TRAVELING WAVES IN A DIFFERENTIAL FLOW REACTOR WITH SIMPLE AUTOCATALYTIC KINETICS

A simple prototype model for a differential flow reactor in which the possible initiation and propagation of a reaction-diffusion-convection travelling-wave solution (TWS) in the simple isothermal autocatalytic system A + mB --> (m + 1)B, rate kab(m)(m greater than or equal to 1) is studied with special attention being paid to the most realistic ca ses (m = 1,2). The physical problem considered is such that the reacta nt A (present initially at uniform concentration) is immobilised withi n the reactor. A reaction is then initiated by allowing the autocataly st species to enter and to flow through the reaction region with a con stant velocity. The structure of the permanent-form travelling waves s upported by the system is considered and a solution obtained valid whe n the flow rate (of the autocatalyst) is very large. General propertie s of the corresponding initial-value problem (IVP) are derived and it is shown that the TWS are the only long-time solutions supported by th e system. Finally, these results are complemented with numerical solut ions of the IVP which confirm the analytical results and allow the inf luence of the parameters of the problem not accessible to the theoreti cal analysis to be determined.