Jacketed Reactor Cooling & Heat Transfer Calculator
Calculate batch reactor reaction heat generation (Qgen), jacket heat removal capacity (Qrem), required wetted surface area, and coolant flow rate.
Exothermic Reaction Generation (Qgen)
Jacket & Coolant Specifications
Heat Transfer Balance
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does reactor scale-up severely penalize jacket heat transfer?
Reactor volume (and thus total reaction heat generation) increases with the cube of reactor diameter (V ~ D³), whereas vessel surface area (heat removal capacity) only increases with the square of diameter (A ~ D²). As vessels scale from 50 gallons to 5,000 gallons, specific cooling area (A/V) drops dramatically, making thermal runaway much more probable.
What typical U-values are achieved in glass-lined vs stainless steel reactors?
Stainless steel jackets with water/glycol typically achieve overall heat transfer coefficients U of 50 to 90 BTU/(hr·ft²·°F) under vigorous agitation. Glass-lined steel vessels have lower thermal conductivity through the glass barrier, typically achieving U of 30 to 55 BTU/(hr·ft²·°F).
How does agitator impeller speed affect jacket heat removal?
The vessel inside film heat transfer coefficient (hi) is strongly dependent on impeller Reynolds number (hi ~ N^0.67). Increasing impeller speed (RPM) enhances turbulence at the vessel wall, cutting thermal boundary layer resistance and substantially increasing the overall U-value.