COVENANT UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
2008/2009 ALPHA MID SEMESTER EXAMINATION

COURSE:

CHE 516:

Chemical reaction Engineers

III

DURATION: 3 hours
INSTRUCTIONS

Attempt ANY FOUR (4) Questions.

All questions carry equal marks

**Unless otherwise stated, all symbols used have their usual significance
Q1
The oxidation of propylene to produce water and carbon dioxide is to be carried out in a
packed-bed tubular reactor containing supported catalysts at 300 oC and 10 atm. The reaction
equation is :
C3 H 6 +4.5 O 2 solid cat 3 CO+ 3 H 2 O

The oxygen in the feed is twice the stoichiometric amount and is from the air supplied to the
reactor. The total volumetric flow rate of the feed is 4 m3/hour. At the reactor conditions, the
rate of reaction of propylene is given by the equation:
r A=

1.18 105 P A
mol
1+ 63.2 P A s . g catalyst

where
PA= partial pressure of propylene in atm.
Assuming constant pressure and temperature along the length of the reactor,
a) Determine the weight of catalyst that will be needed to achieve 80% conversion of
the propylene in the feed

Q2

The first stage of the production of an industrial perfume involves the hydrogenation of ocresol (X) to form 2-methlycyclohexanone (B):
X +2 H 2 solid cat B

X=o-Cresol

The reaction is first order with respect to hydrogen and zero order with respect to o-cresol
and has a specific rate constant of 2.0 (kg cat.min.liter) -1 at the isothermal reaction conditions
in the tubular reactor that is packed with Nickel-Silica catalysts.
50 mol/min of feed, consisting of o-cresol and hydrogen in their stoichiometric ratio, enters
the reactor at 6 atm. Assuming the pressure drop along the length of the reactor is given by
the relation:

0.5

P=P0 (10.3 W ) ,atm

where
P = the total pressure when the weight of catalyst measured from the entrance is W
P0= the total pressure at the entrance of reactor (W=0)
calculate
a) the weight of catalyst required to achieve 60% conversion of the o-cresol
b) the pressure at the exit of the reactor at the 60% conversion of the o-cresol
Q3
a) Explain briefly three factors that need to be considered in the analysis of the
performance of a gas- solid noncatalytic reactor.
b) Describe any two ways of determining whether surface reaction is the rate controlling
step
c) The data below pertains to a gas- solid noncatalytic reaction in which a solid ash is
formed and the spherical particle remains constant in size (3 mm radius) during the
reaction.

% conversion of solids
0
37.5
55.0
80.0
88.0
98.0

Reaction time, minutes

0.0
6.6
15.9
43.1
58.8
94.3

Determine, using the shrinking core model

i.
ii.

the rate controlling step

the % conversion of 2 mm radius solid particles reacting under the same uniform
environment for 30 minutes.

You may assume the reaction occurs in a uniform gas environment

Q4
a) Name any two kinetic models used for gas-solid non-catalytic reactions and give a
situation when each is most applicable.
b) It was observed that 4 mm radius solid particles involved in a temperature sensitive
gas- solid noncatalytic reaction were 50% converted in 15 minutes while reacting in a
uniform gas environment. Explain the significance of the term uniform gas
environment in applying the rate equations of the shrinking core model.
c) The 30 kg/hour feed of solids to a fluidized bed reactor consists of 40 and 60 weight
% respectively of 2 mm radius and 3 mm radius solid particles. If the weight of solids
in the bed under steady state conditions is 40 kg, find the average conversion of the
solids fed to the reactor
Q5
a) Give two arguments each, for and against, the use of the Langmuir Hinshelwood
kinetics in deriving the rate of reaction for a gas-solid catalytic reaction.
2 A solid cat A2

b) The gas-phase dimerization of A:

is solid catalyzed. The proposed mechanism for the reaction is as follows:
i.
the adsorption of A by the solid catalyst
ii.
the reaction between the adsorbed A and A in the gas phase to produce the
A2
adsorbed dimerized molecule
iii.

the desorption of the dimerized molecule

Note that the inerts in the feed are also adsorbed by the catalyst
Write the equations for the mechanism and derive the equation for the rate of production of
A2.
c) If the available experimental data consists of the initial rate as a function of the total
initial pressure of the reaction mixture (consisting of 90% A and 10% inerts), derive
the equation for the rate of reaction of A as a function of the total initial pressure of
the system.
Show the plot you would make to test the consistency of the experimental data with the
derived equation.
Q6

The solid catalysed reaction between methane and sulphur to produce carbon disulphide and
hydrogen (both reactants and products in the gas phase) is to be carried out in fluidized bed
reactor operated isobarically and isothermally at 2 atmospheres and 627 oC respectively. The
rate of reaction at the operating conditions is given by the equation:
r S =
2

1.21 PCH PS
k mol
1+0.6 PS +2 PCS +1.7 P H S hour . kg catalyst
4

where
Pi=partial pressure of component i in atm.
a) Based on your knowledge of the Hougen-Watson kinetics, state three deductions you
can make about the rate limiting step.
b) For the production of 3000kg/day of carbon disulphide at 70% conversion of the
methane in the feed, determine the weight of catalyst that will be required. The feed
contains 25 and 75 mole % of methane and sulphur respectively. You may assume the
feed enters at the same temperature and pressure as the operating conditions of the
reactor
c) What assumption did you make the about the activity of the catalyst in (b)?
d) Explain why the reactor used would be one of the appropriate types if the assumption
about the activity of the catalyst made in (b) had not been valid at all.