On optimal adiabatic reactors of combined types

Some fairly general considerations arising out of the work of Cholette and Blanchet on combined stirred tank and tubular reactors are here presented. General analytical and graphical conditions for the optimality of the MT combination are given and it is shown that, save for autocatalytic reactions, the combination is only optimal for sufficiently exothermic reactions. The proportions of the optimal combined reactor can be readily calculated and it is shown that the stirred tank design is always stable. A circumstance under which the TM combination is optimal is also suggested but it is thought to be of rare occurrence.