TUBULAR REACTOR LAB

Chemical Engineering Lab III (CHEG-4011) Lab Report

Submitted by: Group # 1 Danny Nguyen Vivek Shah Kingsley Ejaifor Shahin Amini

To: Dr. Jorge Gabitto

Chemical Engineering Lab III Instructor Department of Chemical Engineering Roy G. Perry College of Engineering Prairie View A&M University April 22, 2012

Abstract Investigation using laboratory experiment practice such as saponification of ethyl acetate (EtOAc) is necessary for an analytical procedure to correlate the extent of reaction rate law for modeling plug-flow tubular reactors. Variation between conversion of the limited reactant and the volume of the reactor will depend on the chemistry of the reactions rate constant will be analysis using experiment data of the concentrations of EtOAc. Measurement of the concentration of EtOAc will dilute sodium hydroxide (NaOH) be conducted using a titration procedure with hydrochloride to solve for the unreacted amount of EtOAc. Data regression was used based on experiment recording to solve for the rate constant which was used to plot the volume of the reactor necessary to achieved the conversion percent of NaOH.

Theory

A tubular flow reactor is governed by the deviations behavior between the flow field which is due to mixing in the longitudinal direction and incomplete mixing in the radiation direction. The degree of the reactions properties will greatly depend on the position of the point in the flow field which will vary from one point to another in the cylindrical tube. This experiment will studies the reaction kinetics of the saponification of EtOaC with sodium hydroxide.

The reactions rate law is found to be a second order irreversible reaction which is express as . In a special case, if the reactants are used in stoichiometric ratio Ca = Cb then the rate law is simplified to as .

For a plug flow reactor, the governing is derived with the assumption of:

1. No mixing in the axial direction 2. Complete mixing in the radial direction 3. A uniform velocity profile across the radius. 4. Steady State

From the overall material balance of the reactor (In = Out + Disappearance) ( ) ( ) and arranging with respect to conversion of the limited

reactant and rate law the designed equation based on an ideal PFR is expressed as: .

Experiment Procedure

1. Preparation of Caustic soda by placing 10 liters of 0.1 M solution (40 g) in tank and 0.1 M of Ethyl acetate (99 mL). 2. Set up temperature control unit to steady state to 30C and switch on both pumps and adjust flow rates for 0.10 liters/min for each feed. 3. Observe the flow rates of NaOH and EtOAc and outlet temperatures. 4. This 10 ml sample is quenched with 10 ml of 0.1 m HCl. 5. Next, the mixture is titrated with 0.1 m NaOH until endpoint is reached. 6. The volume of NaOH used in recorder. 7. The reminder amount of HCl is recorded. 8. Concentration of unreacted NaOH is calculated.

Molarity of prepared standard solutions HCl 0.1 NaOH 0.1

Volume HCl quench

Volume of NaOH

Inlet flow rates(liters/mi n) Fa+Fb

NaOH conc in reactor flow

Conversion of X

(ml) 10

(ml) 3.5 0.2 0.035 0.95

0.1

0.1

10

2.3

0.2

0.023

0.85

From experiment data, with

k was correlated to be 210 L/mol-s.

Volume of Reactor vs Conversion of NaOH

800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 Conversion of NaOH 0.8 1 1.2 Volume of reactor (L)

The plot of volume of reactor vs. conversion of NaOH is shown above. Initially, it has a slow steady incline and when the conversion is above 80%, the volume sharply increase doubling for each additonal 5% increases.

Conclusion

The volume of the reactor was found using the PBR design equation, which was respect to conversion of NaOH. The conversion achieved was approximately 90%, based on the experiment data. To improve the conversion amount the volume had to increase proportionally. The way we can improve this experiment is by having precise titration measurements.