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Assignment 9

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11 views

Assignment 9

Uploaded by

22b0418
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Assignment 9

Q1. A chemical reaction takes place in a long cylindrical reactor. Heat is generated by the
exothermic reaction and is dissipated through the reactor walls. The steady-state temperature
distribution, 𝑇(𝑥), along the length of the reactor can be modeled by the following non-linear
second-order differential equation:

𝑑2 𝑇 𝑄 3
+ (𝑇 − 𝑇𝑎 ) = 0, ∀ 𝑥 ϵ [0, 𝐿]
𝑑𝑥 2 𝑘

where:

• 𝑇(𝑥) is the temperature along the reactor


• 𝑄 is the heat generation term
• 𝑘 is the thermal conductivity of the reactor wall
• 𝑇𝑎 is the ambient temperature outside the reactor
• 𝐿 is the length of the reactor

Boundary conditions:

• 𝑇(0) = 600 K, the temperature at the inlet of the reactor,


• 𝑇(𝐿) = 400 K, the temperature at the outlet.

Given parameters:

• 𝐿 = 10 m,
• 𝑄 = 2 × 105 W/m3 ,
• 𝑘 = 50 W/m ∙ K

Task:

1. Discretize the domain into 𝑁 + 1 points and set up the finite difference approximation
for the above equation.
2. Use an iterative method to solve the non-linear system of equations.
3. Implement a Python program to compute the temperature distribution along the
length of the reactor.
4. Plot the temperature profile along the length of the reactor.
5. Determine the temperature at 𝒙 = 𝟕 𝐦. Extract and report this value in your
solution.

Q2. A catalyst pellet is modelled as a spherical shell where a chemical reaction occurs. The
steady-state concentration profile, 𝐶(𝑟), of the reactant inside the pellet is governed by the
following diffusion-reaction equation:

1 𝑑 2 𝑑𝐶
2
(𝑟 ) = −𝑘𝐶 𝑛 , ∀ 𝑟 ϵ [𝑟0 , 𝑟1 ]
𝑟 𝑑𝑟 𝑑𝑟

where:
• 𝐶(𝑟) is the concentration of the reactant inside the pellet
• 𝑘 is the reaction rate constant
• 𝑛 is the reaction order
• 𝑟0 and 𝑟1 are the inner and outer radii of the pellet respectively.

Boundary conditions:

• At the surface 𝑟 = 𝑟1 (= 1 m), 𝐶(𝑟1 ) = 𝐶𝑠 (= 0.1 mol/m3 ) the concentration at the


surface
𝑑𝐶
• At the center of the pellet 𝑟 = 𝑟1 (= 0 m), symmetry requires 𝑑𝑟 (𝑟0 ) = 0

Given parameters:

• 𝑘 = 0.5 mol/m3 and 𝑛 = 2 (second-order reaction).

Task:

1. Use the shooting method to solve for the concentration profile 𝐶(𝑟) inside the pellet.
2. Implement a Python program to solve the system.
3. Plot the concentration profile 𝐶(𝑟) inside the catalyst pellet.
4. Determine the concentration at 𝒓 = 𝟎. 𝟓 𝐦. Extract and report this value in your
solution.

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