Kinetics Analysis

Knowledge of the reaction kinetics is an essential step in reactor design because it allows calculation of the production capacity (or, in discontinuous operation, the reaction time) and improves selectivity of reactions. By using calorimetry to measure kinetic data, the proportionality between chemical and thermal conversion is assumed. Because calorimetry always delivers a signal that may be the sum of different thermal effects (among them also physical effects), the correspondence between chemical and thermal conversion must be verified – for example, by chemical analysis. During measurement of kinetic data, isothermal conditions are preferred to avoid the influence of the exponential term of Arrhenius law.
Valuable information about reaction kinetics can be obtained using in-situ analytical techniques such as ReactIR™ to produce real-time concentration profiles of the reaction species. ReactIR’s DiComp™ technology has been used extensively as an in-situ kinetic probe. The technology is well suited to kinetics research for three principal reasons: First, data can be collected very rapidly, resulting in accurate determination of reaction rates. Second, the nearly universal chemical compatibility of diamond allows data to be collected in challenging environments such as strong acids and supercritical fluids. Finally, because ReactIR technology permits in situ characterization of component concentrations, unstable species are observed that may not be measurable by chromatographic or other off-line techniques.