Reactor

Choice of the reactor: Plug flow reactor is chosen for this process because
- Homogeneous gas phase reaction
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Reaction:

Mass balance
Steps:
- Inlet Feed of the reactor with its all component flow rates (kg/hr) and there conditions are taken
from the previous section
- Then total flow rate of the inlet feed is find by adding all the flow rates of the components
- Then the mass fraction of each component in the feed is find, by dividing the mass flow rate of
each component by the total flow rate of the feed
- As mass balance is done on the reactor so mole balance is necessary to establish, so we find the
molar flow rate (kgmol/hr) of the each component by just dividing the mass flow rate of each
component by its molar mass
- After this find the total molar flow rate of the feed by just adding all the molar flow rates of the
components
- Then mole fraction of each component is find by dividing the molar flow rate of each
component by the total molar flow rate of the feed
- Now find the molar flow rates of the products of the reactor
- As we assume 90% conversion then according to the reaction 1 mole of alcohol produce 1 mole
of the acetone according to the balance chemical equation, so 0.9 is reacted and only 0.1 is
remaining, so multiply molar flow rate of alcohol in feed with 0.1 to get molar flow rate alcohol
in the product.
- Water not take part in the reaction so come in product as it is
- Acetone amount is find by subtracting the molar flow rate of alcohol in feed from molar flow
rate of alcohol in the product
- Add 15 (kg/hr) acetone in the above answer because 15 (kg/hr) acetone is already coming from
the feed section
- According to the balance chemical equation moles of hydrogen and acetone is same so there
molar flow rates are also same
- Then find the total molar flow rate of the product
- Then find the mole fraction of each component
- Then mass flow rates of the product section is find multiplying each component mole fraction
with its molecular weight
- At the end total mass flow rate of the product is find
Calculations:
Physical properties:




















Energy balance
Process temperature of the reactor is 325c
0
, and isothermal condition at this temperature in the reactor
is assumed (Reference need??)


Design
Reactor type: Plug flow reactor (PFR)
Steps:
Basis: 1 hr of operation
- 1
st
of all find the rate constant at the given temperature by using relation

K
o
and activation energy value is taken from.???
- Then find the volume of the reactor by general gas equation and by Vander wall equations
- Two volume obtained one is ideal and 2
nd
one is actual volume of the reactor
- Volume from Van der wall equation can be find by this equation

- a,b values are taken from literature [1]
- By assuming any value of volume in the above equation find the partial pressure of each
component
- Then find the total pressure of components by summing all the partial pressures of the
components, and by iteration method assume different values of volume to equalize the total
pressure calculated from the above equation and the total pressure of the reactor
- Then calculate the void fraction (The fraction of the channel volume that is occupied by the gas
phase) obtain from ..??
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Calculations:



References:

1. Lide, D.R., CRC handbook of chemistry and physics2004: CRC press.