Couple, double, toil and trouble: A computer assisted study of two coupled CSTRs

A study of the dynamic behavior of two coupled nonisothermal CSTRs carrying out an irreversible first-order reaction is presented. In particular, we study the case where the behavior of both-not necessarily identical-reactors is oscillatory when uncoupled. Emphasis is placed on the way the dynamics develop with increasing coupling strength from the asymptotic limit of weak coupling where the behavior can be deduced from that of the individual reactors. The detailed two-parameter study provides a coherent framework in which many previous experimental and computational studies can be consistently integrated. A scenario of common dynamic features emerges, which is independent of the order of the reaction, whether the reaction is isothermal or catalytic, the details of the mechanism, or the particular form of the coupling. A strong qualitative relation between this framework and the dynamic behavior of periodically forced chemical reactors is also noted.