The Selection of a Reactor Type

Abstract

In the previous chapters various aspects of chemical reactors were discussed. It was assumed that the nature of the reacting phases, the phase configuration and the mode of operation were given. In the course of chemical reactor development for a given process, conscious decisions have to be made regarding these various aspects. These may be based on intuition, but also on quantitative evaluations, for which we need calculation methods of the types presented in the preceeding sections. For the selection of a reactor type that is the most suitable for the given process, a sound combination of calculations and intuition is recommended. In particular situations, a novel reactor type might be conceived. However, an iterative procedure is often unavoidable.