釜式反应器按操作方式可分为：

间歇釜式反应器,或称间歇釜。
特点：操作灵活，易于适应不同操作条件和产品品种，适用于小批量、多品种、反应时间较长的产品生产。间歇釜的缺点是：需有装料和卸料等辅助操作，产品质量也不易稳定。但有些反应过程，如一些发酵反应和聚合反应，实现连续生产尚有困难，至今还采用间歇釜。
连续釜式反应器,或称连续釜
特点：可避免间歇釜的缺点，但搅拌作用会造成釜内流体的返混。在搅拌剧烈、液体粘度较低或平均停留时间较长的场合，釜内物料流型可视作全混流，反应釜相应地称作全混釜。在要求转化率高或有串联副反应的场合，釜式反应器中的返混现象是不利因素。此时可采用多釜串联反应器,以减小返混的不利影响，并可分釜控制反应条件。
半连续釜式反应器:指一种原料一次加入，另一种原料连续加入的反应器，其特性介于间歇釜和连续釜之间。

The kettle reactor can be divided into:

Batch tank reactor, or batch kettle.
Features: Flexible operation, easy to adapt to different operating conditions and product varieties, suitable for small batch, multi-variety, long reaction time production. The disadvantage of the batch kettle is that it requires auxiliary operations such as charging and unloading, and the product quality is not easy to stabilize. However, some reaction processes, such as some fermentation reactions and polymerization reactions, have difficulty in achieving continuous production, and batch kettles have hitherto been used.
Continuous tank reactor
Features: The disadvantages of the batch kettle can be avoided, but the agitation will cause backmixing of the fluid in the kettle. In the case of vigorous stirring, low liquid viscosity or long average residence time, the material flow pattern in the kettle can be regarded as a full mixed flow, and the reaction kettle is correspondingly referred to as a full mixed kettle. In the case where a high conversion rate or a series side reaction is required, the back mixing phenomenon in the tank reactor is a disadvantage. In this case, a multi-tank reactor can be used to reduce the adverse effects of back mixing, and the reaction conditions can be controlled by a separate kettle.
Semi-continuous tank reactor: refers to a reactor in which one raw material is added at a time, and another raw material is continuously fed, and its characteristics are between a batch reactor and a continuous reactor.