Mixing Efficiency Determinations

for Continuous Flow Systems

A . CHOLETTE and LEONCE CLOUTIER

Models a r e defined for various mixing conditions,

in continuous flow systems. Differential equations a r e
derived which take into acrount an effective volume
of mixing, possillle short-circuiting, holcl-up time of
the system, partial displacement or piston flow.
The values of the different factors contained in
the integrated equations can be determined experimentally by the particular response of a given system
to a sudden change in composition of the feed.
A correlation of the effective volume of mixing
and the agitator r.p.m. is presented.
A design procedure is suggested for tank flow
reactors when partial mixing occurs.

which has been referred to as one of the most

intractable of all the unit operations of chemical
engineering ( I ) , has been the object o f niorc and niorc
fundamental w o r k over the past years, partly perhaps on
account of the recognized complexity of the subject (2).
Many of the investigations in this field have dealt with
batch systems and with the power requirements for
mixing ( 3 9 4 . 5 - 6 ) . T h e ever increasing conversion to continuous-flow processes in the industry has introduced
various other aspects to the problcm for others to esplore.
Among the numerous avenues of approach followed, a
few can be found dealing with the efficiency of niixing.
In spite of all the u o r k done in this particular field, much
more remains to lie accomplished as indicated in reccnt
chemical engineering works ( 1 , 29 7 ) .
T h e present investigation was undertaken with the
purpose of providing a theoretical basis for evaluating
the performance of misers. T h e method dcveloped for
measuring mixing efficiencies applies to continuous-flow
systems but it is intended to extend it to batch systems as
well. After presenting a quantitative treatment of various
factors likely to be encountered in actual mixing, an
experimental study relating to part of the theoretical
investigation is exposed.
IXING,

Previous work
Machlullin and IVeber (8) were among the first to
present an analytical study of the behavior of perfectly
mixed systems, f o r continuous-flow niising vesscls in series.
T h e y , and others ( 0 . l o ) , used the tcrni short-circuit or
mathematical by-passing to dcnotc conditions involving
probability considerations, applicable to well agitated
tanks in which the contents are substantially honio-

.................................................................................

1Manuscript received J u n u u q 2, 1959.

2Dspomnent of Chemical Engineering h v a l University Quebec, Quc.
from the Departmsnt
Chemkd Engftddng. L a d Uni-

Cmt&ution

01

@e Canadian Journal of chemical Endneering, June, 1959

Les auteurs dCfinissent des modkles pour diffbrentes conditions dagitation clans les systgmes ii
bcoulement continn. 11s dkduisent des Cquations diffCrentielles qui tiennent compte tlun volume effirace
clagitation, cle court-circuits ponsihles, du temps de
rCtention du systkme et de Ikcoulement par dbplacement ou frontal.
Leu valeurs des diffCrents fiicteurs contenus clans
les Cquations intbgrkes peuvent &treolltenues ii partir
de la rCponse pariiculi&re clun systcme donnb ii un
cliangement sullit dc la composition cle lalimentation.
Les auteurs prksentent une corrklation entre le
volume efficace dsgitation et la vitesse de lagitateur.
11s proposent une mCthocle de calcul pour les
rCarteurs en rCgime continu lorsque lagitaiion est
partielle.

geneous, whcrcby sonic of the molcculcs in t h e feed

streaiii appear aliiiost iiiiiiiediately in the effluent as a
result o f good agitation. T h i s may be confusing bccause,
is pointed out t)y Colburn (I), the tern1 short-circuit
should refer rather t o the flow pattern in a tank where
some of thc fced is channeled to the outlet, reaching the
latter \vithout being mi\ed. I t latcr occurred to Mac\lulliri ( 1 2 ) that short-cut o r channelized flow between
inlet and outlct would indeed alter conditions in a tank.
He suggestcd, rathcr qualitativel!?, that it could perhaps
be possible to evaluate the eficicncy of a stirrer b y
stud!.ing the conversion rate of a reacting system whose
kinetics are known,
Statistical methods have been suggestcd to determine
blending efficiencies (*I) f o r batches of varying concent:-ation fed into a stirred tank.
Danckacrts ( 1 I ) h a s introduccd the concepts of holdback a n d segregation in order to conipare actual to ideal
iilhing conditions in continuous flow systems. T h e concept of hold-back relates t o the residence time of various
elcmcnts in the system; the author cautions: the whole
F-diagram (and possibly other inforination) is needed if
the actual performance of the reactor is to be calculated.
T h e notion of real short-circuit is mentioncd b u t none
o f the I; diagrams shoivn take it into account. As to the
concept of xgrcgation, also obtained from F-diagrams,
it is introduced to give an indication of t h e efficiency
of mixing in a system. LVhile it points t o the degree of
departure o f a system from perfcct mixing, it does not
indicate fully how the syhteni actually behaves. T h e H
and S values thus defined involve rather tedious determinations besides being questionable as to their real
advantage.

105

C/C.

_-

9.c,

05

10

05

15

20

I5

I 0

Y
Figure 1-Perfect
mixing : the feed is dispcrsed instantaneously. The composition of the outlet stream is the
same as that of the tank contents.

Figure 2-Partial
mixing and short-circuit: a fraction of
the total volume is perfectly mixed; part of the feed goes
directly to the outlet.

Factors involved

feed, or all of it, may give rise to piston or plug flow.

lnasniuch as the liquids in the stagnant and well agitated
zones are not separated by a membrane, fluctuations or
circulation may arise. Liquid in the stagnant zone may
be replaced b y some from the well agitated zone or f r o m
part of the feed. Such a circulation may go on steadily
in the form of piston or plug flow.
Nagata and others ( 1 7 - 1 8 , 1 9 ) have studied mixing in a
tubular reactor where piston flow exists, but in t h e
absence of any short-circuit.
R4ixing prot)lems met in actual practice may involve
different combinations of these three factors: effective
volume, short-circuit, piston flow. Some particular combinations, more likely perhaps to be encountered than
others, will now be considered.

W i t h t w o niiscible liquids, in a batch process, a

perfectly homogeneous mixture can be obtained when
agitation, with the help of diffusion if necessary, is maintained for a long enough period of time. In a continuous
flow systcni, however, it may be that perfect mixing can
never l)e attained. T h e r e can be stagnant regions in the
reservoir, part of the feed may go directly t o the outlet,
piston o r plug flow may take place. In order to study the
behavior of such a systcm and the efficiency of mixing,
one can consider the tank or reservoir to act as a damper
to variations in feed composition. T h e mathematical
treatment of this problem thus becomes similar to one
performed on a capacity in a servo-mechanism circuit,
where a transfer function exists, from which can be
obtained transient o r permanent responses.
T h r e e factors that may be met in actual mixing conditions are taken into account.
( a ) Effective volume
For a given agitator, part only of the total tank
contents may be well mixed the rest being taken u p by
stationary or stagnant zones. T h a t part of the total
volume where mixing is complete will be referred t o
as the Effective Volume of Mixing: it is the part which
acts as a damper to any variation in feed composition
and which is considered in determining the transfer
function. A sorneivhat similar concept has been used b y
Gerniain (1:) for evaluating contact time in a tubular
reactor: the author replaces the reactor volume, in which
the temperature is variable and passes through a maximum
of T,,, by a smaller equivalent volume in which the
teniperature is uniform, at T,.
Macllonald and Piret ( l o ) have observed qualitatively
that dead volume can retain solution f o r indeterminate
periods of time within a vessel. Danckwerts (14) also
considered dead space in a mixing tank when introducing
the concept of hold-back.
( b ) Short-circuit
Depending on the relative position of t h e inlet with
rcspect to the outlet, part of the feed may go directly
to the latter without being mixed, causing channeling or
a short-circuit. O n l y the remaining portion is thus available for mixing. T h i s situation is unlike that arising from
the definitions of short-circuit introduced b y some
authors as mentioned already.
Macl)onald and Pirct (In) report that they have observed channeling, in the course of experimental determinations, especially at lour levels of agitation.
( c ) Piston flow
In many systems, depending on conditions, part of t h e

106

Theory
As for a servomechanisni element, the behavior of a
mixing s)rstcni can be studied b y means of the answer to
either a step, a linear or a harmonic demand. O n e only
of the answers being necessary to determine a transfer
function, thc first or step demand has been chosen o n
technical grounds suggested b v the experimental determinations to be niade. For the different systems considered, the following are the answers to a negative step
deniand.
I . Perfect mixing

T h e contents of a reservoir, Figure 1, occupy a volume

of V cubic feet; the initial concentration is c,, Ibs./ft.s.
q cu. ft./hr., of composition cb., are assumed to be fed
continuously into the reservoir. T h e feed composition cB.
is changed suddenly at time t = 0 from c, to 0, creating

a step demand. A t any given time t, mixing being perfect,

the tank contents are uniform throughout and of composition c, which is also that of the effluent.
A material balance f o r a time element d t gives:
q c d t = qcdt

+ d(Cc). . .

.,

..,...(I)

T h e feed composition, cF, being then zero, and t h e

volume of the liquid in the reservoir being constant,
Equation (1) can be written:

U p o n integration one obtains:

- _9

V t

c/c. = e

When plotted o n semi-log paper, as in Figure 1, this

equation gives a straight line.
The Canadian h u n a l ot Chemical Endneerinx, Juns. 19sr

t_!

................

-.iir---07

04

zone: this liquid, in turn, displaces the other already

present, by the niechanism of piston or plug flow.
( b ) T h e feed, introduced into the stagnant zone, displaces an equal volume from the latter into the zone of
perfect mixing which, in turn, supplies an equivalent
volume of liquid to the outlet.
In either case, the composition of the liquid a t the
outlet would remain constant a t c, for a period of time
t = (1 - ni) V/q, which represents the time required
to displace all the material out of the stagnant zone at the
prevalent rate of flow. T h e variation of the outlet composition with time, in either case, is obtained in the
following way:

+ mVdc'

q c d t = qc'dt

dc'

dt
I

.....................

q
+ -rnV
c'=O

I
10

15

20

_.25

V
"1

Figure 3-Partial
mixing and piston flow: a fraction of
the total volume is perfectly agitated; piston flow takes
place before or after mixing, as shown.

2. Partial mixing and short-circuit

As shown in Figure 2, only a fraction m of the total
volume is assumed to be well agitated. A fraction n of the
feed enters the zone of perfect mixing while the other fraction ( 1 - n) is assumed t o he short-circuited directly to the
outlet. T h e concentration, a t time t, in the zone of perfect
mixing is assumed to be c'. T h e material issuing from
this zone is mixed with that portion of the feed which
short-circuits the system, the mixture of the two giving
a liquid of composition c a t the outlet. One thus obtains:
Ilqcb-dt

nqc'dt

IllVdC'

or,
dc'
dt

nq c' = 0

InV
- -nq
t
mV

.). c'/c,

But,
(1 -

11)qcwdt

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2)

+ Ilqc'dt

= qcdt

and,
cl.

0 .).

= IlC'

Equation ( 2 ) then becomes:

Rut, c =

C'

t -

a t time:

(1 - m ) V
(I

.). c/co

(1 -

,~

111)

= c

In c/c, =

[$

- (1 -

Ill)

Plotting this equation on semi-log paper gives a

straight line o f slope - 1/m,as shown in Figure 3. T h e
value of ni can also be obtained from the intercept at
c/c, = 1.
4. Partial mixing with piston flow and short-circuit
Among the several possible combinations, the following three have been considered.
( A ) In addition to having a fraction m of the total
volume well mixed and a fraction n of the feed going
to the zone of perfect mixing, a fraction p of the feed
gets into the stagnant zone from where it displaces an
equivalent volume by piston flow into the zone of perfect
mixing, as shown in Figure 4. T h e outgoing liquid, of
composition c at time t, is made up in part of liquid of
composition c' from the zone of perfect mixing, and of
the fraction (1 - n - p) of the feed which short-circuits
the tank. T w o periods have to be considered, before and
after time t = ( 1 - m ) V/p q, during which all the
liquid originally in the stagnant zone is displaced.
a)

-"qt

< t < (1

- in) V/pq

mV

c/c, = ne

Taking natural logarithms:

CIC.

l'cl
I n c/c, = I n n - - t

mV

Thus, plotting c/c, vs qt/V on semi-log paper as in

Figure 2, the value of n can be read directly on the concentration ratio axis, a t t = 0. T h e straight line has a
dope of - n/m, from which can be derived the value of
rn, once n has been determined.

3. Partial mixing and piston flow

W i t h a fraction m of the total volume well agitated,
the feed can be considered to give piston flow in two
different ways,' as shown in Figure 3:
(a) T h e feed is introduced into the zone of perfect
mixing, displacing an equal volume into the stagnant

T b Canadian Journal

of Chemical Enrineerin., June, 1959

^,l

'6

_I

. . . . . . .*

107

Figurc! 5-Partial mixing with piston f l o w and ahort-rirruit :

part of t h e frrtl c l i ~ p l a r rliquid
~
from thr stagnaut rrgion,
around tlir zone o f prrfcrt mixing.

, .
Figure 6-Partial
niixing with piston flow and &opt.
rirruit: liquid from thr zonr of perfect mixing d i s p h + ,
and is replarrd by, an equal volume from the s t a p u h t
region.
I

I h r i n g this period, niatcrial o f composition c,.. = c,,

cntcrs the m i i c of pcrfcct mixing froni thc stagnant zone.
T h e folio\\ ing rcl:itions are o1)taincd:

ll{(.l.(ll p < l ( ~ , , l i l= (1)

(1)

(It.

(It

II)

11)

lIl\(iC

1 c., = 11<>

Ill\.

q(.tlt

Ill\

..
I

Plotting c / c , vs q t / V on scmi-log paper, for the two

rcgions of casc A, givcs curvcs such as shown in Figure 4.
( R ) P a r t of the fced goes to the stagnant zone and
displaces an equal volunie 1)). piston flow around the zonc
o f pcrfcct niidng, directly to the outlct, as indicated in
Figure 5. T h c outgoing material is madc up in part by
this strcani, in part by liquid forced o u t of the zone of
pcrfect iniuing and also by thc part of the feed going in
short-circuit.
Again, two periods have to be considered, before anti

Since

- (1,
~~

c/c,, =

.~

I1

1;

= (1)

I,) t

> (1

Ill)

11)

GV

II

a)

(1

<t <

ni)V

Iq

II

II)

(11
-~

.). c/(I, = I)

4-

i n)

ti

Ill\

lie

\)(I

But,

All thc inatcrial originally in the stagnant zonc ..as

now left and liquid of composition c,,. = 0 cnters the
zone o f pcrfcct mixing from the stagnant onc.

+ pc,

c = nc

- nrl

.). c/c, = p

I,) t

+ ne

niv

(1 - Ill) v
> ---

Pq

c/c,

Now,
c =

IlC

nq
--In\

.). c/r, =

tie

Curves of c / c , vs q t / V 011 semi-log paper, for these

cascs, are as shoum in Fig. 5 .
( C ) A certain amount o f liquid, corresponding to a
fraction s of that part of thc fced which enters the zone
of perfect inking, passcs o u t of the latter into the stagnant
zone. As a result an equal volume is displaced, in piston
flow, from the stagnant section into the zone of perfect
mixing, as shown in Figure 6.

108

The Carcadian lournel of Chemical En&teerinH. J u w . 1959

rzhe

two periods to be considered are before and

(1
m)V

r,rter time:

t =

=I

a) 0

<t <

(1 -

Ill)

~~

nsq

Throughout this time period, liquid of composition

c, is displaced into the zone of perfect mixing from the
stagnant one.
nqcFdt

+ nsqc,tlt = nsqcdt + nqcdt + mVdc

dc
nq
nsqco
-+
(1 +
=
mG
dt
mV
-

5)c

Figure 7-Partial

&&

mixing and short-circuit i n a chemical

reactor.

= c, at time t = O

K2 =

hTow, taking account of the reactant in the feed and

exit streams as well as that converted in the reactor, one
can write ( 2 0 ) :

1
s + l

Also, c

nc
iiqc-1.

b) t

(1 - I l l )
nsq

> ~-

\\here: r = reaction rate, lbs./(ft.a) (hr.), in the zone of

perfect mixing.
m V = actual volume of liquid undergoing reaction.
Equation ( 5 ) can be rewritten.

~~~

Liquid entering the zone of perfect niising now has

the composition c of the liquid displaced from the zone
of perfect mixing into the stagnant one, a t time:
t -

(1 - m ) V
nscl

1 -

(s

+ I)

111

rmV
nq

Introducing this value of c in Equation (4) gives:

(1 -

Ill)

.-

srn

c = cI; -

or, at t - tl.

c/c, = _ _nsz
___
(1
s)2

- nqc = r n i \ J . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(S)

l l [

+ _1

~--

+s

1 - 111
~__
~

111

IMll
~~

Ill\;

Curves for the last two cases are shown in Figure 6.

Design procedure for tank flow reactors when
partial mixing occurs
s pointed out by Smith (20), design procedures for
flow reactors are still unavailable when partial mixing
. T h e problem may now be solved, in general, by
cing the concepts already mentioned.
For the particular case of partial mixing and shortcircuit, as shown in Figure 7, under steady-state flow
conditions, the incoming solution has a composition c,?,
that in the zone of perfect mixing is c, and the outgoing
liquid has a composition c.
A material balance at the outlet gives:
(1

If mixing was perfect in the entire reactor, the concentration of the effluent would be cJI and related to cg
by the following:
cI.

- CM

rV

= - ....................
1

.(7)

where: r = theoretical reaction rate, Ibs./(ft.*) (hr.),

based on concentration ell.
Combining Equations ( 6 ) and ( 7 ) gives:
- = CF

in (CIS

- c % l l~-r
. .

- n) qcP + nqc qc
(1 - n)cp + nc ................(4)

or, c

The Canadian Journal

of

Chemical Engineering, JUIM,1959

--

109

be obtained depending o n the order of the reaction taking

place.
Of all the possible solutions, only the following two
are considered here:
a ) Zero-order reaction with partid mixing and shortc ir cir it.
For such a reaction, the rate is independent of eoncentration, s o that r = r.
Then, I-quation (8) becomes:
111

(E

-c

(I?

- (M

Thus, one could either obtain the value of c for a

given value of ni o r detcrminc the effective volume b y
measuring feed and outlet concentrations and calculating
the theoretical outlet coiiiposition. I t is to be noted that
in this case the short-circuit effect cancels out.
b ) First-order reilction, x i t h partial ?nixing and no
short-circuit.
In a first-order reaction the rate is proportional to the
concentration of the reactant. If the concentrations were
cMand c, the reaction rates would be respectively:
r = kc.11
r = I<(.

Substituting in Equation (8), one obtains:

~

(c
(1:

5) 9

- (>I

Now, introducing the value of c given in Equation

(4).
(9)

Since the case considered here is that where n o shortcircuit is present, n = 1 and Equation (9) becomes:

which can be re-written:

T h e value o f

cF

can be obtained easily from the above

expression, or from Figure 8, for given values of c! and m.

(>I

T h e designer is thus in a position to predict the peLformance of a tank-flo\v reactor.

For cases where short-circuit is present, where h i g h e
order reactions are involved o r where there is pflow, studies are actually under way which will be &e
object of a future publication.
Apparatus

Of the different cases studied theoretically, that involving partial mixing and short-circuit, as described
case No. 2, seemed to be of more immediate inter&
from an experimental point of view. A n apparatus wa
set up, as shown in Figure 9, in which could be studied
siniultaneously the variations of effective volume and
short-circuit with the level of agitation.
T h e tank used had an internal diameter of 30. A liquid
depth of 30 was assured by a properly located outlet of
3 pipe. T h e agitator was an experimental model by
Cheniineer, a 2 t simple turbine with inclined blades
being used. A flow regulator and a rotameter were
inserted in the $ feed line. T h e feed inlet was 12 f r o m
the surface of the liquid and the agitator itself was placed
in between, a t a distance of 6 from the surface.
T h e agitator speed could be adjusted at the proper
value through a variable speed reducer.
Experimental procedure
At the beginning of a r u n the reservoir was filled to
the appropriate level with a solution of NaCl, approximately 1/20 h. After running the agitator for some time
a t the desired speed to allow for the mixing pattern to
be fully developed, water \vas introduced suddenly a t t h e
required rate of approxiniately 1.15 gallons/min.

Samples were taken at regular time intervals of five

minutes and the NaCl concentration determined volumetrically with AgNO,, using K,CrO, as indicator.
Results

T h e experimental results obtained were plotted,. as

suggested already, on semi-log paper. Figure 10 shows t h e

VARIABLE
SPEED
REDUCER

&

INLET

Figure %Experimental

110

The Canadian Journal

of Chemical

apparatus.

Engineering, June, 1959

100

200

3CO

400

500

700

900
R PM

Figure 11-Effective

t
Figure 10-Experimental

results: relative concentration

time.

MIN
VS.

01
0
100

150

200

300

400

500

volume of mixing vs. agitator rpeed.

50

100

150

200

250

300

RPM

900

700

R PY

Figure 1LShort-eircnh effect vr. agitator rpeed.

The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, June, 1959

Figure 13-Variation

of m and n with agitator rpeed.

111

.ruPight lines drawn through the experimental points at

Merent levels of agitation, for values of agitator r.p.m.,
*tea
?S N, ran ing from 0 to 210. Values of m and
u were determined rom them for each agitator speed by
'ilkesthod' described.
Even bt an r.p.ni. of 0 given values of ni and n were
.,obtnintd;I they were designated as 111, and no. For any
given v&e of h', then, the value of ni - 111, might
represent' the contribution of the agitator r.p.ni. to the
level of riiixing.
It has heen f m n d that when plotting (m - m,) vs N
on log-log paper, as shown in Figure 11, a straight line
l o f dope 2 is obtained which can t)c represented b y the
quation:
. 'm
ni, = a N'
'
For the particular system studied, the constants ni,,
ind a wuc found to be 0.38 and 1.2s x 10-5 respectively.
'

The'valuc of 0.38 f o r

indicates the level of mixing

a t r a t , through the agita~OIY
produced by thc introduction o f the feed. Such an
effect appears to have k)ccn nicntioned first b!~ VacDonaId
Md Piret (I"), \\.hen measuring niixing times in a vessel.
. AS the value of ni reaches 1, when the agitator speed
b increascd, a niaxinium value of (111 - tiil,) is reached.
This vduc remains constant thereafter even if the agitator
peed is increased tjccausc the system behaves as one
g~vingperfect niixing.
Procwding in a similar \vay, the values o f (n - n o )
, 01 N were plotted on log-log paper as sho\vn in Figure
12, 'giVin$ a straight line o f slope 3. T h e values of n arc
Gim d a a d Lo the agitator r.p.ni. by the equation:
n n,,= I) N:'
wbere, for the p:irticular s>,steiii studied, no = 0.77 and
. b5 2 x lo-".
ni,,

obtlined Lvhcn thc agitator i\

When plotting, on a linear scale, the values of

'',

111

and

9 PI 8 function o f S, as in Figure 13, both variables arc

' , f m d to reach 3 niasinium value o f 1 at an r.p.m. o f

proximately

M as

220, indicating that the system behaves

one giving perfect mixing.

Co~lurbns
"

The method c1cscrit)cd to determine mixing efficiencies

h COntinrious flow s y s t e m should prove to be a very
:useful ta)l in evaluating the actual performance of

ea

Not only is it possible to obtain optimum results

,:withigiven mixer h i t the relative performance of mixers

id m e r e n t design can be estaMished since efficiency

imcom,remcnts

arc possible.

4.. The COntribution t o the design

Add
+lablt

&o

i h d

tCguIt.

o f tank flow reactors

be o f iniportance because a method is now

to take into account the effects o f partial mixing.

l $ n p v e d designs, n i t h the Ilcst possible use of agitators,

)

The

cxpcriniental results obtained to date arc very

, l\'hilc they do not draw a coniplcte picture
to the liinitcd extent o f experimental work
t)c perfornicd, they point to a number of
h t s t i g a & ) n s v.hich should lead to a coniprchensivc
Eaowledgc of niixing.

i+

112

A new experimental set-up providing for a wider

variety of investigations is nearing completion. Among
others, the factors to be studied include t h e position,
speed of rotation, shape and size of the agitator, the
physical properties and the relative depth of the liquid,
the location o f the feed, the manner in which it is introduced, its rate and inlet velocity, and the outlet position
relative to the inlet.
Other types of agitating systems will he considered,
including those with internal recirculation and o f , &g
draft-tube type.
T h e study of systerns involving chemical reactions
already under way.
Nomenclature
a = Coti~taiit,rclatiiig cffcctivc. voliimc. to agitator slicc(l.
IJ = Const,iiit, relating short-circuit cBect t o agiiator speed.
c = Voliiiiic,tric coiiccaiitratioii, Il)s./ft.3
CI;
: coiiceiitralioii of the fcrtl.
c>I : coiicciitr~itioii o f the c f f l u r n t if iiiixinx W ~ L Sperfect.
\vhcLii a chemical reaction is prcsciit.
c , : initi;il coiiccntr,ition.
c' : conceiitr;i(ioii i i i the LOW of pcrfvct mi\iiig
I<, K 1 ,I<;, I<?, I G : Colistants of integration.
111 = Fractioii of t h e t o t ; i I voliirni~which is prrfrctl!. m i u d
i n , : value of 111 whcii thc ;igitator is a t rvst.
II = Frartioii o f thc fcccl entering t h c zoiic o f p ,rf-ct iiii\iiig.
11,
: value of II whcii the agitator i \ at rest.
N = .Agitator spcrtl, l<.l',hl.
p = Fraction o f the feed going t o the stagiiaiit z o i i ~ * .
(1 = Iiatc of flow,f ~ . ~ ' h r .
r = lieaction rate, llis.,/(ft.3) ( h r . )
s = Fraction of part nq of the f c w l eiiteriiig t h e z o ! ~o f pvrfcrt
inixiiig which sul)~eqiieiitlypasses o u t into th,. s t : ~ g n a i i t
zone.
t = 'Line, hrs.
(1 - 1n)V
ti :
nsq
= Volumr, I t 1
~~

Re jerences
1 ) Coulson and Rirh:irdson, Chemical Engineering. Vol. 11, p. 917.
McGraw Hill Co. (19,55).
( 2 ) Perry, J. H., Chemical Enginerrs' Handbook, 3rd Ed.. p. 1195,
hfcCrew Hill Co. (19.50).
( 3 ) Rushtiin. J. H., Ind. Eng. Chem. 45, 9 3 ( 19.53 ) .
( 4 ) liuahtrm, J. IT., Ind. Enp. Chem. 46, 133 ( 1 9 5 4 ) .
( 5 ) Ru\htoii. J . H., Ind. Eng. Chem. 47, 582 ( 1 9 5 5 ) .
( 6 ) Riishton, J H., Ind. Eng. Chem. 48. 552 ( 19.56).
( 7 ) X.lcC;ihv .ind Smith, Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering,
p. 292, MrGmw Hill Co. (19.56).
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1 6 ) hlacDonald, R. W., and Piret, E. L., Chem. Eng. Prop. 47, 363
( 1% 1 ).
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..
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'
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(

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The Canadian Journal

of

Chemical Engineering, June, 1959