Assignment Set 1

Advanced Reaction Engineering (CL 604) Chemical Engineering, IIT - Gandhinagar Submission by February 10, 2012 (5:00 PM) February 3, 2012

1. Nitrogen and hydrogen react to form ammonia in the presence of a catalyst 1 3 N2 + H2 N H3 2 2 (1)

The reactor in which this reaction is to be run is maintained at 450 K and have suciently long residence time that equilibrium is achieved at the reactor exit. The reaction is to be run in an isothermal, constant-volume reaction vessel with a feed consisting of stoichiometric amounts of nitrogen and hydrogen. The initial pressure of the reactant mixture (before any reaction has occurred) is 4 bar. What is the pressure in the reactor and the species mole fractions when equilibrium is achieved? 2. Compute the equilibrium extent of decomposition of pure Nitrogen tetroxide due to chemical reaction N2 O4 (g ) = 2N O2 9(g ) over the temperature range 200 to 400 K, at pressure 0 (T ) = 56189 + 12.08T 3.62 102 T 2 . 0.1, 1 and 10 bar, where Hrxn 3. The gas-phase reaction 2A+4B 2C which is rst-order in A and rst-order in B is to be carried out isothermally in a plug-ow reactor. The entering volumetric ow rate is 2.5 dm3 /min, and the feed is equimolar in A and B. The entering temperature and pressure are 7270 C and 10 atm, respectively. The specic reaction rate at this temperature is 4 dm3 /g mol.min and the activation energy is 15,000 cal/g mol. (a) What is the volumetric ow rate when the conversion of A is 25%? (b) What is the rate of reaction at the entrance to the reactor? (c) What is the rate of reaction when the conversion of A is 40%? (d) What is the concentration of A at the entrance to the reactor? (e) What is the concentration of A at 40% conversion of A? (f) What is the value of the specic reaction rate at 12270 C? 4. Compound A undergoes a reversible isomeiization reaction, A B, over a supported metal catalyst. Under pertinent conditions, A and B are liq- uid, miscible, and of nearly identical density; the equilibrium constant for the reaction (in concentration units) is 5.8. In aed-bed isotheml ow reactor in which backmixing is negligible (i.e., plug ow), a feed of pure A under- goes a net conversion to B of 55%. The reaction is elementary. If a second, identical ow reactor at the same temperature is placed downstream from the rst, what overall conversion of A would you expect if: 1

Assignment Set 1 (CL 604) (a) The reactors are directly connected in series?

Advanced Reaction Engineering

(b) The products from the rst reactor are separated by appropriate process- ing and only the unconverted A is fed to the second reactor? 5. The endothermic liquid-phase elementary reaction, A + B C, is carried out adiabatically in a ow reactor. An equal molar feed in A and B enters at 270 C, and the volumetric ow rate is 2 dm3 /s and CAo = 0.1 kmol/m3 . (a) Calculate the PER and CSTR volumes necessary to achieve 85% conversion. What are the reasons for the dierences? (b) What is the maximum inlet temperature one could have so that the boiling point of the liquid (550 K) would not be exceeded even for complete conversion? (c) Plot the conversion and temperature as a function of PER volume (i.e., distance down the reactor). (d) Calculate the conversion that can be achieved in one 500-dm3 CSTR and in two 250-dm3 CSTRs in series.
0 0 where H0 A (273) = -20 kcal/mol, HB (273) = -15 kcal/mol, HC (273) = -41 kcal/mol, CpA dm3 = CpB = 15 cal/mol. K, CpC = 30 cal/mol. K, k= 0.01 mol.s at 300 K, E = 10,000 cal/mol.

IIT - Gandhinagar

February 3, 2012