CH_ENG 4363 Chemical reaction engineering and Technology

Fall 2018, HW 2

Due to November 16, 2018, 8:00 PM

Q1(4 points): The exothermic reaction

A →B + C
was carried out adiabatically and the following data recorded:

The entering molar flow rate of A was 300 mol/min.

(a) What are the PFR and CSTR volumes necessary to achieve 40% conversion?
(b) Over what range of conversions would the CSTR and PFR reactor volumes be identical?
(c) What is the maximum conversion that can be achieved in a 105 dm3 CSTR?

𝐹𝐴0 𝑋 300 × 0.4

𝑉𝐶𝑆𝑇𝑅 = = = 24 𝑑𝑚3
−𝑟𝐴 5.0

𝑋
𝑑𝑋 1
𝑉𝑃𝐹𝑅 = 𝐹𝐴0 ∫ , 𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑡 𝑣𝑠. 𝑋 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑦 𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑚𝑎𝑡ℎ = 0.239
0 −𝑟𝐴 −𝑟𝐴

X -rA 1/-rA
0 1 1
0.2 1.67 0.598802
0.4 5.0 0.2
0.45 5.0 0.2
0.5 5.0 0.2
0.6 5.0 0.2
0.8 1.25 0.8
0.9 0.91 1.098901

𝑉𝑃𝐹𝑅 = 𝐹𝐴0 × 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑎 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑒 = 300 × 0.239 =71.7 𝑑𝑚3
CH_ENG 4363 Chemical reaction engineering and Technology
Fall 2018, HW 2

The volume of the two reactors are identical at only X= 0.69

4
-rA

0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1
Conversion, X

The -rA vs. x plot has a horizontal line (zero slope, derivative) at X= 0.4-0.6.
CH_ENG 4363 Chemical reaction engineering and Technology
Fall 2018, HW 2

Q2(3 points): specific enzyme acts as catalyst in the fermentation of reactant A. At a given enzyme
concentration in the aqueous feed stream (25 liter/min) find the volume of plug flow reactor needed
for 95% conversion of reactant A (CA0 = 2 mol/liter). The kinetics of the fermentation at this
enzyme concentration is given by;

CA=CA0(1-x)= 2(1-x), v0= 2 M, FA0= CA0 v0= 2×25= 50 mol/min

𝑋 0.95
𝑑𝑋 1 + 0.5𝐶𝐴
𝑉𝑃𝐹𝑅 = 𝐹𝐴0 ∫ , 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑙 ∫ . 𝑑𝑥 𝑏𝑦 𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑦𝑚𝑎𝑡ℎ
0 −𝑟𝐴 0 0.1𝐶𝐴

1 + 0.5𝐶𝐴 1 + 0.5(2(1 − 𝑥)) 1+1−𝑥 2−𝑥

= = =
0.1𝐶𝐴 0.1 × 2(1 − 𝑥) 0.2(1 − 𝑥) 0.2 − 0.2𝑥

𝑉𝑃𝐹𝑅 = 986.43 𝐿 ≈ 1𝑚3

CH_ENG 4363 Chemical reaction engineering and Technology
Fall 2018, HW 2

Q3(3 points): A mixed flow reactor (2 m3) processes an aqueous feed (100 liter/min) containing
reactant A (C A0 = 100 mmol/liter). The reaction is reversible and represented by

What is the equilibrium conversion and the actual conversion in the reactor?
𝑘1 0.04 𝐶𝑅𝑒 𝐶𝐴0 𝑋𝑒
−𝑟𝐴 = 𝑘1 𝐶𝐴 − 𝑘2 𝐶𝑅 , 𝐾𝑒𝑞 = = = 4, 𝐾𝑒𝑞 = =
𝑘2 0.01 𝐶𝐴𝑒 𝐶𝐴0 (1 − 𝑋𝑒 )
𝑋𝑒
𝐾𝑒𝑞 = = 4, 𝑋𝑒 = 0.8
(1 − 𝑋𝑒 )

1 − 𝑋𝑒
−𝑟𝐴 = 𝑘1 𝐶𝐴0 (1 − 𝑋) − 𝑘2 𝐶𝐴0 𝑋 = 𝑘1 𝐶𝐴0 (1 − 𝑋) − 𝑘1 [ ]𝐶 𝑋
(𝑋𝑒 ) 𝐴0
1 − 𝑋𝑒
−𝑟𝐴 = 𝑘1 𝐶𝐴0 {1 − 𝑋 [1 + ]} = 𝑘1 𝐶𝐴0 (1 − 1.25𝑋)
(𝑋𝑒 )

𝑚𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝐶𝐴0 = 100 = 0.1 𝑚𝑜𝑙/𝐿
𝐿
𝐹𝐴0 𝑋 0.1 × 100 × 𝑋
𝑉𝐶𝑆𝑇𝑅 = → 2000 = →
−𝑟𝐴 0.04 × 0.1 × (1 − 1.25𝑋)

X=0.4= 40%