[ASSIGNMENT OF CHEMICAL REACTION ENGINEERING] December 21, 2013

DIFFERENTIAL REACTOR:
Differential reactors are running in a very low conversion mode. They are good
reactor for kinetic measurement. When the conversion is infinitesimally small, our
conversion represents directly the reaction rate. Typical differential reactors are fixed bed
reactor with very low fixed bed height. For getting rid of the problem of very small
concentration differences we can take the differential loop reactor with high recirculation
factors. Here we get an 'enhancement' by multiple passing of the 'differential bed' and as a
further advantage that we can use the material balance of a CSTR for the differential loop
reactor with high recirculation. For the differential reactors, it can be single pass reactor,
recycle reactor or stirred gas reactor. All of these reactors are involved about the kinetic
measurement characteristics.
Differential reactors are primarily used for studies of heterogeneous catalysis. While
for homogeneous reaction, it is very difficult to confine as sharply as necessary to a very
small flow reactor.
A differential reactor operated with once-through flow has the advantages of
functioning, like a CSTR at one well-defined conversion level. Moreover, other than in
CSTR, this level is directly set by the chosen composition of the entering fluid. The principal
problem is how to measure the minimal composition difference between the entering and
existing fluid with the required accuracy.
Differential reactors with once-through flow thus are especially suited for
determination of initial reaction rate; with an entering fluid as yet free of products, but
much less so far measurements at moderate to high conversion.

THE FIGURE OF DIFFERENTIAL
REACTOR:
[ASSIGNMENT OF CHEMICAL REACTION ENGINEERING] December 21, 2013

Since the conversion that across the reactor is minimal thus, no corrections for the
possible fluid-density variation with conversion need to be applied. Because of the difficulty
of measuring minimal conversions accurately, differential reactors are often operated with
recycle instead of once-through. A large constant amount of the fluid is rapidly circulated
through the reactor and its composition is monitored continuously or at frequent time
intervals.
Although conversion with each pass through the reactor is minimal, it is cumulative
and so progresses steadily with time. Thus, like a batch reactor, a differential recycle
reactor operated over a prolonged time span scans a wide conversion range.
In performance, a differential recycle reactor resembles a batch reactor in that
conversion progresses with time. The difference is that in a batch reactor, the reaction
occurs in all of the fluid whereas in a differential recycle reactor it does so only in a small
fraction because at any time most of the fluid is in the recycle loop rather than the reactor
itself.
APPLICATION OF DIFFERENTIAL REACTOR:
1. Waste water management that used reactor in order to pre-treat the waste water to
produce biogas and bio fertilizer.
2. Waste water reduction and recycling in food processing operations because the
water always used and vital for the food cleaning, sanitizing and etc.
3. Pharmaceutical production
4. Pulp and paper industry.

ADVANTAGES OF DIFFERENTIAL REACTOR:
1. Excellent for measurement of initial rates.
2. Sampling from reactor effluent.
3. Easy temperature control
4. Minimum attrition of solid catalyst.

[ASSIGNMENT OF CHEMICAL REACTION ENGINEERING] December 21, 2013

DISADVANTAGES OF DIFFERENTIAL REACTOR:
1. Accurate measurement of minimal product concentration required.
2. Exact, constant flow rate required.
3. Not well suited homogeneous reaction
4. Uniform flow pattern difficult to achieve.

ADVANTAGES FOR DIFFERENTIAL RECYCLE REACTOR:
1. Sampling from reactor effluent.
2. Easy temperature control
3. Minimum attrition of solid catalyst
4. Can scan wide conversion ranges in single experiment

DISADVANTAGES OF DIFFERENTIAL RECYCLE REACTOR:
1. Exact, constant flow rate required
2. Not well suited for homogeneous reactions.
3. Uniform flow patterns difficult to achieve.
4. Long running times required.