Reading task for the first lesson
1. Mass transfer
There are too many factors which influence on technological process. Diffusivity
and mass transfer coefficient estimation and common flux equations, although
material balance are also presented in typical coordinate systems to permit a
wide range of problems to be formulated and solved.
Mass-transfer calculation involve transport properties, such as diffusivities, and
other empirical factors that have been found to relate mass-transfer rates to
measured “driving forces” in myriad geometries and conditions. The context of
the problem dictates whether the fundamental or more applied coefficient should
be used. One key distinction is that, whenever there is flow parallel to an
interface through which mass-transfer occurs, the relevant coefficient is an
empirical combination of properties and conditions. Conversely, when diffusion
occurs in stagnant media or in creeping flow without transverse velocity
gradient, ordinary diffusivities may be suitable for solving the problem. In either
case, it is strongly suggested to employ data, whenever available, instead or
relying on correlations.
Figure 1. Flowchart illustrating problem solving approach using
mass-transfer rate expression in the context of mass conservation
Most, if not all, problems or applications that involve mass transfer can be
approached by a systematic course of action. In the simplest cases the unknown
quantities are obvious. In more complex (e.g., multicomponent, multiphase,
multidimensional, nonisothermal and/or transient) systems, it is more subtle to
resolve the known and unknown quantities. For example, in multicomponent
systems, one must know the fluxes on the component before predicting their
effective diffusivities and vice versa. Figure 1 is a flowchart that illustrates the
primary types of information and their relationships, and it applies to many masstransfer problems.
2. Heat transfer
Heat transfer is a discipline of thermal engineering that concerns the exchange of
thermal energy from one physical system to another. Heat transfer is classified
into various mechanisms, such as heat conduction, convection, thermal radiation,
and phase-change transfer. All forms of heat transfer may occur in some systems
(for example, in transparent fluids like the Earth's atmosphere) at the same time.
Heat transfer only occurs because of a temperature-difference driving force and
heat flows from the high to the low temperature region.
Heat conduction, also called diffusion, is the direct microscopic exchange of
kinetic energy of particles through the boundary between two systems. When an
object is at a different temperature from another body or its surroundings, heat
flows so that the body and the surroundings reach the same temperature at
thermal equilibrium. Conduction happens in gases, liquids and solids. A good
example of heat conduction is an ice water bath, where you put ice into water
and the whole system stays at a constant equilibrium temperature as long as
there is ice present in the water.
Heat convection occurs when bulk flow of a fluid (gas or liquid) carries heat along
with the flow of matter in the fluid. The flow of fluid may be forced by external
processes, or sometimes (in gravitational fields) by buoyancy forces caused when
thermal energy expands the fluid (for example in a fire plume), thus influencing its
own transfer. The latter process is sometimes called "natural convection". All
convective processes also move heat partly by diffusion, as well. Another form of
convection is forced convection. In this case the fluid is forced to flow by use of a
pump, fan or other mechanical means.
The final major form of heat transfer is by radiation, which occurs in any
transparent medium (solid or fluid) but may also even occur across vacuum (as
when the Sun heats the Earth). Radiation is the transfer of energy through space
by means of electromagnetic waves in much the same way as electromagnetic
light waves transfer light. The same laws that govern the transfer of light govern
the radiant transfer of heat.
3. Chemical Reactors
In chemical engineering, chemical reactors are vessels designed to contain
chemical reactions. The design of a chemical reactor deals with multiple aspects
of chemical engineering. Chemical engineers design reactors to maximize net
present value for the given reaction. Designers ensure that the reaction proceeds
with the highest efficiency towards the desired output product, producing the
highest yield of product while requiring the least amount of money to purchase
and operate. Normal operating expenses include energy input, energy removal,
raw material costs, labor, etc. Energy changes can come in the form of heating or
cooling, pumping to increase pressure, frictional pressure loss (such as pressure
drop across a 90o elbow or an orifice plate), agitation, etc.
Overview
There are two main basic vessel types:
 tank
reactor - a tank
 tubular reactor - a pipe or tube
Both types can be used as continuous reactors or batch reactors. Most commonly,
reactors are run at steady-state, but can also be operated in a transient state.
When a reactor is first brought back into operation (after maintenance or
inoperation) it would be considered to be in a transient state, where key process
variables change with time. Both types of reactors may also accommodate one or
more solids (reagents, catalyst, or inert materials), but the reagents and products
are typically liquids and gases.
There are three main basic models used to estimate the most important process
variables of different chemical reactors:
 batch
reactor model (batch),
 continuous stirred-tank reactor model (CSTR), and
 plug flow reactor model (PFR).
Furthermore, catalytic reactors require separate treatment, whether they are
batch, CST or PF reactors, as the many assumptions of the simpler models are not
valid.
Key process variables include:
 residence
time (τ, lower case Greek tau)
 volume
(V)
 temperature (T)
 pressure (P)
 concentrations of chemical species (C1, C2, C3, ... Cn)
 heat transfer coefficients (h, U)
Types
CSTR (Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactor)
In a CSTR, one or more fluid reagents are introduced into a tank reactor equipped
with an impeller while the reactor effluent is removed. The impeller stirs the
reagents to ensure proper mixing. Simply dividing the volume of the tank by the
average volumetric flow rate through the tank gives the residence time, or the
average amount of time a discrete quantity of reagent spends inside the tank.
Using chemical kinetics, the reaction's expected percent completion can be
calculated. Some important aspects of the CSTR:
At steady-state, the flow rate in must equal the mass flow rate out, otherwise the
tank will overflow or go empty (transient state). While the reactor is in a transient
state the model equation must be derived from the differential mass and energy
balances.
All calculations performed with CSTRs assume perfect mixing.
The reaction proceeds at the reaction rate associated with the final (output)
concentration.
Often, it is economically beneficial to operate several CSTRs in series or in parallel.
This allows, for example, the first CSTR to operate at a higher reagent
concentration and therefore a higher reaction rate. In these cases, the sizes of the
reactors may be varied in order to minimize the total capital investment required
to implement the process.
It can be seen that an infinite number of infinitely small CSTRs operating in series
would be equivalent to a PFR.
PFR (Plug Flow Reactor)
In a PFR, one or more fluid reagents are pumped through a pipe or tube. The
chemical reaction proceeds as the reagents travel through the PFR. In this type of
reactor, the reaction rate is a gradient; at the inlet to the PFR the rate is very high,
but as the concentrations of the reagents decrease and the concentration of the
product(s) increases the reaction rate slows. Some important aspects of the PFR:
All calculations performed with PFRs assume no upstream or downstream mixing,
as implied by the term "plug flow".
Reagents may be introduced into the PFR at locations in the reactor other than
the inlet. In this way, a higher efficiency may be obtained, or the size and cost of
the PFR may be reduced.
A PFR typically has a higher efficiency than a CSTR of the same volume. That is,
given the same space-time, a reaction will proceed to a higher percentage
completion in a PFR than in a CSTR.
For most chemical reactions, it is impossible for the reaction to proceed to 100%
completion. The rate of reaction decreases as the percent completion increases
until the point where the system reachs dynamic equilibrium (no net reaction, or
change in chemical species occurs). The equilibrium point for most systems is less
than 100% complete. For this reason a separation process, such as distillation,
often follows a chemical reactor in order to separate any remaining reagents or
byproducts from the desired product. These reagents may sometimes be reused
at the beginning of the process, such as in the Haber process.
Semi-batch reactor
A semi-batch reactor is operated with both continuous and batch inputs and
outputs. A fermentor, for example, is loaded with a batch, which constantly
produces carbon dioxide, which has to be removed continuously. Analogously,
driving a reaction of gas with a liquid is usually difficult, since the gas bubbles off.
Therefore, a continuous feed of gas is injected into the batch of a liquid. An
example of such a reaction is chlorination.
Catalytic reactor
Although catalytic reactors are often implemented as plug flow reactors, their
analysis requires more complicated treatment. The rate of a catalytic reaction is
proportional to the amount of catalyst the reagents contact. With a solid phase
catalyst and fluid phase reagents, this is proportional to the exposed area,
efficiency of diffusion of reagents in and products out, and turbulent mixing or
lack thereof. The assumption of perfect mixing cannot be assumed.