TABLE OF CONTENT

TABLE OF CONTENT i
LIST OF FIGURE ii
ABSTRACT/SUMMARY iii
INTRODUCTION 1
THEORY 3
DESCRIPTION OF APPARATUS 9
PROCEDURE 13
RESULTS 14
DISCUSSION 22
CONCLUSION 23
RECOMMENDATION 24
REFERENCE 25
APPENDIX 26

i
 LIST OF FIGURE/TABLE
FIGURE NAME PAGE

Fig 1 Typical Concentration – Time Curve At The Inlet 7

And Outlet Stream For Step Change Input

Fig 2 Stirred Tank Reactors in Series – CEP-MKII 9

Fig 3 Round Bottom Flask 10

Fig 4 Beaker 10

Fig 5 Beam Balance 11

Fig 6 Stopwatch 12

TABLE

Table 1 Experimental Results 14

Table 2 Results showing variations of t and E for reactor 1 16

Table 3 Results showing variations of t and E for reactor 2 17

Table 4 Results showing variations of t and E for reactor 3 19

ii
 ABSTRACT/SUMMARY

The aim of this experiment was to study and thoroughly investigate the behaviour
of continuous stirred tank reactors in series, also the effect on the progress of
chemical reactions carried out in such system. 2 liters of 0.1 M of potassium
chloride solution was made and used to fill one of the reagent feed vessels and the
three reactors is filled with water to the standpipe level following the procedure
further and calculation was done and the residence time of each of the three
reactors. The resident time was gotten as 36.55mins, 40.24mins, and 68.87mins for
reactor 1, 2, and 3 respectively and the volumetric flow rate of each was gotten as
respectively. Also the volumetric flow rate of each reactor was gotten as 3.974 x
106m3/s, 3.6098 x 10-6m3/s and 2.109 x 106m3/s respectively.

iii
 INTRODUCTION
The continuous stirred tank reactor is(CSTR) also known as vat or backmix
reactor. It is a model used to estimate the key unit operation variables when using a
continuous agitated tank reactor to each a specified output.

The design and operation of a chemical reactors are essential criteria to the success
of an industrial operation. A reactor is an operating unit where raw materials
undergo a chemical change to form a desired product. The stirred tank reactor in
the form of either a single tank, or more often a series of tanks, particularly suitable
for liquid phases reactions and widely used in chemical industry, i.e.
pharmaceutical for medium and large scale of production. It can form a unit in a
continuous process, yielding consistent product quality, easily to control
automatically and low man power requirement.

A continuous flow reactor, the feed is feed continuously to the reactor and
discharge from it continuously. There are three types of continuous flow reactor
they are the plug flow reactor, the dispersed plug flow reactor and completely
mixed or continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs). The continuous stirred tank
reactor (CSTR), also known as vat- or backmix reactor, mixed flow reactor (MFR),
or a continuous-flow stirred -tank reactor (SFSTR), is common model for a
chemical reactor in chemical engineering and environmental engineering. CSTR
consist of a stirred tank that has a feed stream and discharge stream. Frequently,
several CSTRs in series are operating to improve their conversion and
performance.

Complete mixing in a CSTR reactor produce the tracer concentration throughout

the reactor to be the same. Meaning, in an ideal CSTR, at any travel time, the
concentration down the reactor is identical to the composition within the CSTR as
mixing degree in CSTR is a crucial factor and it is assumed that the fluid in the
reactor is perfectly mixed that is the contents are uniform to give a high degree
yield. But an ideal mixing in practice, to obtain a sufficient mixing the liquid
should not be too viscous. If the mixing is inadequate, there will be a bulk
streaming between the inlet, and the composition of the reactor contents will not be
uniform. If the liquid is too viscous, dispersion will occur and this will affect the
mixing extent.

1
The aim of this experiment was to study and thoroughly investigate the behaviour
of continuous stirred tank reactors in series, also the effect on the progress of
chemical reactions carried out in such system.

2
 THEORY
A chemical reactor is an enclosed volume in which a chemical reaction takes place.
In chemical engineering, it is generally understood to be a process vessel used to
carry out a chemical reaction, which is one of the classic unit operations in
chemical process analysis. Chemical engineers design reactors for optimization
and maximize net present value for a given reaction.
The most common basic types of chemical reactors are tanks (where the reactants
mix in the whole volume) and pipes or tubes (for laminar flow reactors and plug
flow reactors) Both types can be used as continuous reactors or batch reactors, and
either may accommodate one or more solids (reagents, catalysts, or inert
materials), but the reagents and products are typically fluids (liquids or gases).
Reactors in continuous processes are typically run at steady-state, whereas reactors
in batch processes are necessarily operated in a transient state. When a reactor is
brought into operation, either for the first time or after a shutdown, it is in a
transient state, and key process variables change with
time. There are three idealized models used to estimate the most important process
variables of different chemical reactors:

1. Batch reactor model,

2. Continuous stirred-tank reactor model (CSTR), and
3. Plug flow reactor model (PFR).

Many real-world reactors can be modeled as a combination of these basic types

1. Key process variables include:

2. Residence time (τ, lower case Greek tau)
3. Volume (V)
4. Temperature (T)
5. Pressure (P)
6. Concentrations of chemical species (C1, C2, C3, ... Cn)
7. Heat transfer coefficients (h, U)

Chemical reactions occurring in a reactor may be exothermic, meaning giving off

heat, or endothermic, meaning absorbing heat. A tank reactor may have a cooling
or heating jacket or cooling or heating coils (tubes) wrapped around the outside of
its vessel wall to cool down or heat up the contents, while tubular reactors can be
designed like heat exchangers if the reaction is strongly exothermic, or like
furnaces if the reaction is strongly endothermic.

3
TYPES

Batch reactor
The simplest type of reactor is a batch reactor. Materials are loaded into a batch
reactor, and the reaction proceeds with time. A batch reactor does not reach a
steady state, and control of temperature,
pressure and volume are often necessary. Many batch reactors therefore have ports
for sensors and material input and output. Batch reactors are typically used in small
scale production and reactions with
biological materials, such as in brewing, pulping, and production of enzymes.

PFR (plug flow reactor)

In a PFR, sometimes called continuous tubular reactor (CTR), one or more fluid
reagents are pumped through a pipe or tube. The chemical reaction proceeds as the
reagents travel through the PFR. In this
type of reactor, the changing reaction rate creates a gradient with respect to
distance
traversed; at the inlet to the PFR the rate is plug flow reactor model
very high, but as the concentrations of the reagents decrease and the concentration
of the product(s) increases the reaction rate slows.
Some important aspects of the PFR:
1. The idealized PFR model assumes no axial mixing: any element of fluid
traveling through the reactor doesn't mix with fluid upstream or downstream
from it, as implied by the term "plug flow".
2. Reagents may be introduced into the PFR at locations in the reactor other
than the inlet. In this way, a higher efficiency may be obtained, or the size
and cost of the PFR may be reduced.
A PFR has a higher theoretical efficiency than a CSTR of the same volume. That
is, given the same space-time (or residence time), a reaction will proceed to a
higher percentage completion in a PFR than in a CSTR. This is not always true for
reversible reactions.

CSTR (Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactor)

In a CSTR, one or more fluid reagents are introduced into a tank reactor which is
typically stirred with an impeller to ensure proper mixing of the reagents while the
reactor effluent is removed. Dividing the volume of the tank by the average
volumetric flow rate through the tank gives the space time, or the time required to

4
process one reactor volume of fluid. Using chemical kinetics, the reaction's
expected percent completion can be calculated.

Some important aspects of the CSTR:

1. At steady-state, the mass flow rate in must equal the mass flow rate out,
otherwise the tank will overflow or go empty (transient state).
2. While the reactor is in a transient state the model equation must be derived
from the differential mass and energy balances.
3. The reaction proceeds at the reaction rate associated with the final (output)
concentration, since the concentration is assumed to be homogenous
throughout the reactor.
4. Often, it is economically beneficial to operate several CSTRs in series. This
allows, for example, the first CSTR to operate at a higher reagent
concentration and therefore a higher reaction rate. In these cases, the sizes of
the reactors may be varied in order to minimize the total capital investment
required to implement the process.
5. It can be demonstrated that an infinite number of infinitely small CSTRs
operating in series would be equivalent to a PFR.

The continuous flow stirred tank reactor (CSTR) also known as the vat or back mix
reactor is a common ideal reactor type in chemical engineering. A CSTR often
refers to a model used to estimate the key unit operation variables when using a
continuous agitated tank reactor to reach a specified output. The mathematical
model works for all fluids: liquids, gases, and slurries. The behavior of a CSTR is
often approximated or modeled by that of a continuous ideally stirred tank reactor
CSTR. All calculations performed with CSTRs assume perfect mixing. In a
perfectly mixed reactor. Which is a function of residence time and rate of reaction.
If the residence time is 5-10 times the mixing time, this approximately is valid for
engineering purpose. The CSTR model is often used to simplify engineering
calculation and can be used to describe research reactors. In practice it can only be
approached in particular in industrial size reactor.
Assume:
Perfect or ideal mixing as stated above
Integral mass balance on number of moles Ni of species iin a reactor of volume V
[accumulation]= [in] – [out] + [generation]
General mole equation
V
dNA
F AO−F A=∫ r A dV =
0 dt

5
Assumptions
Steady state reaction d N A /d t
It is well mixed so we have rA is the same throughout the reactor
v v

∫ r A dV =r A ∫ dV =r A v
0 0

Rearranging the generation

F AO−F A
v=
−rA
In terms of conversion
F AO−F A
X=
F AO
F AO X
V=
−r A

The Residence Time distribution (RTD): The Residence Time Distribution

inside the Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor shows the characteristic of the mixing
of reactants that occurs inside the reactor. The RTD is determined experimentally
by injecting an inert chemical, molecule, or atom,called a tracer, into the reactor at
some time to and then measuring the tracer concentration C in the effluent stream
as a function of time. Inside the reactor, the reactants are continually consumed as
the reactant flow along the length of the reactor. The quantity E(t) is called the
residence-time distribution function. It is the function that describes in a
quantitative manner how much time different fluid elements have spent in the
reactor. The residence -time distribution function is representing in a plotted graph
of E(t) as a function of time. This function shows in a quantitative manner of how
much time the mixed fluid stays inside the reactor before leaving the reactor.

6
Figure 1:E(t) curve and F(t) curve for an ideal CSTR

The two most common methods of injecting tracer into the reactor are pulse input
and step input.

Figure 1 - Typical Concentration – Time Curve At The Inlet And Outlet

Stream For Step Change Input
A constant rate of tracer is added to the feed that is initiated at time t= 0. Thus, the
inlet concentration of the tracer, Co is constant with time, as mentioned earlier.
From this experiment, the cumulative distribution can be determined directly, F(t).

0 ,∧t<0
C o ( t )=
{
(C o )constant ,∧t ≥ 0
The cumulative distribution, F(t) represents the fraction of effluent that has been in
reactor for time t = 0 until t = t.
C out
𝐂𝐮𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 F ( t )=
[ ]
Co
… 1

Differentiation of the cumulative distribution function yield to RTD function,

7
 d C (t)
𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 E ( t )= dt C
o
[ ] . . .2

The mean residence time, tm shows the average time the fluids stay inside the
reactor.
∞

𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭,𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞,t m=∫ t E (t)

0

PULSE INPUT. This involves injection an amount of tracer, say M in one shot
lasting for the shortest possible time into the reactor feed stream. The outlet
concentration is measured as a function of time. The effluent concentration time
curve is known as the Cknown curve. The dimension form of the Cstep curve is called
the F curve. The relationship between the F and E is.

dF
=E
dt

0
M Kgs
A=∫ Cdt ≅ ∑ Ci ∆ ti=
0 i
[ ]
v m3
(i)
Mean of the Cpulse curve,
t

∫ tCidt ∑ tiCi ∆ ti
0 V
t= t ≅ i = ( s ) (ii)
∑ Ci ∆ ti v
∫ Cdt i
0
M
Hence, dividing the Cpulse readings by v yields E readings. If time is measured in
terms of mean residence time,
t
ϑ=
ֿt
The dimensionless form of the Cstep curve is called the F curve. The relationship
between the F and E is;
dF
=E
dt

8
 DESCRIPTION OF APPARATUS

Materials used;

1. De-ionized water
2. Potassium Chloride

Fig 2: Stirred Tank Reactors in Series – CEP-MKII

Fig 2 shows the Armfield CEP-MKII Stirred Tank Reactors in Series Unit is
designed to follow the dynamics of the perfectly mixed multistage process.
Dynamic behaviour can be studied as can multi stage chemical reaction.
Bench mounted and self-contained, the unit requires only to be connected to a
single-phase electrical supply for operation.

9
ROUND BOTTOM FLASK: This is a type flask having spherical bottom used as
laboratory glassware, mostly for chemical or biochemical work

FIGURE 3: ROUND BOTTOM FLASK

BEAKER:
A beaker is generally a cylindrical container with a flat bottom. Most also have a
small spout (or "beak") to aid pouring, as shown in the picture. Beakers are
available in a wide range of sizes, from one millilitre up to several litres. A beaker
is distinguished from a flask by having straight rather than sloping sides. The
exception to this definition is a slightly conical-sided beaker called a Philips
beaker.
Beakers are commonly made of glass (today usually borosilicate glass ), but can
also be in metal

FIGURE4: BEAKER

10
WEIGHING SCALE:
A Beam balance (or Beam scale) is a device to measure weight or mass. These
are also known as mass scales, weight scales, mass balances, weight balances, or
simply scales, balances, or balance scales and refractometer.
The traditional scale consists of two plates or bowls suspended at equal distances
from a fulcrum. One plate holds an object of unknown mass (or weight), while
known masses are added to the other plate until static equilibrium is achieved and
the plates level off, which happens when the masses on the two plates are equal.
The perfect scale rests at neutral. A spring scale will make use of a spring of
known stiffness to determine mass (or weight). Suspending a certain mass will
extend the spring by a certain amount depending on the spring's stiffness (or spring
constant).

FIGURE 5: BEAM BALANCE

STOPWATCH: A stopwatch is a handheld timepiece designed to measure the

amount of time that elapses between its activation and deactivation. The timing
functions are traditionally controlled by two buttons on the case. Pressing the top
button starts the timer running, and pressing the button a second time stops it,
leaving the elapsed time displayed.

11
FIGURE6: STOPWATCH

12
 PROCEDURE
MAKING OF 0.1M OF KCl

 7.45g of KCl was measured using a beam balance

 I litres of water was measured using a round bottom flask
 The 7.45g of KCl was added to the 1 litres of water, hence the the formation
of 0.1M of KCl

STEP INPUT CHANGE EXPERIMENT

 1 liters of 0.1M Potassium chloride solution was made up and used to fill
one of the reagent vessels
 The other feed vessel is half filled with demineralized water, and this water
is used to fill each of the reactors until they are filled to standpipe overflow
levels
 The water feed pump is started and set to a value of 5.0 on the speed adjust
dial. The stirrers are set to a speed of 5.0 on the speed adjust dial
 After a few minuted when water is flowing from the feed tank through each
reactor in turn and eventually out to drain, the water feed pump started with
the speed set to 4.0 on the speed adjust dial
 The conductivity was noted at time 0 and in an interval 5.0 minutes until 60
minutes for each of the reactors.
 The time which conductivity changed for each reactor was taken note of
 The graph of conductivity against time was plotted for the three different
reactors

13
 RESULTS
CALCULATION OF VOLUME OF REACTORS

Height of reactor(s) = 13.7cm = 0.137m

Radius of reactor(s) = 4.5cm = 0.045m
Volume = Volume of a cylinder ¿ π r 2 h¿ π r 2 h
V = π X (0.045) 2 X 0.137 = 8.7156 X 10-3 m3 π ×(0.05)2 ×0.135=0.00106029

From the experiment performed, the following results were recorded and tabulated
as shown below.

Time Conductivities (mS)

(mins) Reactor 1 Reactor 2 Reactor 3 Reactor 4
0 0.16 0.51 0.26 2.62
5 4.10 1.10 0.34 2.62
10 6.90 2.46 0.74 2.62
15 8.86 4.09 1.47 2.62
20 10.25 5.72 2.46 2.62
25 11.24 7.21 3.64 2.62
30 11.79 8.51 4.86 2.62
35 12.50 9.61 6.10 2.62
40 12.90 10.52 7.24 2.62
45 13.17 11.26 8.33 2.62
50 13.39 11.86 9.28 2.63
55 13.55 12.34 10.12 2.63
60 13.67 12.72 10.85 2.63
Table 1: Experimental results

A graph of conductivity against time is plotted for each of the reactors as shown in
graph 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively.

CALCULATION OF MEAN RESIDENCE TIME (τ)

Based on analysis,
Concentration α Conductivity
Cαδ
C=Kδ ; K = C/ δ
From theory, the mean residence time (τ);

14
 ∞

∫ tCdt ∑ tᵢCᵢΔtᵢ V
0 ᵢ
τ= ∞ = = v (s)
∑ CᵢΔtᵢ
∫ Cdt ᵢ
0
Since Δt = 5 minutes = constant
∞

∫ tCdt ∑ tᵢ δ ᵢ
0 ᵢ
τ= ∞ =
∑δ ᵢ
∫ Cdt ᵢ
0

Where;
δ = conductivity

Also;
δ
E = Area

Where;
Area = Area that is under the concentration-time curve.
δ = conductivity
E = Ade distribution

Therefore;
Area = ∑δΔt

CALCULATIONS FOR REACTOR 1

Δt = 5 minutes = constant
Σδi =132.66
Area = ∑δΔt
Area = 132.66 (5) = 663.3

15
Table 2: Results showing variations of t and E for reactor 1

Time, ti Conducticity, δ tiδi δ

E = Area (min-1)
(mins) (mS)
0 0.16 0 X 0.16 = 0 (0.16/663.3) = 0.00024
5 4.10 5 X 4.10 = 20.5 (4.10/663.3) = 0.00618
10 6.90 10 X 6.90 = 69 (6.90/663.3) = 0.01040
15 8.86 15 X 8.86 = 132.9 (8.86/663.3) = 0.01336
20 10.25 20 X 10.25 = 205 (10.25/663.3) = 0.01545
25 11.24 25 X 11.24 = 281 (11.24/663.3) = 0.01695
30 11.79 30 X 11.79 = 353.7 (11.79/663.3) = 0.01805
35 12.50 35 X 12.50 = 437.5 (12.50/663.3) = 0.01885
40 12.90 40 X 12.90 = 516 (12.90/663.3) = 0.01945
45 13.17 45 X 13.17 =592.65 (013.17/663.3) = 0.01986
50 13.39 50 X 13.39 =669.5 (13.39/663.3) = 0.02019
55 13.55 55 X 13.55 = 745.25 (13.55/663.3) = 0.02043
60 13.67 60 X 13.67 = 820.2 (13.67/663.3) = 0.02061
Σδi =132.66 Σ tiδi = 4848.6
∞

∫ tCdt ∑ tᵢ δ ᵢ
0 ᵢ
τ= ∞ = = (4848.6/132.66) =36.55 mins
∑δ ᵢ
∫ Cdt ᵢ
0

(60 seconds = 1 minute)

36.55mins = (36.55 X 60) = 2193s

Therefore, τ = 2193s

16
Calculating the volumetric flow rate (v) for reactor 1:
∞

∫ tCdt ∑ tᵢCᵢΔtᵢ V
0 ᵢ
τ= ∞ = =v
∑ CᵢΔtᵢ
∫ Cdt ᵢ
0
V = 8.7156 X 10-3 m3
τ = 2193s π ×(0.05)2 ×0.135=0.00106029

Therefore, volumetric flow rate, v = (V/ τ)

v = (8.7156 X 10-3 / 2193) = 3.974 X 10-6 m³s¯¹

CALCULATIONS FOR REACTOR 2

Δt = 5 minutes = constant
Σδi = 97.91
Area = ∑δΔt
Area = 97.91 (5) = 489.55

Table 3: Results showing variations of t and E for reactor 2

Time, ti Conducticity, δ t i δi δ
E = Area (min-1)
(mins) (mS)
0 0.51 0.51 X 0 = 0 (0.51/489.55) = 0.001042
5 1.10 1.10 X 5 = 5.50 (1.10/489.55) = 0.002470
10 2.46 2.46 X 10 = 24.6 (2.46/489.55) = 0.005025
15 4.09 4.09 X 15 = 61.35 (4.09/489.55) = 0.008546
20 5.72 5.72 X 20 = 114.4 (5.72/489.55) = 0.011684
25 7.21 7.21 X 25 = 180.25 (7.21/489.55) = 0.014728
30 8.51 8.51 X 30 = 255.3 (8.51/489.55) = 0.017383
35 9.61 9.61 X 35 = 336.35 (9.61/489.55) = 0.019630
40 10.52 10.52 X 40 = 420.8 (10.52/489.55) =
0.021489
45 11.26 11.26 X 45 = 506.7 (11.26/489.55) =0.023001
50 11.86 11.86 X 50 = 593 (11.86/489.55) =0.024226

17
 55 12.34 12.34 X 55 = 678.7 (12.34/489.55) =0.025207
60 12.72 12.72 X 60 = 763.2 (12.72/489.55) =
0.025983
Σδi = 97.91 Σ tiδi = 3940.15
∞

∫ tCdt ∑ tᵢ δ ᵢ
0 ᵢ
τ= ∞ = = (3940.15/97.91) = 40.24 mins
∑δ ᵢ
∫ Cdt ᵢ
0

(60 seconds = 1 minute)

40.24mins = (40.24 X 60) = 2414.4s

Therefore, τ = 2193s

Calculating the volumetric flow rate (v) for reactor 2:

∞

∫ tCdt ∑ tᵢCᵢΔtᵢ V
0 ᵢ
τ= ∞ = =v
∑ CᵢΔtᵢ
∫ Cdt ᵢ
0

V = 8.7156 X 10-3 m3
τ = 2414.4s π ×(0.05)2 ×0.135=0.00106029

Therefore, volumetric flow rate, v = (V/ τ)

v = (8.7156 X 10-3 / 2414.4) = 3.6098 X 10¯6 m³s¯¹

18
 CALCULATIONS FOR REACTOR 3
Δt = 5 minutes = constant

Σδi = 97.91
Area = ∑δΔt

Area = 65.69 (5) = 328.45

Table 4: Results showing variations of t and E for reactor 3

Time, ti Conducticity, tiδi δ

E = Area (min-1)
(mins) δ (mS)
0
0.26 0.26 X 0 = 0 (0.26/328.45) = 0.0008
5
0.34 0.34 X 5 = 1.7 (0.34/328.45) = 0.0010
10
0.74 0.74 X 10 = 7.4 (0.74/328.45) = 0.0023
15
1.47 1.47 X 15 =22.05 (1.47/328.45) = 0.0045
20
2.46 2.46 X 20 = 49.2 (2.46/328.45) = 0.0075
25
3.64 3.64 X 25 = 91 (3.64/328.45) = 0.0111
30
4.86 4.86 X 30 = 145.8 (4.86/328.45) = 0.0148
35
6.10 6.10 X 35 = 213.5 (6.10/328.45) = 0.0186
40
7.24 7.24 X 40 = 289.6 (7.24/328.45) = 0.0220

19
45
8.33 8.33X 45 = 374.85 (8.33/328.45) = 0.0254
50
9.28 9.28 X 50 = 464 (9.28/328.45) = 0.0283
55
10.12 10.12 X 55 = 556.6 (10.12/328.45) = 0.0308
60
10.85 10.85 X 60 = 651 (10.85/328.45) = 0.0330

Σ tiδi = 4524.1
Σδi = 65.69

∫ tCdt ∑ tᵢ δ ᵢ
τ= 0
∞ = ᵢ

∑δ ᵢ = (4524.1/65.69) = 68.87 mins

∫ Cdt ᵢ
0

(60 seconds = 1 minute)

40.24mins = (68.87 X 60) = 4132.23s

Therefore, τ = 4132.23s

Calculating the volumetric flow rate (v) for reactor 3:

20
 ∞

∫ tCdt ∑ tᵢCᵢΔtᵢ V
0 ᵢ
τ= ∞ = ∑ CᵢΔtᵢ = v
∫ Cdt ᵢ
0

V = 8.7156 X 10-3 m3

τ = 4132.23s

Therefore, volumetric flow rate, v = (V/ τ)

v = (8.7156 X 10-3 / 4132.23) = 2.109 X 10¯6 m³s¯¹

The graph for conductivity against time for reactor 1, 2, and 3 are shown in the
APPENDIX section of this report

21
 DISCUSSION
The aim of this experiment was to study and thoroughly investigate the behaviour
of continuous stirred tank reactors in series, also the effect on the progress of
chemical reactions carried out in such system. The aim was achieved at the end of
this experiment. This experiment was also carried out to determine the residence
time and volumetric flow rates of three different reactor vessels in a Continuous
Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) which were connected in series. The values of but
the resident time and volumetric flow were obtained as 36.55mins, 40.24mins,
68.87mins and 3.974 x 106m3/s, 3.6098 x 10-6m3/s, 2.109 x 106m3/s for reactor 1, 2,
and 3 respectively.

It should be noted that conductivity for each of the reactor increase with increase in
time this may be due to the conductive ability of the material used for this
experiment which is Potassium Chloride. Also the retention time increases from
one reactor to the other while volumetric flow rate decreases as we move from one
reactor to another. Graphs of conductivity against time was plotted for the three
reactors. The graphs were not too accurate due to errors made during the course of
the experiment but was not far from the accuracy
From the obtained data and calculations, It was also observed that the conductivity
increased as time increases.

It should also be noted that when talking about continuous stirred tank reactor one
of the most important chemical property it deals with is Flow rate

22
PRECAUTIONS:

 Using a digital stopwatch instead of an analog stopwatch to avoid error due

to parallax.
 Ensuring the reactor vessels were cleaned before the experiment

CONCLUSION
The aim of this experiment was achieved which was to study and thoroughly
investigate the behaviour of continuous stirred tank reactors in series, also the
effect on the progress of chemical reactions carried out in such system and to
determine the residence time and volumetric flow rates of three different reactor
vessels in a Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR) which were connected in
series. The investigations and values of the unknown are found in the
DISCUSSION section of this report.

23
 RECOMMENDATION
There are several recommendations can be made to improve the experiment for a
better result.

 The experiment should be done more than once to ensure the consistency
and accuracy of the obtained data.
 The students can try the experiment with different stirrer speed to further
investigate the mixing behavior of the fluid inside the CSTRs.
 Students should be given enough time to perform the experiment by
themselves in order to yield good understanding.
 The students should get a full picture of the equipment used in order to
investigate the behavior of the experimental mixing with the theoretical
mixing such that the volume of the reactor is determine to obtained the
theoretical residence time which can be used to compared with the
experimental data value.

24
 REFERENCE

Fogler, H. S. (2006).”Element of Chemical Reaction Engineering”. Michigan:

Prentice Hall.

Sprivav R.P.S. (2000); “Elements of Reaction Engineering”, Khanna Publishers,

Delhi. Pp 215-223, 238-240.

Smith J.M. (1981); “Chemical Engineering Kinetics” 3rd Edition McGraw Hill Inc.,
USA.Pp 268-275, 283-286.

Levespiel, O. (1999); “Chemical Reaction Engineering”, 3rd Edition John Wiley &
Sons, Inc. Singapore. Pp 257-275, 321-334.

Schmidt, Lanny D. (1998). “The Engineering of Chemical Reactions. New York;

Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-510588-5

Robert H. Perry, Don W. Green, (1998) “Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook”,

2nd edition McGraw Hills.

25
 APPENDIX

The retention time of a reactor is given as:

0

∫ tCᵢdt ∑ tᵢCᵢΔtᵢ V
0 ᵢ
ṫ= 0 = = v (s)
∑ CᵢΔtᵢ
∫ Cdt ᵢ
0

ṫ= residence time
Cᵢ=Conductivity of the reactor
Δt =Change in time
V= Volume of the reactor
v = volumetric flow rate

Volume of a cylinder = πr²h

Where:
π= pie taken as 3.142
r = radius
h = height

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