DISTRIBUTIONS OF

RESIDENCE TIMES (RTD)

FOR CHEMICAL REACTORS
-PART 1-

By: Mdm. Noor Amirah Abdul Halim

THEORY OF RTD

Definition of Residence Time Distribution (RTD)

- Probability distribution function that describes the amount of

time that a fluid element could spend inside the reactor

Purpose of RTD Analysis

- To characterize the mixing and flow within reactors

- To compare the behavior of real reactors to their ideal models
Why?..
- For reactors troubleshooting
- Estimation of yield for given reaction

Future reactor design

The theory of RTD generally begins with 3 assumptions:

1. The reactor is at steady-state,

2. Transports at the inlet and the outlet takes place only by
advection
3. The fluid is incompressible (v = constant).

Residence Time Distribution (RTD) Function E

(t)

The distribution of residence times is represented

by an external residence time distribution or an
exit age distribution, E(t). The function E(t) has
the units of time^-1 and is defined such that:

The fraction of the fluid that spends a given

duration, (t)inside the reactor is given by the
value of

The Cumulative Distribution Function F(t)

The fraction of the fluid that leaves the

reactor with an age less than (t1)is;

Where F (t) is called cumulative distribution

Thus, The fraction of the fluid that leaves the

reactor with an age greater than(t1)is

Mean Residence Time tm

The average residence time is given by the

first moment of the age distribution:

For no dispersion/diffusion in the reactor:

space time () equal to mean residence time
(tm)

Variance 2

The behavior of the function E(t) also could

indicate the degree of dispersion around the
mean through the variance (2),

MEASUREMENT OF RTD
RTD can be determined experimentally
by;
1. Injecting an inert chemical/molecule/atom
called tracer ,into the reactor at t=0
2. Measure the tracer concentration ,C in the
effluent stream as a function of time.

Properties of tracer :
Non reactive species
Easily detectable
Physical properties similar to reacting mixture
Completely soluble in the mixture
Not adsorb on the wall or other reactor surface

Common type tracer- Colored an radioactive

materials along with inert gases

RTD can be determined by two experimental

methods (based on injection method: pulse
or step)
1. Pulse experiment
2. Step experiment

PULSE EXPERIMENT

This method required the introduction of a very

small volume of concentrated tracer at the inlet
of the reactor, .The outlet tracer concentration C
(t) is then measured as a function of time.

Example:
From our experiment data of the exit tracer
concentration from pulse tracer test

We can obtain;

STEP EXPERIMENT

In a step experiment, the concentration of

tracer at the reactor inlet changes abruptly
from 0 to C0. The concentration of tracer at the
outlet is measured and normalized to the
concentration C0 to obtain the non-dimensional
cumulative distribution curve F(t) which goes
from 0 to 1:

DISCUSSIONS
The RTD function E(t) can be determined
directly from a pulse input,
The cumulative distribution F(t) can be
determined directly from a step input.

Relation of the step- and pulseresponses of a reactor are given by ;

The value of the mean residence time (tm) and

the variance (2) can also be deduced from the
cumulative distribution function F(t):

EXERCISE 1
The following is an E curve calculated for
reactor Y

1. What is the maximum value of E shown on

this curve?
2. What fraction of the molecules spend
between 2 and 2.5 minutes in the reactor
3. What fraction spend between 3.5 and 4

4.

Which curve below corresponds to F(t)?

EXERCISE 2
The F curves is shown below for a real reactor

What is the mean residence time?

EXAMPLE

1. C(t) curve

Find E (t)

1. Determine the area of C(t) curve

2. Construct the E (t) curve

Fraction of material spend for 15-20 s in

reactor

F(t) and, the fraction of material that spends 25 s

or less in the reactor

Mean residence time ( tm)

Variance

aArea= 15
s^2

RTD FOR IDEAL REACTORS

The RTD of a reactor can be used to compare
its behavior to that of two ideal reactor
models: the PFR and the CSTR (or mixed-flow
reactor).
This characteristic is important in order to
calculate the performance of a reaction with
known kinetics.

BATCH & PLUG FLOW REACTORS (PFR)

In an ideal PFR, there is no mixing and the fluid

elements leave in the same order they arrived.

Therefore, fluid entering the reactor at time t will exit

the reactor at time t + , where is the residence
time of the reactor.

The residence time distribution function,E(t) is

therefore a dirac delta function () at .

E (t) for PFR is given by:

Where the dirac delta function () at is given as

Assume (x=t)

PROPERTIES OF DIRAC DELTA

Thus:
Mean residence time: :
Variance:
Cumulative distributions:

CSTR (MIXED FLOW REACTOR)

An ideal CSTR is based on the assumption that the flow at

the inlet is completely and instantly mixed into the bulk of
the reactor.
The reactor and the outlet fluid have identical,
homogeneous compositions at all times. An ideal CSTR has
an exponential residence time distribution:
Equation for CSTR

PREDICTING CONVERSION AND

EXIT CONCENTRATION
The RTD tells us how long the various fluid
elements have been in the reactor, but it
does not tell us anything about the exchange
of matter between the fluid elements.
The length of time each molecule spends in
the reactor is all that is needed to predict
conversion.

TYPE OF MIXING

Macromixing
Produces a distribution of residence times

Micromixing
Describes how molecules of different ages encounter
one another in the reactor.
2 types:
1. Complete Segregation :
All molecules of the same age group remain together
as they travel through the reactor and are not mixed
with any other age until they exit the reactor
2. Complete Micromixing
Molecules of different age groups are completely mixed
at the molecular level as soon as they enter the reactor

CONVERSION (X)

For batch reactor :

For PFR :
tm =
CA = CA0 (1-X)

For CSTR

Reactor
Modeling Using
RTD

Segregation
Model

Maximum
Mixedness
Model

SEGREGATION MODEL
In the segregation model globules
behave as batch reactors operated
for different times

Mean conversion
for the segregation model

The segregation model has mixing at

the latest possible point.

The farther the molecules travel along the

reactor
before being removed, the longer their
residence time. Each globule exiting the real
reactor at different times will have a different
conversion. (X1,X2,X3...)

MAXIMUM MIXEDNESS MODEL

Maximum mixedness:
Mixing occurs at the earliest possible point

As soon as the
fluid enters the
reactor, it is
completely mixed
radially (but not
longitudinally)
with the other fluid
already in the
reactor.

Let be the time it takes

for the fluid to move from
a particular point to the
end of the reactor. In
other words, is the life
expectancy of the fluid in
the reactor at that point

Continue from previous example:

CHAPTER ENDED. ALL THE BEST =)