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Studio 2

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17 views5 pages

Studio 2

Uploaded by

Muhammad Kashif Saeed
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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STUDIO 2 Ideal Plug Flow Reactors, Reactors in Series/Parallel, Levenspiel Plots Week 2

Part I (~50 minutes)


You have been hired as an intern on an engineering team to assist in the operation and design of a reactor system to
convert a secretive compound, A, into B and C. You are told that this reaction is in the liquid-phase, irreversible, first-
order in A, and isothermal.
𝑘
𝐴→ 𝐵+𝐶

𝑚𝑜𝑙
−𝑟𝐴 = 𝑘𝐶𝐴 [ ]
𝐿 𝑚𝑖𝑛
The steam that must be remediated of A has a flow rate of 4 L/min, with an initial concentration of A of 0.24 mol/L. At
the proposed isothermal reaction temperature, the rate constant is 0.5 min-1.
Your team is asked to assess three different reactor configurations, which you must assess will provide the optimal
performance for the conversion of species A. You were already shown the solution to operating one large CSTR (V =
24L) during Lecture 3 (no need to re-derive, only compare).
Option 0: One CSTR (V = 24L), shown during lecture 3 (no need to re-derive)
Option 1: Two ideal CSTRs in series (V = 12 L per reactor)
Option 2: Two ideal plug flow reactors in series (V = 12 L per reactor)
Option 3: One large ideal plug flow reactor. (V = 24 L per reactor)
1) Sketch the three different configurations (1-3) and write a general mole balance for A for a single CSTR, and a
single PFR reactor in terms of the concentration of A.

2) Solve for the fractional conversion of A for option 1.


3) Solve for the fractional conversion of A for option 2.

4) Solve for the fractional conversion of A for option 3.

5) Based on your results, provide a recommendation and a reason as to why you saw the behavior you did?

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Part II (~50 minutes)
Your technical team performed experimental trials and discovered the reaction was not behaving as expected. The team
postulates that the reaction is more exothermic than previously thought and that the reactor may be behaving adiabatically.
Here is the reaction and the rate law as currently understood. This reaction occurred in the liquid-phase and is
irreversible.
𝑘
𝐴→ 𝐵 + 𝐶

𝑚𝑜𝑙
−𝑟𝐴 = 𝑘𝐶𝐴 [ ]
𝐿 𝑚𝑖𝑛
6) How would the fact that temperature is changing in the reactor impact your derived mole balance? Which
variable(s) is(are) directly impacted? How would the variables in your mole balance depend on temperature?

7) Can you draw a simple reaction coordinate of the reaction provided here? Make sure to include the position of the
reactants, products, and the height of the activation energy.

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Your technical team has measured the rate of reaction as a function of conversion for the specified reaction, providing you
the following tabulated data. Your boss has informed you that the cost of the reactors is directly proportional to reactor
volume and has given you the option to have one or two reactors in series to minimize the overall cost of remediating A,
(e.g., one CSTR, one PFR, one CSTR then a PFR, and so on). You must analyze the provide data, then answer the
following question:
Table 1. Reaction data collected for the reaction of A->B + C.

rA (mol/min XA
L) (mol/mol)
0.010 0.00
0.025 0.10
0.050 0.20
0.060 0.30
0.050 0.40
0.040 0.50
0.025 0.60
0.015 0.70
0.009 0.80
0.005 0.90
0.000 3.70
8) Plot the data in a manner that will help you answer the questions below. Draw a sketch here of what you found
when you plotted the data.

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9) Why does the plot look like it does? Can you explain the trajectory of rA (or 1/rA) over time for the described
situation with your team?

10) What reactor, or reactor combinations will provide for the smallest overall reactor volume for a given molar
flowrate of A?

11) What is the minimum volume of the reactor(s) needed to achieve a fractional conversion of 90% if the design
reactor will have a molar flowrate for A of 0.96 mol/min? If you propose the use of a PFR, use a numerical
integration to approximate the volume.

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