LAB 5: PRODUCTION OF ETHYL CHLORIDE

Objectives:
1. To install and converge a conversion reactor
2. To simulate a process involving recycle
Process 1:
Ethyl chloride is produced by the gas phase reaction of HCl with ethylene over a copper
chloride catalyst supported on silica:
C2H4 +HCl C2H5 Cl
In this process, the feed stream is composed of 50 mol% HCl, 48 mol% C 2H4 and 2 mol% N2
at 100 kmol/hr at 25oC and 1 atm. Since the reaction achieves only 90 mol % conversion,
ethyl chloride is separated from the unreacted reagents by using a component splitter where
it is assumed that a perfect separation is achievable (bottom product is totally pure ethyl
chloride). To prevent the accumulation of inerts in the system, 10 kmol/hr is withdrawn in a
purge stream and the balance is being recycles to the feed stream. The process is operated
at atmospheric pressure and pressure drops are ignored.
Hint:
1. Use Advanced Peng-Robinson Equation property package.
2. Assume no pressure drop in all equipments.
Questions:
1. What are the mole fractions for each component at the effluent of the reactor?
2. What is the flow rate of the recycle stream?
3. What is the flow rate of the final product after recycling?