A new approach to the analysis of vessel residence time distribution curves

Mathematical models for the evaluation of residence time distribution (RTD) curves on a large variety of vessels are presented. These models have been constructed by combination of different tanks or volumes. In order to obtain a good representation of RTD curves, a new volume (called convection diffusion volume) is introduced. The convection-diffusion volume allows the approximation of different experimental or numerical RTD curves with very simple models. An algorithm has been developed to calculate the parameters of the models for any given set of RTD curve experimental points. Validation of the models is carried out by comparison with experimental RTD curves taken from the literature and with a numerical RTD curve obtained by three-dimensional simulation of the flow inside a tundish.