A Levenspiel plot is a plot used in chemical reaction engineering to determine the required volume of a chemical reactor given experimental data on the chemical reaction taking place in it.
It is named after the late chemical engineering professor Octave Levenspiel.
For a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR), the following relationship applies:[1][2]
where: For a plug flow reactor (PFR), the following relationship applies:
{\displaystyle V=F_{Ao}\int _{0}^{X}{\frac {1}{-r_{A}}}dX}
is plotted as a function of
, the required volume to achieve a specific conversion can be determined given an entering molar flow rate.
The volume of a CSTR necessary to achieve a certain conversion at a given flow rate is equal to the area of the rectangle with height equal to
The volume of a PFR necessary to achieve a certain conversion at a given flow rate is equal to the area under the curve of