Warning
This documentation is for an old version of Cantera. You can find docs for newer versions here.
function periodic_cstr
%
% Periodic CSTR
%
% This example illustrates a CSTR with steady inputs but periodic
% interior state. A stoichiometric hydrogen/oxygen mixture is
% introduced and reacts to produce water. But since water has a
% large efficiency as a third body in the chain termination reaction
%
% H + O2 + M = HO2 + M
%
% as soon as a significant amount of water is produced the reaction
% stops. After enough time has passed that the water is exhausted from
% the reactor, the mixture explodes again and the process
% repeats. This explanation can be verified by decreasing the rate for
% reaction 7 in file 'h2o2.cti' and re-running the example.
%
% Acknowledgments: The idea for this example and an estimate of the
% conditions needed to see the oscillations came from Bob Kee,
% Colorado School of Mines
%
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
help periodic_cstr
% create the gas mixture
gas = IdealGasMix('h2o2.cti');
% pressure = 60 Torr, T = 770 K
p = 60.0*133.3;
t = 770.0;
OneAtm = 1.01325e5;
set(gas,'T', 300.0, 'P', p, 'X', 'H2:2, O2:1');
% create an upstream reservoir that will supply the reactor. The
% temperature, pressure, and composition of the upstream reservoir are
% set to those of the 'gas' object at the time the reservoir is
% created.
upstream = Reservoir(gas);
% Now set the gas to the initial temperature of the reactor, and create
% the reactor object.
set(gas, 'T', t, 'P', p);
cstr = IdealGasReactor(gas);
% Set its volume to 10 cm^3. In this problem, the reactor volume is
% fixed, so the initial volume is the volume at all later times.
setInitialVolume(cstr, 10.0*1.0e-6);
% We need to have heat loss to see the oscillations. Create a
% reservoir to represent the environment, and initialize its
% temperature to the reactor temperature.
env = Reservoir(gas);
% Create a heat-conducting wall between the reactor and the
% environment. Set its area, and its overall heat transfer
% coefficient. Larger U causes the reactor to be closer to isothermal.
% If U is too small, the gas ignites, and the temperature spikes and
% stays high.
w = Wall;
install(w, cstr, env);
setArea(w, 1.0);
setHeatTransferCoeff(w, 0.02);
% Connect the upstream reservoir to the reactor with a mass flow
% controller (constant mdot). Set the mass flow rate to 1.25 sccm.
sccm = 1.25;
vdot = sccm * 1.0e-6/60.0 * ((OneAtm / pressure(gas)) * ( temperature(gas) / 273.15)); % m^3/s
mdot = density(gas) * vdot; % kg/s
mfc = MassFlowController;
install(mfc, upstream, cstr);
setMassFlowRate(mfc, mdot);
% now create a downstream reservoir to exhaust into.
downstream = Reservoir(gas);
% connect the reactor to the downstream reservoir with a valve, and
% set the coefficient sufficiently large to keep the reactor pressure
% close to the downstream pressure of 60 Torr.
v = Valve;
install(v, cstr, downstream);
setValveCoeff(v, 1.0e-9);
% create the network
network = ReactorNet({cstr});
% now integrate in time
tme = 0.0;
dt = 0.1;
n = 0;
while tme < 300.0
n = n + 1;
tme = tme + dt;
advance(network, tme);
tm(n) = tme;
y(1,n) = massFraction(cstr,'H2');
y(2,n) = massFraction(cstr,'O2');
y(3,n) = massFraction(cstr,'H2O');
end
clf
figure(1)
plot(tm,y)
legend('H2','O2','H2O')
title('Mass Fractions')