Plug flow reactor model

A Plug flow reactor is a chemical reactor where the fluid passes through in a coherent manner, so that the residence time is the same for all fluid elements.

An ideal plug flow reactor has a fixed residence time: Any fluid that enters the reactor at time $t$ will exit the reactor at time $t+\tau$, where $\tau$ is the residence time of the reactor. The residence time distribution function is therefore a dirac delta function at $\tau$. A real plug flow reactor has a residence time distribution that is a narrow pulse around the mean residence time distribution.

A typical plug flow reactor could be a tube packed with some solid material (frequently a catalyst). Sometimes the tube will be a tube in a shell and tube heat exchanger.