16. Residence Time Distributions of Chemical Reactors†

Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.

—Marie Curie

† Dr. Peter Danckwerts is considered the father of Residence Time Distributions in Chemical Reactors. After WWII, in which he served defusing unexploded bombs in London, he began developing the concepts of Residence Times, which he published in the early 1950s. Lucky for us he was careful during his WWII service.

Overview. In this chapter, we learn about nonideal reactors; that is, reactors that do not follow the models we have developed for ideal CSTRs, PFRs, and PBRs. After studying this chapter, the reader will be able to describe:

  • What the residence time distribution (RTD) is and how it can be used in analyzing ...

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