Reaction Engineering

Rates, catalysts and reactors — where chemicals are made. The heart of every chemical plant is its reactor. Learn reaction kinetics and the Arrhenius law, catalysis, the general reactor design equations, and the three ideal reactors — CSTR, plug-flow and batch — with sizing, comparison and heat-management calculations.

• Reaction Kinetics — Kinetics describes how fast reactions go. Learn rate laws and reaction order, rate constants and the Arrhenius equation, activation energy, half-life, elementary vs non-elementary reactions, reversible reactions, and how to extract kinetics from experimental data.
• Catalysis — Catalysts speed reactions without being consumed. Learn homogeneous, heterogeneous and enzyme catalysis, how catalysts lower activation energy, adsorption–reaction–desorption steps, Langmuir–Hinshelwood kinetics, internal diffusion (Thiele modulus, effectiveness factor), selectivity and deactivation.
• Reactor Design — Reactor design turns kinetics into equipment. Learn the general mole balance, design equations for batch, CSTR and PFR, space time and space velocity, Levenspiel plots, reactors in series, choosing reactor type for selectivity, and non-isothermal design basics.
• CSTR — The continuous stirred-tank reactor operates perfectly mixed at steady state. Learn its design equation, first- and second-order sizing, CSTRs in series, residence time, mixing and agitation, jacket cooling, and steady-state multiplicity and stability.
• PFR — The plug-flow reactor has no axial mixing — fluid moves like a piston. Learn its differential design equation, first- and second-order sizing, packed-bed reactors and pressure drop, temperature profiles and hot spots, multitubular designs and recycle reactors.
• Batch Reactors — Batch reactors are charged, reacted and emptied. Learn batch design equations and reaction time, cycle time and productivity, semi-batch operation for safety and selectivity, heat removal peaks, scale-up issues and typical pharma/fine-chemical practice.