Department of Chemical Engineering

College of Engineering
University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City

Second Semester AY2017-2018

ChE 126 Advanced Chemical Reaction Engineering II

HOMEWORK
Due 20 April, 8:30 am, before the start of the lecture

Show your complete solution. State all assumptions.

PROBLEM
A second-order heterogeneous irreversible reaction 2A → B is taking place within a cylindrical catalyst
pellet which is plated with platinum throughout the pellet. The reactant concentration halfway between
the external surface and the center of the pellet is a tenth of the concentration at the external surface. The
concentration at the external surface is 0.001 M, the diameter is 210-3 cm and length 110-2 cm, and the
diffusion coefficient is 0.05 cm2/s.

a. What is the concentration of reactant at a distance of 610-4 cm from the external pellet surface?
b. What is the concentration of reactant at the center of the catalyst pellet?
c. What is the effectiveness factor?
d. How does the effectiveness factor vary with the Thiele modulus? Show graphically.
e. To what diameter should the pellet be reduced if the effectiveness factor is to be 0.75?