Lecture Notes

These lecture notes were prepared by Tiffany Iaconis, Frederick Jao, and Vicky Loewer for MIT OpenCourseWare. They are preliminary and may contain errors.

Instructors:

WHG = William H. Green
KDW = K. Dane Wittrup

LEC # TOPICS
1 Preliminaries and remembrance of things past. Reaction stoichiometry, lumped stoichiometries in complex systems such as bioconversions and cell growth (yields); extent of reaction, independence of reactions, measures of concentration. Single reactions and reaction networks, bioreaction pathways. (WHG) (PDF)
2 The reaction rate and reaction mechanisms: Definition in terms of reacting compounds and reaction extent; rate laws, Arrhenius equation, elementary, reversible, non-elementary, catalytic reactions. (WHG) (PDF)
3 Kinetics of cell growth and enzymes. Cell growth kinetics; substrate uptake and product formation in microbial growth; enzyme kinetics, Michaelis-Menten rate form. (KDW) (PDF)
4 Reaction mechanisms and rate laws: Reactive intermediates and steady state approximation in reaction mechanisms. Rate-limiting step. Chain reactions. Pyrolysis reactions. (WHG) (PDF)
5 Continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Reactions in a perfectly stirred tank. Steady-state CSTR. (KDW) (PDF)
6

Concentration that optimizes desired rate. Selectivity vs. Conversion. Combining reactors with separations. (WHG) (PDF)

Lecture 6 correction (PDF)

7 Batch reactor: Equations, reactor sizing for constant volume and variable volume processes. (KDW) (PDF)
8 The plug flow reactor. (WHG) (PDF)
9 Reactor size comparisons for PFR and CSTR. Reactors in series and in parallel. How choice of reactor affects selectivity vs. conversion. (KDW) (PDF)
10 Non-ideal reactor mixing patterns. Residence time distribution. Tanks in series model. Combinations of ideal reactors. (KDW) (PDF)
11 Non isothermal reactors. Equilibrium limitations, stability. Derivation of energy balances for ideal reactors; equilibrium conversion, adiabatic and nonadiabatic reactor operation. (WHG) (PDF)
12 Data collection and analysis. Experimental methods for the determination of kinetic parameters of chemical and enzymatic reactions; determination of cell growth parameters; statistical analysis and model discrimination. (WHG) (PDF)
13 Biological reactors - chemostats. Theory of the chemostat. Fed batch or semi-continuous fermentor operation. (KDW) (PDF)
14 Kinetics of non-covalent bimolecular interactions. Significance; typical values and diffusion limit; approach to equilibrium; multivalency. (KDW) (PDF)
15 Gene expression and trafficking dynamics. Approach to steady state; receptor trafficking. (KDW) (PDF)
16 Catalysis. Inorganic and enzyme catalysts and their properties; kinetics of heterogeneous catalytic reactions; adsorption isotherms, derivation of rate laws; Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics. (WHG) (PDF)
17 Mass transfer resistances. External diffusion effects. Non-porous packed beds and monoliths, immobilized cells. (WHG) (PDF)
18 External mass-transfer resistance: Gas-liquid reactions in multiphase systems. (KDW) (PDF)
19 Oxygen transfer in fermentors. Applications of gas-liquid transport with reaction. (KDW) (PDF)
20 Reaction and diffusion in porous catalysts. Effective diffusivity, internal and overall effectiveness factor, Thiele modulus, apparent reaction rates. (KDW) (PDF)
21 Reaction and diffusion in porous catalysts (cont.). Packed bed reactors. (WHG) (PDF)
22

Combined internal and external transport resistances. (WHG) (PDF)

Biot numbers review. (PDF) (Courtesy of David Adrian. Used with permission.)

23 Pulling it all together; applications to energy/chemicals industry. Presentation of current research. (WHG)
24 Pulling it all together; applications to bioengineering and medicine. Presentation of current research. (KDW)
25 Course review. (WHG) (PDF)