A study of the residence time distribution curves of a rotary tubular reactor for processing slimy ores

Abstract

A rotary tubular reactor was designed and built to study its mixing characteristics for slimy and non-slimy ores. Residence time distribution tests were conducted on the reactor using a slimy and non-slimy tracer. The rotary tubular reactor was modeled by a set of residence time distribution functions, a dispersion model, and by n-number of constant stir tanks in series. The study showed that the rotary tubular reactor has mixing patterns that possess characteristics of a plug flow reactor and a constant stir tank. The mixing patterns display a large amount of axial dispersion as well as radial dispersion. The slimy ore displays more axial dispersion than the non-slimes. The rotary tubular reactor was tested against a constant stir tank reactor and a plug flow reactor. The rotary tubular reactor produced results that were ten times better than those results produced by the constant stir tank reactor or plug flow reactor.