Optimal Mixing for Exothermic Reversible Reactions

TLDR: In this paper, a geometrically-based approach for determining the attainable region of a single exothermic reversible reaction was proposed. But the results were applied to an extensively investigated example and shown to give an improved value of the objective function.

Abstract: Recently developed geometrically-based ideas for determining the attainable region have been applied to single exothermic reversible reactions where the only processes allowed are preheating a portion of the feed, reaction, and mixing. The following system of reactors in series in general defines the boundary of the attainable region: a CSTR, a plug flow reactor, a differential reactor which does not in general follow the optimal temperature profile, and finally another plug flow reactor. Analytical conditions have been derived for the operating parameters of these reactors. This system of reactors gives a limit against which other reactors which use only the above-mentioned processes can be compared; for example a cold-shot-cooling reactor. This new approach combines several previous results into a cohesive theory. The ideas are applied to an extensively investigated example and shown to give an improved value of the objective function