Residence time distribution in real systems

The measurement and analysis of residence time distribution is an important tool in the study of continuous flow systems. A study of available experimental data shows that the usual assumptions of perfect mixing or plug flow do not correspond to the situation existing in real flow systems. The residence time distribution for real systems can be represented by an F-function of the form [formula ommited] This equation results for a number of plausible flow models that include the additional possibilities of deadspace, short-circuiting, error in average residence time determination, and lag in response and any combination of these models. This equation can be used to describe the experimental results obtained for single as well as multistage systems.