Synthesis of optimal serial reactor structures for homogeneous reactions. Part I: Isothermal reactors

The reactor synthesis problem can simply be stated as follows: Given the reaction mechanism and kinetics, what is the optimum type and arrangement of the reactor(s) that would maximize product yield? Extensive studies for simple reaction systems (series, parallel, consecutive, etc.) using idealized plug flow and continuous stirred tank reactors have been presented in the literature. However, these studies fail to provide a systematic procedure for selecting the reactor(s) type and the rangement for complex reaction schemes. In this paper simple rules with geometrical interpretations have been developed for synthesizing isothermal reactor configurations for complex reaction schemes. A computer program capable of specifying the optimum reactor structure from a generalized configuration has also been described.