Tutorial 1
Tutorial 1
Tutorial - 1
3. An isomerization reaction is carried out in a batch reactor. The reaction is first-order, both
isomers are liquids with a density of 900 kg/m3 at 163 °C. The reactor is filled in 10 minutes
and emptied in 12 minutes. During the 14 minutes required to heat up the reactor, the reaction
is negligible, it can be assumed to begin only when 163 °C is reached. 900 t of product must
be synthesized in 7000 hours of operation per year. Conversion is 97%.
What is the required volume of the stirred batch reactor operated isothermally at 163 °C? The
reaction rate coefficient is 0.8 1/h.
A + B → 2C
In a dilute solution (cA < 0.2 mol/dm3) the reaction rate coefficient can be calculated with the
following equation:
𝑘 = 9.2335 × 10 𝑒 ,
CH3143 – Reactor Engineering
If 200 kg/h acetic acid must be produced at 35 °C with an initial anhydride concentration of
0.2 mol/dm3, what is the required volume of the reactor? Servicing time is 15 min per batch.
The desired conversion is 98%.
The reactor will be charged with a mixture containing 500 kg/m3 ethanol and 250 kg/m3
acetic acid, the remainder being water and small quantity of HCl acid to act as a catalyst. The
density of this mixture is 1045 kg/m3 and can be assumed constant throughout the reaction.
The reaction is reversible with a rate equation, which over the concentration range of interest
can be written as r k f C A C B k r C M C N
At the operating temperature of 100 0C. The rate constant has the values
k f 8.0 10 6 m3/kmol/s
k r 2.7 10 6 m3/kmol/s
The reaction mixture will be discharged when the conversion of acetic acids is 30 mole %.
A time of 30 minutes is required between batches for discharging, cleaning and recharging.
Determine the volume of reactor required.
CH3143 – Reactor Engineering
2. Acetic anhydride is hydrolyzed in a continuous stirred tank reactor at 25 °C. The reaction is
pseudo-first-order. In the feed stream (0.4 m 3/h) the concentration of acetic anhydride is 1
kmol/m3. The reaction rate coefficient is 0.0806 min-1. The required conversion is 98%.
(ii). How will the conversion change if the feed is increased by 20%.
3. The hydrolysis of acetic anhydride is carried in a continuous stirred tank reactor at 25°C.
The reaction is pseudo-first-order. The feed stream (0.6 m3/h) is a 0.9 kmol/m3 solution of
acetic anhydride. The reaction rate coefficient is 0.0806 min-1. The desired conversion is
97%. Calculate the required volume of the reactor.