Department of Chemical Engineering

COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus

M. A. Jinnah Campus, Lahore

Quiz # 3 – SPRING 2023

Course Title: Chemical Reaction Engineering (Theory) Course Code: CHE331 Cr. Hrs.: 4(3,1)
Course Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Haris Hamayun Programme Name: BS Chemical Engineering
th
Semester: 6 Batch: FA20 – CHE Section: A+B Date: 11-05-2023
Deadline: May 18, 2023 (4:00 p.m.) Maximum Marks: 20
Student’s Name: Reg. No. FA20 – CHE – /LHR
Important Instructions / Guidelines:

• Attempt all questions.

• CLO # 4: Design isothermal and nonisothermal reactors (e.g., batch, CSTR, PFR, PBR, etc.)

This quiz is a group-based activity, and its report and polymath files need to be submitted by May
18, 2023, till 4:00 p.m.

Objective of the Activity:

• Understand the application of conversion (Chapter 5) and moles/molar flow rate (Chapter 6)
concepts in designing a microreactor.

Background:

Microreactors are emerging as a new technology in CRE and are characterized by their high surface-area-
to-volume ratios in their micro-structured regions that contain tubes or channels. The high surface-area
to-volume ratio can eliminate heat and mass transfer resistances often found in larger reactors.
Consequently, hot spots in highly exothermic reactions can be minimized, and these reactions can be
carried out isothermally. Other advantages include use in the production of toxic or explosive
intermediates, shorter residence times and narrower residence time distributions. In modeling
microreactors, we assume they are in a plug flow.

Problem Statement:

Your task is to design a microreactor using the Polymath software, applying the concepts of (1) conversion
and (2) moles and molar flow rate.

The gaseous feed, consisting of 100% pure A, is introduced to a microreactor at a temperature of 400 °C
and at a pressure of 15 atm. The molar flow rate of A is 0.00001 mol/sec. The rate constant at a temperature
of 500 K is 0.4 dm3/mol. sec, and the value of activation energy is 20000 calories/mol. The reaction taking
place in the microreactor is:

2A → B + C

You are required to provide step-by-step derivations of the model/code which you have used in Polymath
software to design the microreactor.

Allocation of the values of % Conversion (X) to the Groups

• Group A1, B8: 55%

• Group A2, B7: 60%
• Group A3, B6: 65%
• Group A4, B5: 70%
• Group A5, B4: 75%
• Group A6, B3: 80%
• Group A7, B2: 85%
• Group A8, B1: 90%

Given/Calculation Parameters:

• Concentrations: Ca, Cb, Cc, Ca0, Cb0, Cc0, Ct, Ct0

• Flowrates: Fa, Fb, Fc, Fa0, Fb0, Fc0, Ft, Ft0
• Volume of reactor: V
• Space time: tau
• Rate of Reactions: -ra, rb, rc
• Conversion: X