Multiplicity features of reacting systems. Dependence of the steady-states of a CSTR on the residence time

Abstract Singularity theory with a distinguished parameter, as developed by Golubitsky and Schaeffer, is a very useful tool for predicting the influence of changes in a control or design variable on the steady-states of lumped-parameter systems. The theory is used to construct various bifurcation diagrams describing the influence of changes in the residence time on the temperature in a CSTR in which several reactions occur simultaneously. The number of different bifurcation diagrams increases very rapidly with increasing number of reactions. The predictions of this local theory provide important theoretical guidance in the global analysis of the multiplicity features.