SEMESTER TWO EXAMINATION – MAY 2022

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DEPARTMENT: Engineering and Mathematics

MODULE TITLE: Reactor Design
MODULE LEADER: Feroz Kabir
EXAM DATE: 06/05/2022 at 09:30 UK time
DURATION: 2 hours 45 minutes (Including 15 minutes reading
time)
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INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES:

1. This is a time limited examination; you are responsible for managing your time
appropriately. The duration is shown at the top of this page and explained
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The exam will begin at 09:30 and end at 12:30 (unless you have additional
examination requirements as stated in a learning contract).

 The time you have been allocated includes the following:

 15 minutes reading time at the start
 15 additional minutes of inclusive support for each hour of the exam
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there are extenuating circumstances).
2. Candidates can use their own calculator and Excel as an alternative to a
calculator. 

3. (Answer all THREE questions)

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https://www.shu.ac.uk/~/media/home/myhallam/Guides/student-exam-
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STATIONERY REQUIREMENTS PER CANDIDATE:

 Microsoft Excel or PowerPoint can be used to plot graphs.

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exams@shu.ac.uk for help with your examination schedule.

1 The first order vapour phase reaction,

 A→P …(Q-1)

is carried out in a fixed bed isothermal catalytic reactor with a rate constant of 17.5
kg.m-3.s-1. The reactor operates isothermally at 650 K and nearly constant pressure of 5
bar. Pure A is fed to the reactor with a molar flowrate of 0.5 kmol.s-1. The reactor
parameters are given in the Table Q1 below.

Table Q1. The packed bed reactor parameters.

Parameter Values Parameter Values
Reactor height (m): 1.2 Catalyst density (kg.m ):
-3
2100
Reactor internal diameter (m): 0.5 Packing voidage: 0.37
Reactor pressure (bar): 5.0 Catalyst particle diameter (mm): 10

(a) Calculate the mass of the catalyst used in the reactor.

[7 marks]

(b) Calculate the initial concentration of A in the feed.

[7 marks]

(c) Develop appropriate equations and calculate the expected conversion in the reactor.
[16 marks]

2 The liquid phase reversible reaction,

A+ B ↔C + D …(Q2)

occurs in a batch reactor at 100oC and atmospheric pressure. The forward and reverse
reactions are pseudo 1st fast order (pseudo 1st order in A and pseudo 1st order in C). The
forward and reverse reaction rate constants are kf=9.3x10-3 min-1 and kr=7.5x10-3 min-1 at
100oC respectively. The feed is equimolar in A and B.

(a) Calculate the equilibrium conversion at the reactor operating condition

[10 marks]

(b) Develop appropriate design equations and calculate the required time to reach 80% of
the equilibrium conversion. Note: If you are unsure about the equilibrium conversion
in Q1(a)), you may assume an arbitrary conversion of 35% and determine the time
requireed to achive the conversion.
[20 marks]

(c) Determine the required volume of the ideal reactor to produce 1000 mole per day of
C. Assume only one reactor is to be used and it will be necessary to shut down for 2
hours between the batches for product removal, cleaning and start-up. The molar feed
of A is 10% of B. The molar density of the feed and product are constant as 8.6210-2
kmol.l-1
[10 marks]
3 The liquid phase isothermal reaction,

A+ B →C +D

is carried out at 100oC. The reaction follows a 2nd order kinetics (1st order in A and 1st
order in B). The rate constant at the reaction condition is 41.5 m3.kmol-1.h-1. The
volumetric feed rate to the reactor is 1.2 m3.h-1 and the concentrations of A and B in the
feed are the same as 0.09 kmol.m3. The desired conversion is 85%

(a) Determine the required reactor size (volume) if a single CSTR is employed.
[10 marks]

(b) Determine the overall volume of the reactor if a cascade of two identical sized CSTRs
are engaged.
[18 marks]

(c) Comment on the results obtained in sections (a) and (b).

[2 marks]
 Table FS-1. Variable Volume/Density Systems.

Volumetric Flowrate Concentration Expansion Factor

v=v 0 (1+ ε A X A ) C Ao ( 1− X A ) V X =1−V X =0

C A= ε= =δ × y
1+ ε A X A V X =0

Table FS-2. Reactor Design (Mole Balance) Equations.

Batch Reactor CSTR PFR PBR

X
dN A V XA V
Af
dX A W
X
d XA
 (rA )V = =∫ =∫
F A 0 (−r A ) F A 0 0 (−r A ) F Ao o ( −r 'A )
dt

Table FS-3. Concentrations of Species (i) for the Varying Volume Systems.

Stoichiometry Batch Reactor Flow Reactors

(
N A 0 Θi +
νi
a
XA ) C i=C A 0
[ ]
( Θi + ν i X A ) P T 0
( 1+ ε X A ) P0 T ( )
Ci =
V Fi
Where, ❑i=
where, F Ao
aA + bB = cC + dD N i0
Θ i= For inert concentration (CI),
N A0

C I=
[ CA 0ΘI P T0
] ( )
1+ ε X A P0 T

Table FS-4. Stoichiometric Table for a Flow System.

Feed to Reactor Change within Reactor Effluent Rate from Reactor

(molar flowrate) (mole change due to reaction) (molar flowrate)

F j 0=❑ j F A 0 ❑j F A 0 X F j=F A 0 (❑ j+❑ j X A )

F j0
where, j is the normalized stoichiometric coefficient, and ❑ j=
F A0
 Table FS-5. Integral Form of Mole and Energy Balance Equations of Various Reactors.

1st Order Reaction, 1st Order Reaction,

Reactor A→P A→P+Q
(constant volume system) (varying volume system)

Batch Reactor t=
−ln ( 1− X A )
k
t=
−1
k
ln 1−
[
( V −V 0 )
εAV 0 ]
CSTR τ=
v 1 XA
=
[
v 0 k 1− X A ] τ=
k 1−X A [
X A 1+ εX A
]
[ ( )]
1

[ ]
Plug Flow V 1
( )
k
τ = = ln F A0 1
Reactor v0 1−X A V= ( 1+ ϵ A ) ln −ϵ A X A
k C A0 1−X A

Table FS-6. Differential Equations of a Packed Bed Reactor.

Model Equation Packed Bed Reactor

−d X A r´A
Mole Balance =
dW FA 0

−dy ❑ T
=
dW 2 y
( 1+ ε A X A )
T0

where,
2 β0
Ergun Equation ¿
P 0 AC ( 1−∅ ) ρC

G
β 0= ¿
ρ0 g C D P

Energy Balance [−∆ H 0

RX ( T 0 ) ] X + ∆C p T R X + ∑ ❑ j C pj T 0
j=1
(adiabatic) T= n
∆ C p X + ∑ ❑ j C pj
j=1
 Table FS-7. Heterogeneous Catalytic reaction.

Thiele modulus,  ∅=R p

√ k
D
Effectiveness factor,  ¿
tanh
❑

Knudsen diffusitivity, Dk D K=
3 √
d pore 8 RT
πM

Arrhenius Equation:
−E
k =k 0 e RT

Molar Flow Rate:

F A=W Az AC

where, WAz is molar flux of species A in z- direction, and Ac is the cross sectional
area perpendicular to z-direction.

Molar Flux:

W Az =
FA
AC [
= −D a
∂CA
∂z
+U C A ]
where, Da is dispersion coefficient and U is the superficial velocity.

Data Interpolation:

( y 2− y 1 )
y= y1 + × ( x−x 1 )
( x 2−x 1 )

Numerical Integration Methods:

Trapezoidal composite rule (for equal spaced data):

[ ]
b n−1
∆x
∫ f ( x ) dx= 2
f ( x o ) ++2 ∑ f (xi )+f ( x n )
a i=1

Simpson's composite one-third rule (for equal spaced data):

b

∫ f ( x ) dx= ∆3x [ f ( x o ) +4 f ( x 1 ) +2 f ( x 2) + 4 f ( x3 ) + 2 f ( x 4 ) +… 4 f ( x n−1 ) +f ( x n ) ]

a

Table FS-8. Molar Gas Constant (R) values.

Values Units Values Units

0.08206 L.atm.K−1.mol−1 8.206×10−5 m3.atm.K−1.mol−1

1.987×10−3 Kcal.K−1.mol−1 8.314×10−2 L.bar.K−1.mol−1

8.3145 L.kPa.K−1.mol−1 8.206×10−3 kJ.K−1.mol−1

8.3145 m3.Pa.K−1.mol−1

END