Chemical Reaction Engineering TKP4110

Exercise 1 Fall 2013

The irreversible liquid phase reaction:

A P

is to be carried out in a system with 2 continuous reactors. One continuously

stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with volume V CSTR and one plug flow reactor (PFR)
with volume VPFR. The volumetric feed rate is vo = 50 l/min and the initial
concentration is CAo. The reaction is adiabatic and non-elementary. The
following values have been determined experimentally:

XA
System 1: CSTR as reactor 1 and PFR as reactor 2.
System 2: PFR as reactor 1 and CSTR as reactor 2.

a) Consider the two systems shown above. Which of the two systems will
give the smallest reactor volume (total volume)?
b) Calculate the smallest reactor volume (total volume).
c) Does another solution exist (smallest possible reactor (total) volume) in
order to obtain a conversion of 70 % than the systems shown above?
d) What is the conversion that gives the same reactor volume for the CSTR
and the PFR?
e) The reaction is to be carried out in a CSTR with VCSTR=700 l. Use the
data above (CAo/-rA) =f(XA) as well as the reactor equation for CSTR to
make a figure with as a function of XA. What is the conversion(s) that
will be a result of this?