1.1.

7Plug flow Reactor design

In a plug flow reactor the composition of the fluid varies from point to point along a flow path;
consequently, the material balance for a reaction component must be made for a differential
element of volume dV. Thus for a reactant A the mass balance becomes;
Input = output +disappearance by reaction + accumulation
Where accumulation is zero thus, the equation becomes;
Input = output + disappearance by reaction
Calculation of reactor volume is by the following equation,

Notation
V Volume of reactor
FAO Feed flow rate ( kgmolh-1)
XA Fractional conversion of DIPB
τ Space time (kg h kgmol-1 )
CAO Initial concentration of DIPB
A(subscript) DIPB
rA
Rate of disappearance of species A(DIPB) (kgmol
kgcat-1hr-1)

 Transalkylation reactor design data

Table 1.2
Initial DIPB concentration CDIPBO
Kgmolm-3
Initial DIPB flow rate FDIPBO
(From mass balance)
Specified DIPB conversion XDIPB 0.95
Catalyst Voidage fraction εA 0.5

To determine the volume of reactor the following steps were followed;

1. Weight of catalyst(equation adapted from Kondamudi,upayadhula)

(1.1)
 (1.2)

Evaluating the integral of the above equation using simpson’s rule;

(1.3)

Wcat= kg
2. Volume of catalyst

(1.4)

(1.5)

V= m3
3. Volume of reactor required

(1.6)

4. Actual volume of reactor, a 10% allowance for the heads

Vact =
5. Diameter of reactor, as a rule of thumb the diameter to length ratio is 5(L/D=5)

Since

D=m
6. Length of reactor
L=5D

L= m
Reactor design specifications
Catalyst weight kg
Reactor volume m-3
Reactor inside diameter m
Reactor length m