The Effect of Fluid Mixing on the Maximum Yield and the Optimum Temperature Profile in a Tubular Reactor : I-Autocatalytic Reaction

Abstract

The chemical reaction system to be taken up here is an autocatalytic reaction which converts an initial reactant A to a reaction product R according to A+R⇄R+R or A⇄R. Based on the one-dimensional diffusion model of fluid mixing which takes place only in the direction of axial flow, the effects of the axial diffusion on the maximum conversion and the optimum temperature distribution are investigated. The numerical results are obtained for a system in which the activation energy of the reverse reaction is twice that of the forward reaction, and it is recognized that the optimum mixing condition to the conversion exists for some operating conditions.