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Examples

This document provides examples of interpreting curves generated from tracer experiments to analyze non-ideal flow behaviors in reactors and contactors. The examples show: 1) Using a tracer pulse experiment to determine the liquid fraction in a large tank by measuring the tracer at the outlet and generating an E curve for the liquid. 2) Using tracer test results to determine the gas and liquid fractions in a pipeline simultaneously transporting both. 3) Using a tracer experiment to find the average concentration of a reactant remaining in droplets leaving a contactor based on the residence time distribution curve.

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yagnik
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64 views

Examples

This document provides examples of interpreting curves generated from tracer experiments to analyze non-ideal flow behaviors in reactors and contactors. The examples show: 1) Using a tracer pulse experiment to determine the liquid fraction in a large tank by measuring the tracer at the outlet and generating an E curve for the liquid. 2) Using tracer test results to determine the gas and liquid fractions in a pipeline simultaneously transporting both. 3) Using a tracer experiment to find the average concentration of a reactant remaining in droplets leaving a contactor based on the residence time distribution curve.

Uploaded by

yagnik
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Interpretation of Curves

• From experiments RTD curves are generated.


• How to analyze these curves? What kind of non-ideal behavior they
exhibit?
V = Vp + Vd
Departure from Plug Flow
Departure from Mixed Flow
Example -1
• A large tank (860 liters) is used as a gas-liquid contactor. Gas bubbles up through the vessel
and out the top, liquid flows in at one part and out the other at 5 liters. To get an idea of the
flow pattern of liquid in this tank a pulse of tracer (M = 150 gm) is injected at the liquid inlet
and measured at the outlet, as shown in Fig.
A. Is this a properly done experiment?
B. If so, find the liquid fraction in the vessel.
C. Determine the E curve for the liquid.
D. Qualitatively what do you think is happening in the vessel?

Levenspiel Example 11.2

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Example-2
• A pipeline (10 cm I.D., 19.1 m long) simultaneously transports gas and liquid
from here to there. The volumetric flow rate of gas and liquid are 60,000
cm3/s and 300 cm3/s, respectively. Pulse tracer tests on the fluids flowing
through the pipe give results as shown in Fig. What fraction of the pipe is
occupied by gas and what fraction by liquid?

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Example-3
• Dispersed noncoalescing droplets (CA0 = 2 mol/liter) react (A → R, -r,
= kcA2 k = 0.5 liter/mol.min) as they pass through a contactor. Find
the average concentration of A remaining in the droplets leaving the
contactor if their RTD is given by the curve in Fig.

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Example-4
• The vessel is to be used as a reactor for a liquid decomposing with rate –rA
= kCA where k = 0.307 min-1 Find the fraction of reactant unconverted in
the real reactor and compare this with the fraction unconverted in a plug
flow reactor of the same size.
t, min 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
C, g/lt 0 3 5 5 4 2 1 0

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Example-5
• At present our 6-m3 tank reactor gives 75% conversion for the first
order reaction A→R. However, since the reactor is stirred with an
underpowered paddle turbine, incomplete mixing is suspected and
poor flow patterns in the vessel. A pulse tracer shows that this is so.
What conversion can we expect if we replace the stirrer with one
powerful enough to ensure mixed flow?
Example-6
• From the measured pulse tracer response curves (see figure), find the
fraction of gas, of flowing liquid, and of stagnant liquid in the gas-
liquid contactor shown in Fig
Example-7
• Given Cin and Cout as well as the location and spread of these tracer
curves, as shown estimate the vessel E curve. We suspect that the
tanks-in series model reasonably represents the flow in the vessel.

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