Tutorial 5

CHE7504: Chemical Reaction Engineering – II

15. Repeat ‘Problem 10’ to calculate the fractional conversion using tanks-in-series model
graphically and analytically (2 = 0.2111; –rA = kCA, k = 0.307 min–1; and  = 15 min).

16. A specially designed vessel is to be used as a reactor for a first-order liquid reaction.
Since flow in this vessel is suspected to be nonideal, tracer tests are conducted and the
following concentration readings represent the response at the vessel outlet to a delta-
function tracer input to the vessel inlet. What conversion can be expected in this reactor if
conversion in a mixed flow reactor employing the same space time is 82.18%.

Time, sec 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Concn., mol/L 0 3 5 5 4 2 1 0

17. Fluid flows at a steady rate through 10 tanks in series. A pulse of tracer is introduced into
the first tank, the time this tracer leaves the system is measured giving a maximum
concentration of 100 millimol/liter with a tracer spread of 1 min. If 10 more tanks are
connected in series with the original 10 tanks, what would be the maximum concentration
of leaving tracer?

Tutorial 6
18. From a pulse input into a vessel, the following output signal is obtained.

Time, min 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15
Concn., g/L 0 0 10 10 10 10 0 0

It is desired to represent the flow through this vessel with the tanks-in-series model.
Using the variance matching procedure, determine the number of tanks to use.

19. A closed vessel has flow for which D/uL = 0.2. It is required to represent this vessel by
the tanks in series model. What value of ‘N’ should be selected?

20. Simplify the following.



 t  (t  3)dt
2
a)
0


e
 kt
b) Edt where E = δ(t–τ) and τ >0
0

1
e e  t  and τ >0
 kt
c) Edt where E =
0

Fig.2. Conversion from Tanks-in-series model for 1st order reactions.