CHFEN 3553 Chemical Reaction Engineering

April 28, 2003; 1:00 PM 3:00 PM

Answer all questions
1. A first-order reaction A B is taking place in a recycle reactor. The initial concentration is 4 mol/liter, the
reactor volume is 200 liters and the volumetric flow rate is 20 liters/s. For a recycle ratio of 5, a conversion
of 60% is obtained. This configuration is to be replaced with a CSTR-PFR combination. A 50-liter CSTR
is followed by a PFR of unknown volume. What volume of PFR is required is achieve the same conversion
as in the recycle reactor?
17 points
Recycle Reactor
C + RC Af
k
= ln A0
R +1
( R + 1)C Af
C A0

= 4, X = 0.6, C Af = 1.6, R = 5, = 10

C A0 + RC Af
4 + 5 1.6
k
= ln
= ln
= 0.2231
R +1
(5 + 1) 1.6
( R + 1)C Af
k = 0.1339s -1
CSTR first, cstr = 50 / 20 = 2.5s
X1 =

0.1339 2.5
k
=
= 0.2508
1 + k 1 + 0.1339 2.5

PFR following the CSTR

k = ln

1 X1
1 0.2508
= ln
= 0.6276
1 X 2
1 0.6

PFR = 4.6866
VPFR = 4.6866 20 = 93.73 lit

2. Rate versus concentration data for a reaction is given below. Find the order of the reaction and the reaction
rate.
Con. (mol/liter)
Rate (mol/lit-sec)

1.5
28

1.3
20

1.1
12.8

0.9
7.7

0.7
4.1

0.5
1.8

0.3
0.5

16 points
4

3.5

2.5

1.5

Series1

0.5

0
-1.4

-1.2

-1

-0.8

-0.6

-0.4

-0.2

0
-0.5

-1

n=2.52
k=10.1

0.2

0.4

0.6

3. An elementary irreversible liquid-phase reaction A + B C is carried out in a CSTR. A and B are fed at
molar rates of 1.25 mol/s and 1 mol/s respectively, at a temperature of 300 K. The reactor is jacketed and
the jacket temperature can be assumed to be 310 K. An agitator contributes a work of 20.9 kW to the
reactor. The volumetric flow rate is 5 lit/s. Additionally:
H A0 (298 K ) = 20 kcal/mol H B0 (298 K ) = 25 kcal/mol H C0 (298 K ) = 60 kcal/mol
cal
cal
, C pC = 55
mol K
mol K
lit
cal
k = 0.01
at 300 K, U A = 75
, E = 8 kcal/mol
mol s
sK
Determine the volume of the reactor for 60% conversion of A.
C pA = C pB = 40

16 points
Use equation 8-50 from the text
Q W
X H Rx = iC pi (T Ti 0 )
FA0
H Rx = 60 + 20 + 25 = 15 kcal/mol
(U A (Ta T ) W )
X H Rx (TR ) + C p (T TR ) = iC pi (T Ti 0 )
FA0

T=

FA0 X H Rx (TR ) + C p TR + FA0 ( AC pA + B C pB )T0 + UATa W

FA0 ( AC pA + B C pB ) + UA + FA0 X C p

cal
mol K
1.25 0.6 (15, 000 25 298 ) + 1.25 (1 40 + 0.8 40) 300 + 75 310 + 5000
T=
1.25 (1 40 + 0.8 40) + 75 + 1.25 0.6 (25)
T = 416.5 K
C p = 55 40 40 = 25

1
k2 E 1 1 8000 1
=

k1
R T1 T2 1.987 416.5 300
k2 = 0.4268

ln

V=

FA0 X
C A0 vX
vX
=
=
2
kC A0 (1 X )( B X ) kC A0 (1 X )( B X )
rA

mol
lit
,v=5
lit
s
5 0.6
V=
= 351.43 liters
0.4268 0.25 (1 0.6)(0.8 0.6)
C A0 = 1.25 / 5 = 0.25

4. Mechanism of a catalytic reaction A B is shown below.

kA

A + S
A S
k A

kS

A S
BS
k S

B + S
B S
kD

k D

Write down the rates of adsorption, surface reaction and desorption and derive an effective rate when, surface
reaction is rate controlling.
16 points

rAD = k A ( p ACv

C AS
)
KA

rAD
=0
kA
rS = k s (C AS

CBS
)
KS

rD = k D (CBS pB Cv / K DB )
rD
=0
kD
C AS = K A p ACv
CBS =

pB Cv
= K B pB Cv
K DB

Substitute into rS
rS = k s ( K A p ACv
= k s ( K A p ACv

K B pB Cv
K K p C
) = k s ( K A p ACv A B B v )
KS
KS K A

K A pB Cv
p
) = k S K ACv ( p A B )
KP
KP

Ct = Cv + C AS + CBS = Cv + K A p ACv + K B pB Cv
Cv =

Ct
(1 + K A p A + K B pB )

rS = k S K A ( p A

Ct
pB
)
K P (1 + K A p A + K B pB )

pB
)
KP
rS =
(1 + K A p A + K B pB )
k S K ACt ( p A

5. A first-order reaction A 3B is taking place in a PBR. The particles are 10 mm in diameter and the
intrinsic rate constant ( k )is 0.8 lit/kg-cat-s. A conversion of 75% is desired. Feed at 4 mol/s, containing
40% A and 60% inerts enters the reactor at 1270C and 5 atmospheres. The engineer designing the reactor
neglects to consider that there might be internal diffusion to consider.
a. What weight of the catalyst does the engineer pack the reactor with?
b. If the diffusion coefficient is 0.08 cm2/s ad bulk density of the catalyst is 2.8 kg/liter, what
conversion would actually result with the catalyst packed?
c. What weight of the catalyst did he need to use to meet the design specifications of 75% conversion?
Assume that the reactor operates at constant pressure.
18 points

= 2, y A0 = 0.4, = 0.8
PBR Equation without the effectiveness factor
dX
(1 X )
= rA' = kC A = kC A0
dW
(1 + X )
dX kC A0 (1 X )
k (1 X )
=
=
dW
FA0 (1 + X ) v0 (1 + X )

FA0

k
(1 + X )
1
dX = W = (1 + ) ln
X = 1.8953
v0
(1 X )
1 X

Pv0 = FT0 RT
5 v0 = 4 0.082 400 v0 = 26.24

lit
s

0.8
W = 1.8953
26.24
W = 62.17 kg
PBR with internal diffusion

=R

0.8 2.8
k
= 0.5
= 2.6457
0.08
D

3
1 = 0.5912
2
tanh
3
2.6457
=
1 = 0.7193
2
2.6457 0.9878
Conversion with 62.17 kg

k
v0

W = (1 + ) ln

1
X
1 X

0.7193 0.8
1
62.17 = (1 + 0.8) ln
X = 1.3634
26.24
1 X
X = 0.66
Weight to acheive 75% conversion = 62.17/0.7193=86.4 kg

6. The residence time distribution function for a reactor is given below. The reaction is order, CA0= 1
mol1/2
mol/lit and the rate constant is 2 1/2
. Determine the conversion in the reactor using the segregatedlit min
flow model.

0.5
E(t)

t (min)

2
17 points

The performance equation is

C
C
E (t )dt
=
C0 0 C0 batch
For a general n-th order reaction
1 n

C
(n 1)kC t = 1
C0
For 1/2 order reaction,
n
0

C 2
1
2(1)
t

=
1

2
C0
C
= (1 t ) 2

C0 batch
2

0
0.5
1
1
C
(1 t )32 = (1 + 1) =
= (1 t ) 2 (0.5)dt =
3
6
3
C0 0

X = 0.6667