Sohar University

Faculty of engineering
Chemical engineering
Reaction engineering
CHEM4005

Lab experiment 1:
Batch reactor

Names: ID:
Atheer Hamed AL-Saadi 140093
Eman Ali AL-Shehhi 140030
Shima Yousef AL-Baloshi 140237
Zakia Abdullah AL-Houssani 150395
Monueera Saeed AL-Moqbali 130826
Objective:
The aim of these experiment is to determine the value of reaction rate constant
(k) with different surrounding temperature and calculate the activation energy
(Ea) of reaction.

Introduction:
Reactor is one of the important units in chemical industry, it is the place for the
reaction took place. There are many types of reactor. One of the example reactors
is tubular reactor.
In tubular reactor continuous, sometimes called PFR as shown in fig(1) , contain
one or more fluid reagents are pumped through a pipe or tube. The chemical
reaction proceeds as the reagents travel through the PFR. In this type of reactor, the
changing reaction rate creates a gradient with respect to distance traversed; at the
inlet to the PFR the rate is very high, but as the concentrations of the reagents
decrease and the concentration of the product (s) increases the reaction rate
slows.[1]
With a constant flow rate, the conditions at any one point remain constant with
time and changes in time of the reaction are measured in terms of the position
along the length of the tube.
The reaction rate is faster at the pipe inlet because the concentration of reactants is
at its highest and the reaction rate reduces as the reactants flow through the pipe
due to the decrease in concentration of the reactant. [2]
In the tubular reactor, the reactants are continually consumed as they flow down
the length of the reactor.
Applications, tubular reactors have a wide variety of applications in either gas or
liquid phase systems. Common industrial uses of tubular reactors are in gasoline
production, oil cracking, synthesis of ammonia from its elements, and the
oxidation of sulfur dioxide to sulfur trioxide. Also it is used in the steam
cracking of ethane, propane and butane and naphtha to produce alkenes. [3]

Fig (1)
Theory:
 to calculate the percentage of Conversion:
[𝐴]0 − [𝐴]
𝑋𝑎 = ∗ 100
[𝐴]0
Where:
𝑋𝑎 :percentage of Conversion of NaOH
𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒
[𝐴]0 : initial concentration of NaOH ( )
𝑐𝑚3
𝑚𝑜𝑙𝑒
[𝐴]: concentration of NaOH in discharge ( )
𝑐𝑚3

 To calculate the contestant reaction rate there are many method but in our
experiment it determined according to flow system:
𝐹𝑁𝑎𝑂𝐻 + 𝐹𝐶𝐻3 𝐶𝑂𝑂𝐶2𝐻5 𝑥𝐴
𝑘=( )∗( )
𝑉 ∗ [𝐴]0 1 − 𝑥𝐴
Where:
𝑐𝑚3
FNaOH: flow rate of NaOH ( )
𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝑐𝑚3
𝐹𝐶𝐻3 𝐶𝑂𝑂𝐶2 𝐻5 : flow rate of ethyl acetate ( )
𝑚𝑖𝑛
V: the volume of the tubular reactor cm3
𝜋𝑟𝐷2
 Where 𝑉 = ∗ 𝐿:
4
D: the diameter of reactor (cm)
L:length of tubular reactor (cm)
𝑐𝑚3
K: reaction rate constant ( )
𝑚𝑜𝑙∗𝑚𝑖𝑛
Procedure:
1. Prepare all the materials and equipment’s required for the lab experiment.
2. To prepare a solution of 0.1 M of NaOH measure 2g of NaOH by using the
balance and then add NaOH to 500ml of distillated water and mix it to make
sure that all NaOH is dissolved in water.
3. To prepare ethyl acetate with concentration 0.1M put 4.89ml of ethyl acetate in
Florence flask then add distillated water until the volume reach 500ml.
4. Fill the vessel by water to a level above the overflow ,then switch on the hot
water circulation .(the temperature of the water in the reactor vessel will begin
to rise and will be automatically maintained at the desired set point (25c˚).
5. switch on feed pumps and computer . the reactant ( NaoH and ethyl acetate)will
flow from feed vessel and enter the reactor through the connections in the lid,
each reactant passes through pre-heat coils submerged in the water in which
they are individually brought up to the reaction temperature . At the base of the
tubular reactor coil the reactant are mixed together in a “T” connection and
begin to pass through coil. The reacting solution will emerge from the coil
through connector in the lid where a probe senses continuously the conductivity
which is related to degree of conversion.
6. collect the data from pc(computer).
Observation and Calculation:
Observation:
Elapsed Hydroxide Acetate Hydroxide Acetate Measured Temp Sodium Ethyl Calculated
Time concentration concentration Flowrate Flowrate Conductivity of Hydroxide Acetate Initial
min in tank in tank Fa Fb Reactor Feed Feed Conductivity
[mol/dm³] [mol/dm³] [cm³/min] [cm³/min] [mS] Conc. Conc. [mS]
[°C] [mol/dm³] [mol/dm³]
0 0.100 0.100 80.2 80.4 7.686 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.455
3 0.100 0.100 80.3 80.4 6.641 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.457
6 0.100 0.100 80.3 80.6 6.846 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.449
9 0.100 0.100 80.2 80.5 6.865 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.452
12 0.100 0.100 80.3 80.5 6.855 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.452
15 0.100 0.100 80.3 80.5 6.846 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.455
18 0.100 0.100 80.3 80.6 6.855 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.447
21 0.100 0.100 80.2 80.5 6.865 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.449
24 0.100 0.100 80.0 80.4 6.865 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.441
27 0.100 0.100 80.3 80.5 6.865 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.455
30 0.100 0.100 80.3 80.4 6.377 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.462
33 0.100 0.100 80.4 80.6 7.061 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.455
36 0.100 0.100 80.2 80.5 7.070 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.452
39 0.100 0.100 80.3 80.6 7.090 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.447
42 0.100 0.100 80.2 80.5 7.031 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.449
45 0.100 0.100 80.3 80.4 7.041 25.0 0.050 0.050 10.457
Table (2)
Elapsed Calculated Calculated Current Current
Time Final Acetate Final Sodium Hydroxide Sodium Acetate
min Concentration Conductivity Concentration Concentration
[dm/m³] [mS] [mol/dm³] [mol/dm³]

0 0.050 3.842 0.02902500 0.0209126677

3 0.050 3.843 0.02112606 0.0288241187
6 0.050 3.840 0.02269654 0.0272163704
9 0.050 3.841 0.02283688 0.0270883858
12 0.050 3.841 0.02276310 0.0271621987
15 0.050 3.842 0.02268212 0.0272556134
18 0.050 3.840 0.02277754 0.0271229067
21 0.050 3.840 0.02284413 0.0270686565
24 0.050 3.838 0.02286594 0.0270093111
27 0.050 3.842 0.02282963 0.0271081053
30 0.050 3.845 0.01912022 0.0308548678
33 0.050 3.842 0.02430467 0.0256331225
36 0.050 3.841 0.02438571 0.0255395510
39 0.050 3.840 0.02454761 0.0253528881
42 0.050 3.840 0.02409795 0.0258148378
45 0.050 3.843 0.02414997 0.0258002030
Table (2) [completed]

Reactor parameter
Internal diameter 5 mm
Length of tube 20.9 cm
Table (3)
Calculation:
Elapsed Conversion Calculated Volume
Time of Sodium Specific Rate
min Hydroxide Constant ( cm3)
(%) K
3
( dm /mol*min )
0 42% 3.30 4.103705404
3 58% 4.55 4.103705404
6 55% 4.31 4.103705404
9 54% 4.28 4.103705404
12 54% 4.29 4.103705404
15 55% 4.30 4.103705404
18 54% 4.29 4.103705404
21 54% 4.28 4.103705404
24 54% 4.27 4.103705404
27 54% 4.28 4.103705404
30 62% 4.87 4.103705404
33 51% 4.05 4.103705404
36 51% 4.03 4.103705404
39 51% 4.01 4.103705404
42 52% 4.08 4.103705404
45 52% 4.07 4.103705404
Table (4)

conductivity vs concentration
9.000
8.000
7.000
conductivity (mS)

6.000
5.000
4.000
3.000
2.000
1.000
0.000
0.00000 0.00500 0.01000 0.01500 0.02000 0.02500 0.03000 0.03500
NaOH concentration (mol/dm3)
Sample calculation:
Mass of NaOH was calculated as:
n
M=
volume
mol mole
0.1 =
l 0.5 L
mol
n = 0.1 ∗ 0.5 l = 0.05 mol
l
g
m = Mw ∗ n = (22.990 + 16 + 1) ∗ 0.05 mol = 2 g
mol

The volume of CH3COOC2H5 (L) was calculated as:

𝑛
𝑀=
𝑉
𝑛 =𝑀∗𝑉
𝑔
𝑛 = 0.1 ∗ 0.5 𝑙 = 0.05 𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝑙
𝑔
𝑚 = 𝑛 ∗ 𝑀𝑤 = 0.05 𝑚𝑜𝑙 ∗ 88.11 = 4.41𝑔
𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝑚 4.41𝑔
𝑉= = 𝑔 = 4.9 𝑚𝑙
𝜌 0.9
𝑚𝑜𝑙

The volume of tubular reactor :

1𝑐𝑚 2
πD 2 (5 𝑚𝑚 ∗ 10𝑚𝑚)
V= ∗𝐿 =𝜋∗ ∗ 20.9 𝑐𝑚 = 4.103705404 𝑐𝑚3
4 4
 The conversion at t=3min
𝑚𝑜𝑙
[𝐴]0 − [𝐴] (0.05 − 0.02112606)
𝑋𝑎 = ∗ 100 = 𝑑𝑚3 ∗ 100% = 58%
[𝐴]0 𝑚𝑜𝑙
0.05
𝑑𝑚3

Calculate the reaction rate constant (k) at t=3min:

𝐹𝑁𝑎𝑂𝐻 + 𝐹𝐶𝐻3 𝐶𝑂𝑂𝐶2𝐻5 𝑥𝐴

𝑘=( )∗( )
𝑉 ∗ [𝐴]0 1 − 𝑥𝐴
𝑐𝑚3
(80.3 + 80.4) 0.58 𝑑𝑚3
= 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑡 ∗ = 4.55
3 𝑚𝑜𝑙 1 − 0.58 𝑚𝑜𝑙 ∗ 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑡
4.103705404 𝑐𝑚 ∗ 0.05 3
𝑑𝑚
Dissection and analysis:
In these experiment we used batch reactor where there is no flow in and flow out.
The following reaction:
𝑵𝒂𝑶𝑯 + 𝑪𝑯𝟑 𝑪𝑶𝑶𝑪𝟐 𝑯𝟓 → 𝑪𝑯𝟑 𝑪𝑶𝑶𝑵𝒂 + 𝑪𝟐 𝑯𝟓 𝑶𝑯
This reaction is exothermic, so we use Sheller to cool the heat which is produced
by the reaction. As we can see from table (2) and (3) the concentration of NaOH
(a1) was decreased (consumed) during the time where the conversion is increased.
In addition, the order of reaction is second order because when plotted the data
according to each order (zero, first and second) as graph (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) and
(6) are showed. We found graph (3) and (6) is only becomes linearity which means
the order of this reaction is second order.
Moreover, we observe that the reaction rate constant is depend on temperature as
we see reaction rate constant k value change with temperature as we see in table
(6) and graph(3) and (6). These prove the Arrhenius law that the reaction rate
constant increase exponentially with decreasing temperature as we see in blow
equation:
−𝑬𝒂
𝒌 = 𝑨 ∗ 𝒆 𝑹𝑻

𝑘𝐽
Also, the activation energy ( Ea) for this reaction is -80.537 which mean the
𝑚𝑜𝑙
𝑘𝐽
minimum energy required to start reaction is 80.537 and the activation energy
𝑚𝑜𝑙
becomes ( - ) because the is exothermic . It remains constant because we doesn’t
change the reaction or add catalyst.
Finally, the experiment accuracy wasn’t 100% for many reasons. One of these
reasons the temperature of surround of system of reaction wasn’t 20 exactly
because it may loss or gain heat from room area. Also it may fault in device itself.
Conclusion:
To sum up, we conclude from this experiment that the order of below reaction is
second order and the value of reaction rate constant (K) affected by change of
temperature of surrounding for reaction system where it is increase exponentially
with decreasing temperature as the data in table (6) is proved that. Also the
activation energy is constant and it becomes (-) due to exothermic reaction but it
may change when change reaction or add catalyst.

References:
1. Unknown. (n.d).corrosionpedia. Batch reactor .1/10/2018. Retrieved from:
https://www.corrosionpedia.com/definition/4820/batch-reactor
2. Unknown.(n.d). Wikipedia. Batch reactor. 1/10/2018. Retrieved from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batch_reactor
3. Fig (1): indiamart. Isothermal batch reactor . 1/10/2018. Retrieved from:
https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/isothermal-batch-
reactor-4699667448.html
4. Fig (2): Wikipedia. Batch reactor. 1/10/2018. Retrieved from:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Batch_reactor.2.jpg