Material flow control

The material flow management is a term used in process technology , which in the field of chemical reaction engineering plays a role in the optimization of reactors. It describes the manner in which two fluid streams are brought into contact in a reaction apparatus.

Heterogeneous material flows can essentially include contacting in cocurrent , countercurrent and crosscurrent . Films, drops and bubbles, or even solid surfaces in smooth and porous form can appear as contact surfaces, i.e. H. solid / fluid, fluid / fluid contact (note: fluids are both liquids and gases).

While the concentration control essentially deals with the optimization in homogeneous reactions, the material flow control is a tool for an optimization in heterogeneous reaction systems with the characteristic of interface reactions . Examples of such reactions are: heterogeneous catalytic reactions with solid or liquid catalysts, fluid / fluid reactions, such as. B. Extractive reactions, gas-liquid reactions in bubbles, films or drops.

Since the way in which the material flows are contacted has an influence on the concentration profile of the reaction participants in the phases involved, it is again plausible that the flow of material can be used to optimize the specific product performance . The treatment of the individual options must - due to their scope - take place in the form of separate contributions. It should also be noted that in the case of material flow control, the equipment-related aspect plays a more important role than in the case of concentration control . This is the subject of chemical apparatus engineering in chemical process engineering .