Response of fully-mixed tank to pulse input

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6
c/c0

0.5

0.4
.38 c/c0

0.3

0.2
ktR = 4 ktR = 2 ktR = 1 ktR = 0
0.1

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
t/tR
 Time from Injection of Tracer (h)
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30
1200
5 (a) Feed Rate 0.055m3/s
Count Rate with Floating Detector in

1000
Outlet Bay (counts/s)

800

600

400 Perfectly Mixed System

200

7 March 8 March 1973

0
14 16 18 20 22 Mid 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Night
Time of Day (hrs)
Concentration of tracer at outlet of pilot-scale river purification lake for three feed rates.

Figure by MIT OCW.

Adapted from: White, K. E. "The use of radioactive tracers to study mixing and residence-time
distributions in systems exhibiting three-dimensional dispersion." In First European Conference on
Mixing and Centrifugal Separation. Edited by N. G. Coles. Churchill Col, 1974.
 Reactor performance for k = 0.5/day

1.0
0.9 Fully-mixed tank
Fraction remaining

0.8 Plug-flow reactor

0.7
0.6
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.0
0 2 4 6 8 10
Residence time (days)
Chlorine contract chambers at Lynn WWTP Cooling pond at Dresden Nuclear Power Plant