Modeling the Kinetics of Steady-State Attainment for a Simple Pseudo-First-Order Reaction in a Plug-Flow Reactor

A model and a solution method for a plug-flow reactor with pseudo-first-order reactions are proposed. These methods make it possible to identify a dependence of the process duration and the reactor steady-state attainment time on chemical process parameters, such as reactor volume and volumetric feed flow rate. As shown by the calculated data, at least one residence time or inverse volumetric feed flow rate is required for the process to attain steady state. It is also demonstrated that, in a continuous-flow reactor, reactant concentrations always attain steady state sooner than product concentrations; also, the product transition time is independent of the reaction kinetics and is determined by the average mixture contact time within the reactor.