EDITORIAL
INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY Editor, D A V I D E. GUSHEE Editorial Headquarters 1155 Sixteenth St., N.W., Washington, D. C. 20036 Phone 202-737-3337 Teletype W A 23
Chemical Rate Control
Associate- Editor: Joseph H. S. Haggin Assistant Editor: John A. King Manager, Research Results Service: Stella Anderson
classic functions of the chemical engineer are the design and Theoperation of chemical plants. Profitable integration of a plant into
Layout and Production Joseph Jacobs, Art Dirccfor, Denis Gruschin (Layout) Production-Eaaon Pa. Associate Editor: C.harlotte C. Sayre Editorial Assistant: J a n e M. Andrew8 International Editorial Bureaus Frankfurt/Main. West Germany Groare Bockenheimerstrasse 32 H. Clifford Neely London, W.C.2, England 27 J o h n A d a m St. Dermot A. O’Sullivan Tokyo, J a p a n A t. 306, 47 Dai-machi A ! asaka, Minato-ku Patrick P. McCurdy A D V I S O R Y B O A R D T h o m a s Baron, R . B. Beckm a n n C 0 Bennett F G. Cia etta, J. J. Pischer, F. Johnson, A. A. Bra e)GdldiAg R. L.’Hkrshey Jonfe F. C. &Grew A r t h u r h o s e C. N . Satterfield, W. C.’Schreiner, E. 0: Schwarz, Joieph Stewart,T. J. Williams
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a company’s operations depends to a great extent on the plant’s flexibility-i.e., on how well it can be controlled. The usual means of control are exercised through the maintenance of temperature gradients, \ pressure drops, and flow rates. Most of the progress made in control has been made through refinement of these means with the aid of rapid stream analyses. It is becoming evident that a new means of control has developed-chemical rate control-afforded by a better understanding of fundamental chemistry. I t is basic that design and operation of the prereactor and postreactor portions of a plant are strongly affected by the reactor itself. Unfortunately, it is also true that the reactor is one of the least understood portions of the plant. This is partly owing to the difficulties of formally analyzing reactions and reactors and partly to the opportunity for avoiding the problem altogether in many instances. I n any event, the diminishing returns from empirical refinement and commercial necessity have focused increasing attention on the reactor itself and the means for controlling it. Plant control through reactor control naturally leads us to reaction kinetics. Most of the early work in kinetics was done by the physical chemist to aid in determining mechanisms. When translated into the commercial spectrum, basic kinetic data were often inadequate because they were obtained in highly overdesigned and idealized apparatus. It was necessary, therefore, for the chemical engineer to enter the kinetic data business for design purposes. This activity has become known as industrial kinetics, or practical kirietics, or by a dozen other names that indicate end use rather than the academic form. By appending catalysis to the kinetics, and adding liberal portions of fluid mechanics and mathematical analysis, we concoct chemical reaction engineering. To those of us only occasionally or superficially involved in reaction engineering, it is difficult to acquire much of a “feel” for such things. Consequently, it is necessary continually to take stock and reorient ourselves to the progress of the profession. The forthcoming I&EC Division Summer Symposium on “Applied Kinetics and Reaction Engineering” is dedicated to this end. Papers already committed (see page 23) cover the entire range of the subject: philosophy, transport processes within reactors, theoretical studies, practical studies with operating reactors, the characterization of complex reaction systems, reactor design, catalysis, and photochemistry. The symposium has broad coverage and constitutes a concerted review of reaction engineering. It should also form a base for the appreciation of chemical rate control. If you can attend, by all means do so; it should be a memorable experience. The contributors represent the finest assembly of experts available and, if past symposia are indicative, audience participation should be very active. As with the two previous summer symposia, the proceedings will be published in I&EC and later in a combined reprint book.
VOL 5 8
NO. 4
APRIL 1966
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