A possibility for measuring 'fast' reaction kinetics

When the applicability of batch kinetic measurements is insufficient with regard to time resolution - mainly a problem of sensing and probing devices - you should remember of reaction engineering aspects, i.e. of reactor properties. When you look at the 'brother in not-back-mixed-behaviour' of the batch reactor (STR), the tubular flow reactor (TFR) and remember the plots of the concentration courses with time and space, you should realize, that the time axis of the batch is transformed to the length axis of the TFR (u = dz/dt) . Therefore it should be possible to spread the short time values of a fast kinetic to a reasonable set of length values, merely by choosing the necessary parameters (diameter, length and flow rate in the TFR). Qualitatively that means in practice, that you have to choose a high linear velocity, a small tube diameter and a sufficient tube length. Further attention should be payed to the mixing time and quality at the starting point and the approximation of a plug flow. The kinetic time steps are in this case fixed points along the tube length, and as the whole 'device' runs stationary in time, your probe or sensor has got 'all time of the world' for its response, you even can use a quenching agent for stopping the reaction at this point ('moment') !! (you have only to think of the chemicals you spend in this continuous operation mode!!!)
This procedure is called 'continuous flow measurement of reaction kinetics'

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