2016-04-17

Lecture 11: Isothermal Reactor Design

Analytical solution
The second order isothermal reaction in a PBR

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Analytical solution

Example: Effect of Pressure Drop on the

Conversion Profile

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Contd

Solution

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Contd
(b)

Contd
(c)

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Example: Calculating X in a Reactor with Pressure

Drop
We want to calculate the catalyst weight necessary to achieve 60%
conversion when ethylene oxide is to be made by the vapor-phase
catalytic oxidation of ethylene with air.

Ethylene and oxygen are fed in stoichiometric proportions to a packed-bed

reactor operated isothermally at 160 C. Ethylene is fed at a rate of 0.30 Ib
mol/s at a pressure of 10 atm. It is proposed to use 10 banks of 1.5 in diameter
schedule 40 tubes packed with catalyst with 100 tubes per bank.
Consequently, the molar flow to each tube is 3 X 10-4 lb mol/s. The properties
of the reacting fluid are to be considered identical to those of air at this
temperature and pressure. The density of the 0.25 in catalyst particles is 120
lb/ft3 and the bed void fraction is 0.45. The rate law is:

Solution

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X=60%

W=44.5 lb

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Mole Balance in terms of Concentration and

Molar Flow Rates
Membrane reactors and multiple reactions in gas

phase: Molar flow rates are preferred.

Concentration for liquids and molar flow rate for

gases as dependent variable

In molar flow rate/concentration algorithm, we

need to write mole balance for each and every

species.

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Step 1: Mole balance on all species

Step 2: Rate law
Step 3: Relate mole balances to one another
Steps 4 and 5: Relate the concentrations to the

molar flow rates

Step 6: Combine all steps by ODE solver

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FT P0 T
FT 0 P T0

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Mole Balances on CSTRs, PFRs, PBRs, and Batch

Reactors
Liquid

Phase:
no
volume
change.
Concentration is the preferred variable.

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Gas Phase: The molar flow rates are preferred.

For a plug flow reactor:

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Example: Gas-Phase
Microreactor

Reaction

in

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Solution

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