LAB 4: PRODUCTION OF ETHYL CHLORIDE Objectives: 1. To install and converge a conversion reactor 2.

To simulate a process involving reaction and separation 3. To compare the result between non-recycle and recycle process Process 1: One of the routes to produce ethyl chloride is by the gas phase reaction of HCl with ethylene over the copper chloride catalyst supported on silica: C2H4 +HCl C2H5 Cl In this process, the feed stream is composed of 50 mol% HCl, 48 mol% C2H4 and 2 mol% N2 at 100 kmol/hr at 25oC and 1 atm. The reaction only achieved 90% conversion of HCl. Outlet flowrate from the reactor is 56.8 kmol/hr with the mole fraction are as listed below:HYDRO-01 0.1197 ETHYL-01 0.0845 ETHYL-02 0.7606 NITRO-01 0.0352 The separation process is operated at atmospheric pressure and pressure drop along the process is ignored. The separator temperature is -93.8oC Bottom product at the separation process is totally pure ethyl chloride with the amount of 43.2 kmol/hr. The purity at the bottom product must achieve at least 95%. Process 1 Recycle: Total vapour outlet from the separator is 13.6 kmol/hr with the mole fraction are as listed below:HYDRO-01 0.5 ETHYL-01 0.3529 NITRO-01 0.1471 To prevent the accumulation of inert in the system, 10 kmol/hr pure inert is withdrawn in a purge stream. The balance from the purge being recycles to the feed stream, with the split ratio of 0.9. Hint: 1. Use Peng-Robinson Equation of state fluid package.(SI unit) 2. Assume no pressure drop in all equipments. Questions: 1. What are the mole fractions for each component at the effluent of the catalytic reactor before and after recycle? 2. What is other equipment that can replace flash separator to get 100% of ethyl chloride? 3. What is the flow rate of the recycle stream in unit of kgmole/hr? 4. What is the flow rate of the final product after recycling?