PFR simulator — plug-flow reactor

A plug-flow reactor is a tubular reactor in which fluid moves as discrete plugs with no axial mixing, so composition varies along the reactor length rather than with time. This page integrates the mole balance down the reactor volume and plots the axial conversion profile that develops from inlet to outlet.

The design equation dC/dV = −r/q is integrated along the volume coordinate; for second-order kinetics the outlet concentration reduces to C = C₀ / (1 + k·C₀·V/q). Because a PFR sees the full undiluted inlet concentration at its entrance, it achieves higher conversion than a CSTR of equal volume for any positive-order rate law.

The reactor is rendered as a 3D shell-and-tube vessel, with a colour gradient along the tube showing the conversion profile in the same coordinate the chart plots. Temperature and flow rate update the profile, the rate constant and the outlet conversion together.

This simulator needs JavaScript and WebGL to run. Enable JavaScript to use the interactive charts and 3D reactor views.