STIRRED TANK REACTOR DESIGN.

A pilot-scale reactor must be able to duplicate results obtained in laboratory glassware and simultaneously provide data for the eventual design of large scale, process equipment. The ability to investigate basic reaction characteristics, equipment design considerations, and numerous process variables must be incorporated into the flexibility of a pilot-scale reactor. Even with a well designed pilot-scale reactor, not all of the small scale results can be duplicated in the large scale, process equipment. The principle objective of pilot-scale reactor testing is the development of information that can be used to design a successful large scale, commercial process. To achieve this objective, a combination of process theory, pilot-scale equipment and data anlaysis must be applied to the investigation. This paper discusses the process theory which includes investigation of the reaction, concepts of scale-up, and characteristics of fluid agitation. In the area of scale-up, an important concept called magnitude equality is introduced. Magnitude equality assumes that constant values of the design variables are the criteria for scale-up, rather than constant ratios, which are a result of physical similarity. Most scale-up designs use a combination of physical similarity and magnitude equality to achieve the desired process result. The final aspect of a pilot-scale study involves the analysis of the results. It is concluded that the integration of theory development, equipment design and data analysis is the key to a successful pilot-scale study.