Conditions of the Thermal Explosion under Forced Convection of a Reacting Mixture

Abstract

Conditions of origination of the thermal explosion in a cylindrical chemical reactor equipped by a certain number of symmetrically located stirrers ensuring forced convection of the reacting mixture are considered in the approximation of an infinite Peclet number and under the assumption of laminar motion of the fluid. The critical value of the thermal explosion parameter (Frank-Kamenetskii parameter) is found as a function of the number of stirrers and the distance between the centerlines of the stirrers and reactor. As the number of stirrers increases, the calculations predict a lower probability of the thermal explosion, and the critical value of the parameter can severalfold exceed its classical value. It is found that the thermal explosion parameter substantially depends on the location of the stirrers, responsible for heat removal from the reactor.