CHENG 445 Semester 2,

CHENG 445: Petrochemical Processing

Assignment No. 2
Deadline 29th May 2017

Methanol is produced by reacting carbon monoxide and hydrogen. A fresh feed stream
containing CO and H2 joins a recycle stream and the combined stream is fed to a reactor.
The reactor outlet stream flows at a rate of 350 mol/min and contains 10.6 wt% H2, 64.0
wt% CO, and 25.4 wt% CH3OH. This stream enters a cooler in which most of the
methanol is condensed. The liquid methanol condensate is withdrawn as a product, and
the gas stream leaving the condenser – which contains CO, H2, and 0.4 mole%
uncondensed CH3OH vapor is the recycle stream that combines with fresh feed.

a) Take a basis of 100 g effluent, find the mole fraction of the effluent.
b) Draw and label a block flow diagram of the process.
c) Do degree of freedom analysis on condenser and overall process.
d) Find amount of liquid methanol condensate, recycle stream, CO in fresh feed,
and hydrogen in fresh feed.
e) Find single pass conversion and overall conversion of CO.
f) After several months of operation, the flowrate of liquid methanol leaving the
condenser begins to decrease. List 3 possible explanations for such behavior.

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