Heriot-Watt University, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Chemical Engineering
Examination Questions
Subject: Lecturer/Author: Modular/Class Code
Reaction Engineering & Bioengineering Xiong-Wei Ni B40DD2
Number of Questions: Diagram Required: Co-ordinator: Cross-Check
Two Mark Keane

Examination Diet: Detail Other Data Required / Special Stationery Requirements:

A plot of effectiveness factor vs Thiele Modulus
Summer 2017
will be provided

Q1 (25 marks) A continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) is used to carry out a SECOND order
irreversible gas solid catalytic reaction 2A  B at 500K. The volume of the CSTR is 1 m3
packed with porous 6 mm diameter spherical catalyst pellets to a bed voidage of 50%. At a
bulk gas concentration of A (CAB) of 0.12 kmol/m3gas and at a volumetric flowrate of 0.4
m3gas/s, a conversion of 75% is achieved. Under these conditions, the external mass
transfer coefficient (km) is estimated as 0.021 m3gas/(m2cat s), the effective diffusivity of A
in the porous pellets as 2.9 × 10−5 m3gas/(mcat s).

i) Calculate the concentration of A on the surface of the catalyst pellets (CAS) (8 marks)
and the observed rate (−rA)obs (2 marks);

ii) For a nth order gas-solid catalytic reaction with sphere catalysts, φ =
R (n + 1)k cat C ASn−1 R 2 ηk cat C AS
, derive ηφ =
2
for a 2nd order gas-solid catalytic
3 2 Deff 6 Deff
reaction with sphere catalysts (3 marks); determine the effective factor (η) using the
above equation (2 marks);

iii) When the temperature is increased by 10 K, a conversion of 80% is achieved,

calculate the new observed rate (−rA)obs at 510K (9 marks) and the percentage
increase in rate (1 mark)

1
Q2 (25 marks) Porous spherical catalyst pellets of 4 mm in diameter were filled in a packed
bed to carry out a 2nd order isothermal gas-solid catalytic reaction 2A  B. The bulk density
of the pellets (ρcat1) was 5000 kgcat/m3cat. The packed bed can be treated as a plug flow
reactor (PFR). When the gas feed rate (V’) of 2 m3gas/s and a bulk concentration of A (CAB)
of 0.8 kmol/m3gas were employed, the observed rate (−rA)obs1 was found to be 95
kmol/(kgcat hr). Under such a gas flow rate, external mass transfer limitation may be
neglected. Kinetic evidence suggested that the rate constant (kcat1) was 425 (unit).

a) Derive the unit of kcat1 above for the 2nd order isothermal gas-solid catalytic reaction
(3 marks); Calculate the weight of catalyst required to produce 90% conversion of A.
(14 marks)

A new bed of 2 mm diameter catalyst pellets of the same original material was then tested.
The bulk density (ρcat2) was 5200 kgcat/m3cat and kinetic estimation indicated that the rate
constant (kcat2) was 90% of kcat1 of the old bed.

b) Determine the weight of catalyst in the new bed under the same conditions (7
marks); Comment on the differences (1 mark)