Figure 4.10 Comparison of CSTR and
PFR performance.
immobilised biocatalyst, EW, used in those equations are intrinsic values obtained in the
absence of those factors, being only dependent on the conformational and stereochemical
effects inherent to the immobilisation procedure used.
When the mass transfer (diffusional) effects are significant, the design equations for
immobilised biocatalyst reactor can be modified, by introducing the concept of the
effectiveness factor, η, in the equation of the reaction rate:
(55)
The following equations describe the reactor performance of the three main types of
reactors in the presence of mass transfer effects (for Michaelis-Menten kinetics):
(56)
(57)
where η is the overall effectiveness factor and is the average effectiveness factor.
Design and modelling of immobilised biocatalytic reactors 117