OBJECTIVE

To carry out a non catalytic homogeneous reaction of NaOH and ethyl acetate in a series of 3
CSTRs and
i
ii

To study the performance of cascade of 3 equal volume CSTR in series.

To draw the performance chart for the reactor system and evaluate the reaction rate
constant at ambient condition.

THEORY
Ideal steady state flow reactor is called the mixed reactor, the back mix reactor, the ideal stirred
tank reactor, the C* (meaning C-star), CSTR, or the CFSTR (constant flow stirred tank reactor),
and, as its names suggest, it is a reactor in which the contents are well stirred and uniform
throughout. Thus, the exit stream from this reactor has the same composition as the fluid within
the reactor. We refer to this type of flow as mixed flow.
Since the composition is uniform throughout, the accounting may be made about the reactor as a
whole.
0

Input = output + disappearance by reaction + accumulation

If FAO = VoCAO is the molar feed rate of component A to the reactor, then considering the reactor
as a whole we have
Input of A, moles / time = FAO (1-XAO) = FAO
Output of A, moles / time = FA = FAO (1-XA)
Disappearance of A by reaction, moles / time =
= (-rA)V

=(

moles A reacting
( time ) (volume of fluid) ) ( volume of reactor

)
Introducing these three terms into balance equation, we obtain

FAOXA = (-rA)V
Which on rearrangement becomes
V
F AO

C AO

XA
r A

VC AO
F AO

XA
= r A

Or

Any

1
s

V
vo

C AO X A
r A

Where XA and rA are measured at exit stream conditions, which are the same as the conditions
within the reactor.

EQUAL SIZE OF CSTR IN SERIES

Consider a system of N mixed flow reactors connected in series. Through the concentration is
uniform in each reactor, there is, nevertheless, a change in concentration as fluid moves from
reactor to reactor. This stepwise drop in concentration suggests that the larger the number of
units in series, the closer should the behavior of the system approach plug flow.

First Order Reactions.

From a material balance for component A about vessel I gives

Because

Co V i
Fo

Vi
v

X
( i X i1)
= CO
r Ai

= 0 this may be written in terms of concentrations. Hence

C o [(1C i ) (1Ci1 /C )]
i =

Co

kCi

Or
C i1
Ci

= 1 + k i

C i1C i
k Ci

Now the space time T (or mean residence time t) is the same in all the equal size reactors of
volume Vi. Therefore
Co
CN

1
1X N

Co
C1

C1
C2

C N 1
CN

= ( 1 + k i

Rearranging, we find for the system as a whole

Nreactors = N

N
k

Co
[ ( CN

1/N

1]

, this equation reduces to the plug flow equation

In the limit, for N

1
k

ln

C0
C

Second Order Reaction.

N reactors in series we find
CN

DIAGRAM

1
4 ki

( -2+2

1 +2 1+2 1+ 4 C

ki }N )

Schematic Diagram of 3 CSTR in series