Problem 6.

7
Curayag | Lavadia
Problem Statement
We
wish to treat 10 liters/min of liquid feed containing
1 mol A/liter to 99% conversion. The stoichiometry and
kinetics of the reaction are given by

A R ,

Suggest a good arrangement for doing this using two

mixed flow reactors and find the size of the two units
needed.
 Given: Two Mixed Flow Reactors

1 CA1 2 CA2
CA0 = 1 mol/L xA1 xA2 = 0.99
v0 = 10 L/min v1 v2
V1 V2

Required:
Suggest a good arrangement for doing this using two mixed flow reactors
and find the size of the two units needed. (V1 and V2)
Assumptions
Steady-state
Reactors are connected in series
Constant-density system ( = 0)

Constant volumetric flow rate (v = v = v )

0 1 2
No reaction within the piping systems
Solution:
To know the best system for the given conversion, use
maximization of rectangle method (Graphical)

Basing from the rate equation of

Reaction is in shifting order

 Zero order
0.90

0.80

0.70

0.60

0.50

-rA (mol/L.min)
0.40

0.30
First order
0.20

0.10

0.00
0.00 0.10 0.20 0.30 0.40 0.50 0.60 0.70 0.80 0.90 1.00

CA (mol/L)

Reaction is in Shifting Order

Possible arrangement of the two
reactors
Equal-sized reactors in series
Larger reactor first followed by the smaller reactor

Smaller reactor first followed by the larger reactor

To obtain minimum total V,

Maximize the area of KLMN

- Area is maximized when the slope

of diagonal LN is equal to the slope of
curve at point M.
Table of values used to generate graphs
CA (mol/L) -rA (mol/L.min) 1/-rA XA

0.01 0.048 21 0.99

0.05 0.200 5 0.95

0.10 0.333 3 0.9

0.12 0.375 2.667 0.88

0.20 0.500 2 0.8

0.30 0.600 1.667 0.7

0.40 0.667 1.5 0.6

0.50 0.714 1.4 0.5

0.60 0.750 1.333 0.4

0.70 0.778 1.286 0.3

0.80 0.800 1.25 0.2

0.90 0.818 1.222 0.1

1.00 0.833 1.2 0

By Graphical Method
Case 1: Equal-sized reactors in series
For equal-sized reactors in series, 1= 2 (also the area of
the rectangle at 1/-rA vs CA graph)
Determine the CA at the end of the first reactor to obtain X A1
Area of the rectangles at 1/-r
A
vs CA graph

Solving for CA :
CA = 0.121 mol/ L ; XA1 =0.879
Case 1: Equal-sized reactors in series

12

K L
10

A2= 2/CA0

6
1/(-rA) (L.min/mol)

2 M
N A2
A1
A1= 1/CA0
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 X1 0.9 X21
XA
 Finding the slope of diagonal line (LN) and the tangent line at point M:

.83

Solving for V1 and V2:

Since
Case 2: Larger reactor first
followed by the smaller reactor
12

K L
10

6
1/(-rA) (L.min/mol)

2 M
N
A1 A1= 1/CA0 A2
A2= 2/CA0
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 X2 1
X1
XA
Finding the slope of diagonal line (LN) and the tangent line at point M:

Solving for V1 and V2:

Since
 Case 3: Smaller reactor first
followed by the larger reactor
12

K L
10

8 A2= 2/CA0

6
1/(-rA) (L..min/mol)

2
N
M
A1 = 1/CA0
0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1
X2
X1
XA

Finding the slope of diagonal line (LN) and the tangent line at point M:
Summary of Results (Graphical Method)
V
Slope of Slope of
V1 (L) V2 (L) Vtotal (L) difference
tangent diagonal
from
line at M line LN
Case 1
Case 1 16.69 20.83 23.3 23.3 46.6 ----
Case 2 20 20 27 18.9 45.9 1.50%
Case 3 3.06 28.16 11.7 60 71.7 53.86%
By Analytical Method
Express V in terms of CA
since = V/v0 ; V = v0
is reexpressed in terms of CA (see slide 9)

since CA0 = 1 mol/L ; CAf = 0.01 mol/L (at XA = 0.99) ; v0 = 10 L/min

simplifying the equation

 For V2:

Obtain expression for Vtotal in terms of CA then differentiate

Simplifying
 To
obtain the CA at optimum total volume, dVT/dCA = 0

Get the second derivative then substitute the obtained C A to determine

if the optimum total reactor volume is at minimum or maximum.

optimum total reactor volume is at minimum

 Solving for V1 and V2 at minimum total reactor volume

Minimum total reactor volume