Turton Apee_Partl.gd 5/11/12 12:21 AM Page 105 ‘Appendix 8 Information forthe Preliminary Design of Fifteen Chemical Processes 105 BT ‘The units for the reaction rates are moles/m: s. The pressure unit is bar. The activation ‘energy numerator is in cal/mol. The catalyst used for this reaction is silver on an inert support. The support consists of 7.5 mim diameter spheres that have a bulk density of 1250 kg/m’ and a void fraction of 0. B.6.3 Simulation (CHEMCAD) Hints ‘The following thermodynamics packages are strongly recommended for simulation of this process. # Kevalu and T-702. * Enthalpy: Use SRK. Use a global model of PSRK but use UNIFAC as a local model for T-701 B.6.4 References 1. Dever, J. P., K. F. George, W. C. Hoffman, and H. Soo, “Ethylene Oxide,” Kirk-Oth- mer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, online version (New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2004). 2. “Ethylene Oxide,” Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing and Design, Vol. 20, ed. J J. MeKetta (New York: Marcel Dekker, 1984), 274-318. 3. Stoukides, M, and 5. Pavlou, “Ethylene Oxidation on Silver Catalysts: Effect of Eth- yylene Oxide and of External Transfer Limitations,” Chem. Eng. Commun, 44 (1986): 5374 FORMALIN PRODUCTION, UNIT 800 Formalin is a 37 w1% solution of formaldehyde in water. Formaldehyde and urea are used to make urea-formaldehyde resins that subsequently are used as adhesives and. binders for particle board and plywood. B.7.1 Process Description [1, 2] Unit 800 produces formalin (37 wt% formaldehyde in water) from methanol using the sil- ver catalyst process. Figure B.7.1 illustrates the process. ‘Airis compressed and preheated, fresh and recycled methanol is pumped and pre heated, and these two streams are mixed to provide reactor feed. The feed mixture is about 39 mol% methanol in air, which is greater than the upper flammability limit for ‘methanol. (For methanol, UFL = 36 mol; LFL = 6 mol%,) In the reactor, the following two reactions occur: CHOH + 30,+HCHO+H,0AH,=-373keal/mole (87.1) tant formas CH,OH > HCHO + Hy AH, = 203 keal/mole 672) rethanal—_formalehye The reactor is a unique configuration, in which the silver catalyst is in the form of wire gauze, suspended above a heat exchanger tube bank. Because the net reaction is very