September 23 & 24, 2015

CHEE3005 Tutorial Sheet 7

Question 1
A CSTR is used to carry out the first order aqueous reaction AB, with CAo=8
moles/lit., To = 300 K, Cp = 1000 cal/lit-K, k = 109e-6000/T min-1, HR = -15,000
cal/mole B produced.

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(a) What residence time is required to achieve 50% conversion in a CSTR

operating at 300 K?
(b) If the flow rate into the reactor is 100 lit/min, what is the heat removal rate to
maintain the reactor isothermal at 300 K for 50% conversion?
(c) In an adiabatic reactor what will be the outlet temperature at 50%
conversion?
(d) What residence time is required for 50% conversion in an adiabatic CSTR?
(e) What conversion can we obtain in an adiabatic reactor if the temperature is
not to exceed the boiling point of water-370 K?
Solution

XA

k
XA
k
1 k
1 X A

Th

(a) X A 0.5, T 300 K , k 109 e6000 / 300 min 1 2.061 min 1

0.5
0.485 min.
0.5x2.061

(b) Q (H R )C
(c) T To

Ao

X Av 15000x8x0.5x100 6x106 cal/min.

(H R )C Ao X A
15000x8x0.5
300
360 K
C pm
1000

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at 360 K, k 109 e6000/360 57.78 min 1

(d)

XA
0.5

0.0173 min
k (1 X A ) 0.5x57.78

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(T T ) C
o
pm 70x1000
(e) X A

0.583
(H R )C
15000x8
Ao

Question 2

A perfectly mixed reactor is to be used for the hydrogenation of olefine, and

will be operated isothermally. The reactor is 10m3 in size, and the feed rate is
0.2 m3/s with a reactant concentration CAo = 13 kmol/m3. For the conditions in
the reactor, the rate expression is
rA

CA

(1 C A

kmol/m3 .sec

It is suspected that this nonlinear rate form, that has a maximum value, may
cause certain regions of unstable operation with multiple steady states.

Th

a) From the reactor mass balance determine if this is the case, by plotting (-rA)
(C - C A0 )
versus CA and A
versus CA on the same graph.

b) By considering (-rA) as the loss term and (CA CA0) as the generation term,
deduce the stability character of the steady states.
c) To what concentrations should the feed be changed to avoid this problem?
Solution
Isothermal perfectly mixed reactor
V=10 m3

v= 0.2 m3/s and

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CAo =13 kmol/m3

rA

CA
kmol / m3 .sec
2
(1 C A )

Plot (-rA) and

(1)

C C
A
Ao

At steady state:

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0 = v(CAo - CA) + rAV

(CAo -CA)v/V = -rA
C

Ao

A r
A

(2)

A
(1 C )2
A

V 10
=50s
v 2
Plotting :

Th

https://www.coursehero.com/file/12356814/Tutorial-sheet-7-Solution/

b)
Criteria for stability:
dH L dH G

dT
dT

we have

dRL dRG

for A and C
dC
dC

Hence B is unstable
c)

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To avoid stability problems:

Reduce CA0 to < 11.9 kmol/m3
Increase CA0 to > 14 kmol/m3

Question 3.

Th

A zero order liquid phase reaction has rate constant k = Aexp (-E/RT), with A =
2000 moles/lit-hr, and E = 19,647.5 J/mole. The reaction is to be conducted in
a 2 lit micromixed laboratory CSTR, with inlet temperature of 300 K, and feed
containing reactant A at concentration of 10 moles/lit at a flow rate of 2 lit/hr.
The heat of reaction has the value HB = -64 kJ/mole B produced, and the
reaction mixture has a constant specific heat of 4J/gm-K and a constant density
of 1 kg/lit.
(a) determine the possible steady states for the reaction

(b) Briefly discuss the stability of the above steady states.

Solution
Liquid phase reaction A B, with no change in the heat capacity of the
mixture with T or X and no change in the heat of reaction with T. The heat
balance for the reaction is:

https://www.coursehero.com/file/12356814/Tutorial-sheet-7-Solution/

T T X
0
A

where is the adiabatic temperature rise:

H C
R A0 64000 10 160 K

C
1000 4
m pm

Rearranging the energy balance equation gives our Heat loss equation (HL):
T T
0 T 300
X
A

160

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Now the mass balance equation for the CSTR is:

vC rAV kV
A0
A
C C k
A0
A
C C
A k
X A0
A
C
C
A0
A0
vC

Substituting in Arrhenius Law, this gives us the Heat gain equation (HG):

koe E / RT
C

A0

1 2000 e19647.5 / 8.3145T

200e2363 / T
10

Th

Now we need to find where HL = HG.

T

310
320
330
340
350
360
370

380
390
400
410
420
428
430

XA from HL XA from
HL
0.0625
0.1517
0.125
0.124
0.1875
0.155
0.25
0.3125
0.375
0.4375

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XA from
HL
0.5
0.5625
0.625
0.6875
0.75
0.8
0.8125

XA from
HL
0.4

0.628
0.72
0.8
0.82

Two steady states with T = 320 K and XA = 0.125 and T = 428 K and XA = 0.8.
b) Now to test the stability, need to find the derivatives of the heat terms:
dH

L 1 0.00625
dT
160

dH

G 200 2363 e2363 / T 472600 e2363 / T

dT
T2
T2

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At 320 K, dHG/dT = 0.00287, so this is a STABLE point.

Th

At 428 K, dHG/dT = 0.01, so this is an UNSTABLE point.

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