ChE 201 ChE Fundamentals Example Problem Lecture 20 10-10-12

Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is an important precursor in the production of organic polymers, e.g. methyl methacrylate (used to produce Plexiglas). One method of producing hydrogen cyanide is via the catalytic reaction of nitrogen and ethyne (acetylene). The reaction is given by:

N 2 g C 2 H 2 g 2 HCN g
Due to thermodynamic constraints the single pass conversion is low (15%), and therefore a recycle stream is required. The gas stream exiting the reactor is cooled in a condenser to remove all of the HCN. The gas phase exiting the condenser is mixed with fresh feed and fed into the reactor. A schematic of the reactor is shown below.

Recycle

X Reactor N2, C2H2 1:1 HCN 15,000 kg/hr

If it is desired to produce 15,000 kg/hr of HCN, determine: a) The number of moles per hour and the percentage composition of the material leaving the reactor (point X). b) The feed rate of nitrogen and ethyne. c) The recycle to fresh feed ratio. d) An intern engineer suggests improving the process by adding a purge stream leading from the recycle stream. Is this a good idea? Why or why not?