Reaction Rates & Kinetics
- Introduction to Rate of Reaction
- Arrhenius & Rate Constant
- Rate Data Analysis - Differential Method
- Rate Data Analysis - Half Life
Core chemical engineering · Years 3–4
Reactor Design for chemical engineers
A course on reactor design, covering rate of reaction, ideal reactor modelling, non-isothermal systems, fixed bed reactors and non-ideal flow.
- 29
- 35
- 29
- 7
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No card needed. Every lesson is open on every plan.
The subject
What Reactor Design covers
This course covers the principles of reactor design from reaction rate through to non-ideal flow behaviour. It begins with the rate of reaction, the Arrhenius equation and the rate constant, then develops the modelling of ideal batch, continuous stirred tank and plug flow reactors alongside stoichiometric tables. Non-isothermal systems are covered in depth, including non-isothermal and adiabatic batch modelling and non-isothermal CSTR modelling, followed by rate data analysis using the differential, integral and half-life methods. Fixed bed catalytic reactors are examined through preliminary design, pseudo-homogeneous mass and energy balances, heat transfer and friction factors. The course concludes with non-ideal behaviour, covering tracer response techniques, residence time distribution curves, and pulse and step inputs.
What you’ll be able to do
- Define rate of reaction per unit time and volume
- Describe a CSTR as a vessel with constant flow in and out
- Explain how non-isothermal behaviour affects product distribution in multiple reactions
- Explain the industrial significance of solid catalysts
- Analyse the flow regime in a cylindrical tube using Reynolds number
- Apply Henry's law at the gas-liquid interface
The lessons
Every lesson, theme by theme
29 lessons in 7 themes, pitched at Years 3–4. Your year decides what comes first, never what you can open.
Ideal Reactors
- Ideal Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor Modelling
- Ideal Plug Flow Reactor Modelling
- Non-Isothermal Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor Modelling
- Characteristics of Non-Ideal Behaviour
- Tracer Response Curve for Ideal Reactors
- Tracer Response Curve for Non-Ideal Reactors
Non-Isothermal Reactors
- Introduction to Non-Isothermal Reactors
- Non-Isothermal Batch Reactor Modelling
- Non-Adiabatic Batch Time Modelling
Catalytic & Packed Beds
- Fixed Bed Catalytic Reactor Preliminary Design
- Pseudo-Homogeneous Mass Balance
- Pseudo-Homogeneous Energy Balance
- Introduction to Friction Factor
Non-Ideal Reactors & RTD
- Laminar Flow Tubular Reactor
- Residence Time Distribution Curves
- Pulse Input
- Step Input
Mass Transfer Effects
- Mass Transfer Modelling Only
More in Reactor Design
- Ideal Batch Reactor Modelling
- Stoichiometric Tables
- Adiabatic Batch Time Modelling
- Rate Data Analysis - Integral Method
- Modelling of Fixed Bed Catalytic Reactor
- Heat Transfer in Fexed Bed Reactor
- Stirred Tank Reactor Incomplete Mixing
How you’ll learn it
Reactor Design, at your pace
Video lessons
29 lessons and 35 videos, each with what you’ll be able to do by the end.
Practice, marked as you go
29 practice questions, marked the moment you answer, with hints when you’re stuck. Step-by-step worked solutions come with Core.
CERA, when it doesn’t click
Ask CERA to explain any idea in Reactor Design another way, or to test you on it. Every day, on every plan.
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Distillation
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Ready when you are
Build a plan around exactly where you’re stuck
Tell us where you are and get a pathway with your first lesson, your first practice set and a weekly study target. You won’t need an account until you want to keep it.