In industrial fields such as metallurgy, the study of ideal flows and ideal reactors is crucial.

The high complexity of material flow brings a lot of troubles to reactor design. However, studying ideal flow conditions and reactors can effectively solve these problems.

In the production process, two extreme flow states sometimes occur, one is complete axial non-mixing, and the other is complete axial mixing. These two flow states are collectively called ideal flow.

This kind of flow is not a random arrangement, but derived from the refinement of actual complex flow conditions, forming an abstract model concept.

In the smelting process of many non-ferrous metals, the movement of materials is often interfered with by many factors and appears chaotic. The ideal flow model can simplify this complex situation.

Its emergence allows researchers to better grasp the basic flow laws of fluids in reactors.

At the same time, this ideal flow model has clear physical connotations and can be described by relatively simple mathematical formulas. Therefore, it can reveal the fundamental characteristics and rules of the flow process.

In the practice of industrial production, the research results of many laboratories can often be successfully realized. However, once it enters the stage of large-scale production, various difficulties are frequently encountered.

Material flow has a significant impact on the reaction, so it is particularly necessary to study the ideal flow state.

The flow of materials in the reactor affects many aspects.

Reactions in the reactor are related to the input or output of heat, and heat transfer is accompanied by the flow of materials. Just like in a chemical production line, heat is transferred wherever the materials flow.

Likewise, material flows are critical to inputs and outputs. For example, in the pharmaceutical process, the addition of raw materials and the discharge of products and intermediate products in the reactor are inseparable from the effective flow of materials.

In addition, the length of residence time of the material is determined by the flow.

Many factors that affect the reaction, such as concentration, temperature, reaction time, and contact state between reactants, are closely related to flow.

In the acid-making reaction tower, if the material flow is abnormal, it may cause abnormal increase in local concentration or temperature, which will affect the reaction speed and product quality.

During the reactor design phase and as you move from small-scale pilot testing to large-scale production, the impact of flow regimes on the final outcome becomes increasingly significant. This situation often leads to a large gap between the amplified effect and the expected effect in small experiments.

Residence time, space time, space velocity, and backmixing are important concepts associated with an ideal reactor.

When a fluid flows through a reactor at a certain flow rate, we can calculate the residence time.

For example, if a certain fluid passes through a reactor with a volume of VR cubic meters per hour at a flow rate of v cubic meters per hour, then the residence time r of the fluid can be calculated by dividing VR by v.

If the volume flow rate v0 during feeding is used instead of v, then 1/v0 is called empty time.

In the constant volume process, there is also the concept of airspeed, airspeed S = 1/airtime.

Backmixing is another term that refers to the fluid flowing through the reactor as if it were composed of many tiny parts. These small parts each stay for different times, and when they blend with each other, they form a backmixing phenomenon.

In actual industrial operations, different industrial types pay different attention to these concepts.

In the continuous production of petrochemical industry, the monitoring and adjustment of airspeed is crucial. In the intermittent production stage of the pharmaceutical industry, people may pay more attention to the residence time and whether backmixing occurs.

Intermittent reactors are also called batch reactors.

It has a stirring device inside to mix the materials.

During the operation, the materials are put into the reactor at one time, and after stirring, the materials are quickly and evenly distributed. This uniformity helps ensure the stability of the reaction.

After the reaction is completed, all raw materials are taken out, and then the next round of charging and reaction is performed.

In this kind of reactor, the distribution of reactants shows a significant characteristic, that is, at any moment, the materials in the reactor are uniformly distributed in space, and their composition does not differ due to spatial location, but continues to change over time.

Moreover, here, all materials react and stay the same for the same length of time, so the conversion rate of the reaction in the final finished liquid is also fairly consistent.

Taking the small-scale seasoning reactions of some printing and dyeing companies as a reference, this equipment is very suitable. It not only ensures that the quality of each batch reaches the standard, but also allows flexible production adjustments according to the specific requirements of different orders.

The state of the materials in the completely mixed reactor is special.

After the materials enter the reactor, they can quickly reach a state of uniform mixing.

During operation, the reactor exhibits unique characteristics in regulating key parameters such as material concentration.

To implement chemical reactions in the wastewater treatment process, the reactor can ensure that the treatment chemicals and wastewater are mixed quickly and evenly, thereby increasing the speed and efficiency of the reaction.

Moreover, because the mixing speed is fast and uniform, the adaptability to changes in the external environment is relatively strong.

In the field of large-scale industrial production, to achieve a thorough mixing effect, it is often necessary to invest more energy in processes such as stirring.

In a plug flow reactor, materials are moved forward one by one.

Presents a propulsion mode similar to piston motion.

Similar to a long pipeline reactor, raw materials enter from one end and products are discharged from the other end.

In this process, the fluids basically move in sequence and there is no back-mixing phenomenon.

In the catalytic reaction transportation link of long-distance oil pipelines, if the design concept of plug flow reactor is used, the reaction process can be effectively controlled and the probability of side reactions can be reduced.

Mentioning this matter, readers may wish to think deeply, as modern chemical industries and other industries continue to advance, do we need to develop or optimize new ideal reactors to adapt to the increasing production complexity requirements?