Convective diffusion limitations on the rates of chemical reactions at solid surfaces—Kinetic implications

Abstract

Flow reactors of simple geometry, in which both transport and kinetic processes play an important role in determining the observed reaction rates, make possible the systematic kinetic investigation of many surface reactions which simply could not be studied in a static system at surface temperatures and reactant partial pressures of practical interest. This state of affairs has motivated quantitative theoretical studies of the rates of surface reactions in certain well-defined flow systems. Some recent data-reduction techniques and quantitative predictions in this area are discussed here, with emphasis on implications for the design and execution of chemical kinetic experiments on gas/solid reactions.