Assignment 1
Assignment 1
1. Input information............................................................................................4
1.1 Material and product information.............................................................4
1.1.1 Material.............................................................................................5
a. Ethylbenze..........................................................................................5
1.1.2 Product..............................................................................................5
a. Styrene................................................................................................5
1.1.3 By- products......................................................................................5
a. Toluene...............................................................................................5
b. Benzene..............................................................................................6
1.2 Reaction information................................................................................6
1.2.1 Reactions...........................................................................................6
1.2.2 Kinetic Study.....................................................................................8
1.2.3 Catalysts..........................................................................................8
1.3 Process description...................................................................................8
1.4 Cost data.................................................................................................11
2. Decision for Batch Process or Continuous process......................................11
2.1 Definition of Batch Process....................................................................11
2.2 Definition of Continuous Process...........................................................11
2.3 Comparison of two processes.................................................................12
3. Modeling......................................................................................................14
4. Input and Output Structure...........................................................................17
4.1 Material balance.....................................................................................17
4.2 Economic potential.................................................................................21
5. Recycle structure..........................................................................................22
5.1 Number of reactors.................................................................................23
5.2 Reactor configuration.............................................................................24
5.3 Recycle stream.......................................................................................25
6. Separation Structure.....................................................................................25
6.1 Separation configuration........................................................................25
6.2 Separation sequence...............................................................................25
7. Heat integration............................................................................................26
7.1 Pinch analysis.........................................................................................27
7.2 Heat Exchanger Network (HEN)............................................................28
REFERENCES.................................................................................................32
List of tables
List of figures
Solubiliy
Boiling Melting
Density in water
Chemicals Symbol Characteristics point point
(g/cm3) at 25oC
(oC) (oC)
(g/L)
Colorless liquid
Ethyl
C8H10 with aromatic 136 -95.0 0.866 4.45x10-3
Benzene
odor
Colorless oily
Styrene C8H8 145 -30.0 0.909 0.03
liquid
1.17 x
Ethylene C2H4 Colorless gas -103.7 -169.2 0.131
10-3
1.1.1 Material
a. Ethyl Benzene
(1)
C6H5CH2CH3 ↔ C6H5CH=CH2 ∆H (600°C) = 124.9 kJ/mol
+Ethylbenze(2)
H2 StyreneHydrogen
This reaction proceeds thermally with low yield and catalytically with high
yield. As it is a reversible gasphase reaction producing 2 mol of product from 1
mol of starting material, low pressure favors the forward reaction.
Competing thermal reactions degrade ethylbenzene to benzene, and also to
carbon:
(3)
C6H5CH2CH3 →C6H6 +C2H4 ∆H = 101.8 kJ/mol
Ethylbenze BenzeneEthylene
(4)
C6H5CH2CH3 +H2→C6H5CH3 + CH4 ∆H = – 64.5 kJ/mol
EthylbenzeHydrogen TolueneMethane
The problem with carbon production is that carbon is a catalyst poison. When
potassium is incorporated into the iron oxide catalyst, the catalyst becomes self-
cleaning (through enhancement of the reaction of carbon with steam to
give carbon dioxide, which is removed in the reactor vent gas).
Typical operating conditions in commercial reactors are ca. 620 °C and as low
a pressure as practicable.
The overall yield depends on the relative amounts of catalytic conversion to
styrene and thermal cracking to byproducts. At equilibrium under typical
conditions, the reversible reaction results in about 80% conversion of
ethylbenzene. However, the time and temperature necessary to achieve
equilibrium give rise to excessive thermal cracking and reduced yield, so most
commercial units operate at conversion levels of 50 – 70 wt%, with yields of
88 – 95 mol%.
Dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene is carried out in the presence of steam, which
has a threefold role:
1. It lowers the partial pressure of ethylbenzene, shifting the equilibrium
toward styrene and minimizing the loss to thermal cracking
2. It supplies the necessary heat of reaction
3. It cleans the catalyst by reacting with carbon to produce carbon dioxide
and hydrogen.
1.2.2 Kinetic study
21.708
= 10.177 × 1011 exp( − )
1 𝑏
RT
7804
= 20.965 exp( )
2 𝑡 ℎ𝑑
RT
49675
= 7.206 × 10 exp( −
11
)
3 𝑏
RT
26857
= 1.724 × 106 exp( − )
4 𝑏 ℎ𝑑
RT
Where p is in bar, T is in K, R = 1.987 cal/mol K, and ri is in mol/m3-reactor
s. The styrene reaction may be equilibrium limited, and the equilibrium
constant is given as below equation:
𝑡ℎ𝑑 P
K = ( 𝑏
)
14852.6
ln K = 15.5408 −
T
1.2.3 Catalysts
Many catalysts have been described for this reaction. One catalyst – Shell 105,
also used in this experiment – dominated the market for many years, and was
the first to include potassium as a promoter for the water-gas reaction. This
catalyst is typically 84.3% iron as Fe2O3 , 2.4% chromium as Cr2O3 , and
13.3% potassium as K2CO3. It has good physical properties and good activity,
and it gives fair yields.
In recent years, the situation has become more complex. The market has
become more competitive, causing manufacturers to seek new catalysts that
produce higher yields without compromising activity or physical properties, or
catalysts that meet specific requirements. A catalyst life of ca. two years is
claimed.
1.3 Process description
The process flow diagram is shown in Figure 5. Ethylbenzene feed is mixed
with recycled ethylbenzene, heated, and then mixed with high-temperature,
superheated steam. Steam is an inert in the reaction, which drives the
equilibrium shown in Equation 1 to the right by reducing the concentrations of
all components. Because styrene formation is highly endothermic, the
superheated steam also provides energy to drive the reaction. Decomposition of
ethylbenzene to benzene and ethylene, and hydrodealkylation to give methane
and toluene, are unwanted side reactions shown in Equations 3 and 4. The
reactants then enter two adiabatic packed beds with interheating. The products
are cooled, producing steam from the high-temperature reactor effluent. The
cooled product stream is sent to a three-phase separator, in which light gases
(hydrogen, methane, ethylene), organic liquid, and water exit in separate
streams. The hydrogen stream is further purified as a source of hydrogen
elsewhere in the plant. The benzene/toluene stream is currently returned as a
feed stream to the petrochemical facility. The organic stream containing the
desired product is distilled once to remove the benzene and toluene and
distilled again to separate unreacted ethylbenzene for recycle from the styrene
product. The separator consists of 2 towers for distillation. Since styrene and
ethyl benzene have very similar boiling points and styrene tends to coincide
easily, the process of separating raw styrene from ethyl benzene must be
performed under these conditions:
- Number of large disks is about 60 and the reflux index is high
- Perform under vacuum to reduce the tower bottom temperature to below
108°C and increase the evaporation temperature
- Have polymerization inhibitors
- Low pressure drop in condenser devices and in disc
The styrene product can spontaneously polymerize at higher temperatures.
Because product styrene is sent directly to the polymerization unit, experience
suggests that as long as its temperature is maintained at less than 125°C, there
is no spontaneous polymerization problem. Because this is less than styrene’s
normal boiling point, and because low pressure pushes the equilibrium in
Equation 1&2 to the right, much of this process is run at vacuum.
1.4 Cost data
Table 2: Prices of chemical and product
Component Cost (USD/ton)
Ethyl benzene 1000
Styrene 7410
Waste water 56
Steam 58
H2 83.33
CH4 100
C2H4 7
Benzene 866.67
Toluene 960
Unit 9 10 11 12 13
Vapour
1 1 1 1 0.003492
fraction
Temperature ℃ 554.8269 551.1692 267 180 30
Pressure kPa 139.1344 129.1344 110 105 101.325
Molar flow Kmol/h 15085.21 15103.23 15103.23 15103.23 15103.23
Mass flow Kg/h 275873.1 275873.1 275873.1 275873.1 275873.1
Liquid
m3/h 277.9432 278.3296 278.3296 278.3296 278.3296
volume flow
Heat flow kJ/h -3.3E+09 -3.3E+09 -3.5E+09 -3.5E+09 -4.3E+09
16.3 Benzene/ 18 19 20
Unit
Toluen
Vapour
1 0 0 0 0
fraction
Temperature ℃ 30 69.3735 138.5715 90.15187 147.0447
Pressure kPa 101.325 45 85 25 105
Molar flow Kmol/h 0.016933 1.003419 51.63681 2.384354 49.25246
Mass flow Kg/h 0.034306 87.85987 5382.816 253.0644 5129.752
Liquid
m3/h 0.000489 0.100452 5.935239 0.290866 5.644373
volume flow
Heat flow kJ/h 2.722857 33080.03 6246968 2554.872 6307141
Unit 25 26
Vapour
fraction 1 1
Temperature ℃ 800 464.5895
Pressure kPa 2500 2494.814
Molar flow Kmol/h 5000 5000
Mass flow Kg/h 90075.5 90075.5
Liquid m3/h
volume flow 90.25728 90.25728
Heat flow kJ/h -1.1E+09 -1.1E+09
Unit 25 26
Benzene kgmole/h 0 0
E-Benzene kgmole/h 0 0
Ethylene kgmole/h 0 0
H2O kgmole/h 5000 5000
Hydrogen kgmole/h 0 0
Methane kgmole/h 0 0
Styrene kgmole/h 0 0
Toluene kgmole/h 0 0
Nmp = ∑ Equipment
Compressors
Towers
Reactors
Heaters
Exchangers
NOL= (6.29 + 31.7 × 02 + 0.23 × 12)0.5 = 3 𝑆
Nmp is 12 because our process includes 7 heat exchangers, 2 reactors, 2 tower, 1
compressor
Operating labor = 4.5 × 3 = 13.5 = 14
Labor Costs = 14 × 59580 = 834 100 USD/yr
CES 0.427963
TES
B = 0.480105 + 2.483877 + 49.24829 × 110.6 − 80.09 = 0.24
→ Second split
0.480105 + 2.483877
CES T = × 136.2 − 110.6 = 0.45
ES 2.483877 + 49.24829
→ First split
From there, we can sketch the temperature interval diagram and the cascade
diagram:
Qaccumulated (kJ/hr) Qadjusted (kJ/hr)
0 740157866
-19791530 720366336
-30431864 709726002
-298732844 441425022
-323468212 416689654
-426863088 313294778
-447983538 292174328
-449993337 290164529
-717354060 22803806
-731500940 8656926
-740157866 0
-704223622 35934244
-538287049 201870817
38155547 778313413
1
68997539.32
2
1120200591
3
168798
4
68997539.32
5
164129878.8
7
206858424.5
8
9031440
→ QHot Ultility = 740157866 (kJ/hr)
3 2813300
6 1120200591
8 37819155
15. “Styrene,” Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing and Design, Vol. 55, ed.
J. J. McKetta, (New York: Marcel Dekker, 1984), 197–217.
16. Snyder, J. D., and B. Subramaniam, “A Novel Reverse Flow Strategy for
Ethylbenzene Dehydrogenation in a Packed-Bed Reactor,” Chem. Engr. Sci.
49 (1994): 5585–5601.