1.

0 ABSTRACT
Residence time distribution (RTD) is used to characterize existing reactors and to predict exit
conversions and concentrations when reactions occur in a reactor operating a steady state that is
filled with material of volume V. In this experiment, RTD was used to characterize CSTR. A
tracer (H2SO4 is injected and the exit concentration is measured. This experiment is conducted to
study the reaction of molecules that injected to the water volume at certain time after being
injected .This can be studied by plotting the RTD curve for a CSTR using a pulse tracer. The
dispersion number also found as dispersion number characterize the spreading rate of flowing.
The dispersion number calculated to be 0.2925.
2.0 OBJECTIVE
The objective of this experiment was to study the operation of pressure control and open loop or
manual control.

2.0 INTRODUCTION
The continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) is a reactor that runs at steady state with continuous
flow of reactants and products. The feed is assumed to be uniform composition throughout the
reactor and exit has the same compostion as in the tank. CSTR is a widely used equipment in
chemical related industries. The behavior of fluid flow inside the reactor may either change from
dispersion to ideal or ideal to dispersion mixing state. The extends of mixing determines the
efficiency of heat and mass transfer. If the reactants are premixed, the reaction can start from the
entry of the reactor. Physical processes like diffusion, pumping of fluid in the reactor and
mechanical agitation control the mixing. Mostly, the continuous reactors use mechanical agitation
for mixing. Due to agitation, efficient mixing can occur irrespective of production capacity and
viscosity of the fluid. The mechanical agitator provides better performance of CSTR, giving more
conversion of reactant to product. The mixing performance of a CSTR can be characterized by
residence time distribution (RTD) analysis. It provides information on how long the various fluid
elements have been in the reactor. As it gives a quantitative measure of the degree of backmixing
within a system, knowledge of the liquid RTD is very important for designing a non-ideal reactor.
Also, RTD represent a tool in successful process scale-up of chemical reactors. RTD

are

measured by introducing a non-reactive tracer into the system at the inlet. The concentration of
the tracer is changed according to a known function and the response is found by measuring the
concentration of the tracer at the outlet. The selected tracer should not modify the physical

characteristics of the fluid (equal density, equal viscosity) and the introduction of the tracer
should not modify the hydrodynamic conditions. In general, the change in tracer concentration
will either be a pulse or a step. Other functions are possible, but they require more calculations to
deconvolute the RTD curve. An ideal CSTR has an exponential residence time distribution.
However, RTD of a real reactor will deviate from the ideal exponential decay. For example, there
will be some finite delay before reaches its maximum value and the length of the delay will
reflect the rate of mass transfer within the reactor.

3.0 MATERIAL AND METHODS

3.1

UTILITIES

Burette
Syringe
An overhead tank in order to maintain constant flow rate
Continuous Stirred Flow Reactor to analyse
Tracer (NaOH)
Stop Watch
Conductivity measuring instrument.
Injection to inject tracer
A beaker to collect effluent

4. Procedure
4.1 Starting procedure

All the valves V1-V2 are closed .

That switches given on the panel was ensured at OFF position.
The valve V1 was opened and the supply of air was started.
The power supply was switched ON
The pressure 20-25psi(Pinlet) was set.
The computer and the interfacing unit was switched ON.
The auto mode was selected to perform the experiment automatically and in manual
mode was to change the values manually.
The pressure was set according to set point and the pressure gauge was observed.
Valve V2was opened partially during experiment .
.

EKB 3081 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LAB IV

4.2

Closing procedure

The software was exit.

The valve V
Close the valve V1
Switch OFF the interfacing unit
Switch OFF the power supply

Open valve V2 completely to release air

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Table 1 : shows the basic data needed for the experiment

Working volume of reactor, VR
Volume of sample, V2
Normality of NaOH used for titration, N1

2.4 L
20 ml
0.1M

Table 2: shows the data obtained during the experiment

Table 2 shows the data obtained during the experiment. Based on the observation table, as the
time increases, the volume of NaOH used for titration decreases. This is because the amount of
sulphuric acid reacting with NaOH decreases with time as it gets diluted in the water.
Time,ti [min]
0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00

V0 (LPH) : 10
V1 (ml)
26.0
20.6
20.7
20.0
20.3

EKB 3081 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LAB IV

Table 3 : shows the calculated value for Ci with respect to Cit

Table 3 shows the calculated value for Ci with respect to Cit. As the time increases, the
concentration of H2SO4 decreases with time. This is because the H 2SO4 gets diluted in the feed
tank as time increases. The average time difference taken as 10 min as this is a low flow rate.
Time, ti(min)
0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00

Ci (mol/lit)
0.06500
0.05150
0.05175
0.0500
0.0508
Ci=0.269

ti2Ci
0.00
5.15
20.7
45.0
81.28
ti2Ci=152.13

tiCi
0.00
0.515
1.035
1.500
2.032
tiCi=5.082

t (min)
0.00
10.00
10.00
10.00
10.00

Cit
0.000
0.515
0.518
0.500
0.508
Cit=2.041

Table 4 : shows the calculated value for reduced time, exit age distribution at time i, and
exit age distribution at time .
Table 4 shows the value of calculated reduced time exit age distribution at time i, and exit age
distribution at time .

0.00
5.29
10.59
15.88
21.18

Ei
0.03185
0.0252
0.0254
0.0254
0.0249

E
0.060
0.0476
0.0480
0.0463
0.0470

EKB 3081 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LAB IV

Graph 1 : shows the reduced time, against exit age distribution at time
Based on the graph when the reduced time is increasing , the exit age distribution of H 2SO4 at
time is decreasing. Presence of multiple peaks could indicate channeling, parallel paths to the
exit, or strong internal circulation. This plot of graph somehow follows the equation of CSTR :
E(t) =

1
t

In other words, some of the atoms entering the CSTR Reaction leave it almost immediately
because material is being continuously withdrawn from the reactor; other atoms remain in the
reactor almost forever because all the material is never removed from the reactor at one time.
Many of the atoms, of course, leave the reactor after spending a period of time somewhere in the
vicinity of the mean residence time.

EKB 3081 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LAB IV

CONCLUSION
From this experiment, the theory that ideal CSTR has an exponential residence time
distribution is proven. This is because as time increases the exit age distribution decreases. The
experiment could be improved by increasing the flow rate as this can speed up mixing process.
Besides that, the experiment can be improved by varying the flow rates to increase the precision
of the results.

REFERENCE
http://mx.nthu.edu.tw/~cchu/course/acrk/chapter7.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residence_time_distribution#Continuous_StirredTank_Reactors
http://www.umich.edu/~elements/fogler&gurmen/html/course/lectures/fourteen/index.htm
http://www.umich.edu/~elements/fogler&gurmen/html/course/lectures/thirteen/index.htm

EKB 3081 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LAB IV

APPENDIX
Calculations
I.

N2=

V 1N1
V2

II.

Ci=

N2
2

III.
IV.
V.
VI.

Tt

(g eq/L) =
0.13 M
2

V R60
Vo

(min) =

t2 =

2 =

VIII.

D
uL

IX.

Ei =

X.
XI.

= 0.13 M

= 0.065 mol/L
2.4 L60 min
10 L

= 14.4 min

t = t1-ti-1= 20-10 = 10 min

t iC i
5.082
= C i
= 0.269 = 18.89 min
t C
C

=
E =

t
2

208.87
18.89

C
C t
=

10
18.89

Ei = 18.89

(18.89)2 = 208.7 min2

= 0.585

2
0.585

=
2
2

( 152.13
0.269 )

- =

VII.

26.0 ml0.1 M
20.0 ml

=0.2925

0.0650
0.269

= 0.242

= 0.529 min
0.242 =4.57

EKB 3081 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LAB IV