Gazi University

Faculty of Engineering and Architecture

Department of Chemical Engineering
ChE 341 Chemical Reaction Engineering
Dr. idem GLDR
Assist. Saliha KILIARSLAN
(.-02)

PROBLEM SET-2

Batch Reactors

1. The reaction A 2R takes place at 40oC and 3 atm in batch reactor. Initially, there are
85%A and inert.

Time,s 0 30 60 120 240

Volume, ml 200 251 276 302 324

Show that the reaction is second order and find the rate constant.

2. Dimethylether in a gaseous phase decomposes according to the following reaction.

CH3OCH3 CH4+CO+H2
(A) (B) (C) (D)

Data were obtained from isothermal constant volume batch reactor at 552oC.

Time, sec 0 57 85 114 182 261 299

Total pressure, mmHg 420 584 662 743 891 1013 1054

Show that the reaction is first order according to the reactant and find the rate constant.

3. The reaction A+B C was studied in a constant volume batch reactor. The reaction is
believed to be first order in each reactant and second order overall. The following data were
reported for their experiments at 20oC. The initial concentration of B was 0.123 kmol/m3.

CA,kmol/m3 0.106 0.099 0.087 0.076 0.062 0.050

t,sec 0 150 480 870 1500 2280

Are these data consistent with the proposed rate expression? If so, determine the reaction rate
constant.

4. Data for the dimerization 2A A2 of a certain nitrile oxide(compound A) in ethanol

solution at 40oC follow:

CA (mmol/dm3) 68.0 50.2 40.3 33.1 28.4 22.3 18.7 14.5

t (min) 0 40 80 120 160 240 300 420

Find the reaction order using the half- life method.

5. Determine the reaction order for the gas-phase deposition of di-tert-butl peroxide,
(CH3)3COOC(CH3)3 C2H6 + 2CH3CCH3

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The reaction was carried out in the laboratory in an isotermal batch system in which the total
pressure was recorded at various times during the reaction the data given in table apply to this
reaction. Only pure di-tert-butly peroxide was initially present in the reactin vessel.

Time (min) Total Pressure (mmHg)

0.0 7.5
2.5 10.5
5.0 12.5
10.0 15.8
15.0 17.9
20.0 19.4

6. Problems 3.15&3.25
The textbook: Levenspiel O., Chemical Reaction Engineering,3rd ed.(1999).

7. The rate of decomposition of nitrogen pentaoxide in the inert solvent CCl 4 can be followed
by measuring the volume of the O2 evolved at a given temperature and pressure since the
unreacted N2O5 and the other products of the decomposition remain in solution. Some results
at 45oC from batch reactor are as follows:

t(sec) 162 407 1721 3400

O2 3.41 7.78 23 29.33 32.6
evolved(cm3)

Show that the reaction is first order find the first order rate constant.
N2O5 N2O4+1/2O2. Assume reaction goes to completion.
8. Neyens has studied the bromination of metaxylene at 17oC. the reaction is carried out by
introducing small quantities of iodine and bromine into pure liquid xylene and the following
the rate of disappearance of bromine by titrating samples removed from the liquid to
determine their bromine content. The iodine serves as a catalyst for the reaction. Since the
concentration of xylene and catalyst remain essentially unchanged during the course of
reaction, it may be assumed that the rate expression is of the form

r=kCBrm=-dCBr/dt

where k is pseudo rate constant that will depend on the iodine and xylene concentrations.
Determine the order of the reaction and reaction rate constant

t(min) 0.00 4.5 8.0 12.0 17.85 27.0 38.0 45.0

Bromine 0.3335 0.2660 0.2255 0.1910 0.1500 0.1160 0.0830 0.0705
concentration(mol/L)

9.The following gas phase reaction was studied in a constant volume batch reactor at 1030K.

A B

a)Find the order of the reaction and the reaction rate constant at 1030K. The data as follows:
PAO(mmHg) 82.5 139 296 360
 t1/2(s) 860 470 255 212

b)Calculate the activation energy by using the folowing data.

Temperature(K) 1085 1030 967
PA0(mmHg) 345 360 294
t1/2(s) 53 212 1520

10. The reaction 2NO+2H2 N2+2H2O was studied in a constant volume batch reactor
with equimolar quantities of NO and H2 at various initial pressures:

PO(kPa) 47.2 45.5 50.0 38.4 33.5 32.4 26.9

t1/2(s) 81 102 95 140 180 176 224

Calculate the over all order of the reaction.

CSTR&PFR

11. The liquid phase irreversible reaction

A B+C

s carried out in a CSTR . the volumetric flow rate 0(hence =V/0) is varried to determine
the rate law and the effluent concentrations of species A recorded as a function of the space
time . Pure A enters the reactor at a concentration of 2 mol/L. Steady state conditions exist
when the measurements are recorded.

Run 1 2 3 4 5
(min) 15 38 100 300 1200
CA (mol/L) 1.5 1.25 1.0 0.75 0.5

Determine the reaction order and specific reaction rate.

12. Balasubramanian, Rihani and Doraiswamy have studied the reaction of ethylene and
chlorine in liquid ethylene dichloride solution in a CSTR. The stoichiometry of the reaction is

C2H4+Cl2 C2H4Cl2
Equimolar flow rates of ethylene and chlorine were used in the following experiment, which
was carried out at 32oC.

(sec) 0 300 600 900 1200 1500 1800

Effulent chlorine 0.0117 0.0095 0.0082 0.0072 0.0065 0.0060 0.0057
concentration(moles/cm3)

a) Determine the overall order of the reaction and the reaction rate constant.
b) Determine the space time necessary for 75% conversion in CSTR.
c)What would be the conversion in PFR having the space time determined in part b.

In part b and c assume that the operating temperature and the initial concentrations are the
same as in part a.
13. A chemical reaction is being studied in a laboratory scale steady-state flow system.the
reactor is a well-stirred 1000cm3 flask containing an aqueous solution. The reactor contents
(1000cm3 of solution) are uniform troughout. The stochiometric equation and data are given
below. What is the expression for the rate of the this reaction?Determine the reaction order
and the activation energy?

Diacetal+H2O Aldehyde+2Alcohol

Run Feed Rate(cm3/sec) Temperature,T(OC) Concentration of

Aldehyde in
effluent(kmoles/m3)
1 0.5 10 0.75
2 3.0 10 0.5
3 3.0 25 0.75

Feed concentration of diacetal is 1 kmole/m3. (Data are hypothetical. The reaction may be
assumed to be zero-order in aldehyde and alcohol and apparently zero order in water)

14. Decomposition reaction (CH3CHO(g) CH4(g)+ CO(g)) of acetaldehyde was investigated

O
at 518 C and 1 atm. pressure in a plug flow reactor by changing feed rate. The reactor has 3.3
cm inner diameter and 80 cm length. Data are given below for the reaction:

Feed rate(g/L) 130 50 21 10.8

Conversion of 0.05 0.13 0.24 0.35
acetaldehyde

Show the reaction is second order and find reaction rate constant.(molecular weigh of
acetaldehyde:44 g/mole)

15. Problem 5.19

The textbook: Levenspiel O., Chemical Reaction Engineering,3rd ed.(1999).