized volume
by continuous gradients • PFRs may have several
of concentration in the pipes or tubes in parallel
direction of flow. • Both horizontal and
vertical operations are
common
• They can be jacketed
• Reagents may be
introduced at locations
even other then inlet
• Not economical for small reactor is specially
batches suited to cases
needing
considerable heat
transfer, where
high pressures and
very high or very
low temperatures
occur.

1 Gulfam Raza Haidery

 SELECTION OF REACTORS

Reactors can be selected depending upon following factors;

 Process Based Selection

 Phase Based Selection
 Transfer Based Selection
PROCESS BASED SELECTION

1) Batch process
Batch reactors are used. (i.e. batch processes are suitable for small production and for processes where a
range of different products or grades is to be produced in the same equipment for example, pigments, dye
stuff and polymers)

2) Continuous process
Continuous stirred tank reactors are used. (i.e. For example, Haber Process for the manufacture of
Ammonia)
3) Semi–batch process
Semi-batch reactors are used. (i.e. chlorination of a liquid.)
4) Catalytic process
Mostly followings are used;
Packed bed reactors where solid acts as catalyst.
Batch reactors are used where enzymes are involved.
5) Biological processes
Bioreactors are used depending upon mode of operation.
Bioreactor may be classified as;
 Batch Reactor
 Fed Batch Reactor
 Continuous Reactor
 moving media, also known as Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR)
 Packed Bed Reactor
 Fibrous Bed Reactor
 Membrane Reactor
 Photo Bioreactor (PBR)
PHASE BASED SELECTION

1) Homogeneous phase reactions

 For gaseous phase
Tubular reactors are used. (i.e. in the thermal cracking of petroleum, crude oil fractions to ethylene,
and the thermal decomposition of dichloroethane to vinyl chloride.)
 For liquid phase
Batch or CSTR is used.
2) Heterogeneous phase reactions
 For Solid-liquid Gas phase we can use;
1) Trickle bed reactors
2) Flooded reactors
3) Slurry reactors
4) Fluidized bed reactors
 For liquid-liquid and Liquid-Gas phase we often use;
 CSTR
 For Gas and Gas-liquid phase we use;
 Packed bed reactors
3) Isolated elementary reaction or multi-step reaction mechanism
 Laminar flow reactors (LFR) are often used to study them.

2 Gulfam Raza Haidery

 TRANSFER BASED SELECTION

 Agitated CSTR’s are used for good Mass and Heat transfer based reactions depending upon the
Phase and Process-type match with the given prerequisites of CSTR.
 Fluidized bed reactors are used for excellent Mass and Heat transfer purposes if reaction conditions
fulfill the requirements to go for FBR. Thus FBRs are well suited to exothermic reactions.
 Tubular reactors are often used for high Heat transfer rates if the reaction conditions are given.
 Packed bed reactors often with large diameter are used where poor heat transfer is required.
 Laminar flow reactors (LFR) are operated at constant temperature systems. (i.e. LFR is generally a
long tube with constant diameter that is kept at constant temperature. conversion from methane to
higher hydrocarbons have been studied in a laminar flow reactor.)

3 Gulfam Raza Haidery