BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, PILANI

Semester II- 2008-2009

CHE C312: KINETICS & REACTOR DESIGN
Comprehensive Examination
PART (B) (Open Book)
11/05/2009 (Monday) Max marks: 80
Instructor In-charge: Nikhil Prakash
INSTRUCTIONS
(i) Attempt all the questions.
(ii) Take suitable assumption/data, if necessary, and clearly state them.

Q.1 [10 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 10 = 35 Marks]

The following data were obtained from a tracer test to a reactor:
t (s): 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Ct (mg/dm ): 0
3
0 0 5 10 5 0 0

Without using a graph paper

(A) Find E (t). [Define piecewise function, the plot is not required]
(B) Find the fraction of material that spends between 15 and 20 seconds in the reactor.
(C) Find the fraction of material that spends 25 seconds or less in the reactor.
(D) Evaluate analytically the mean residence time.
(E) Evaluate analytically the variance.
Note: Qualitative (not to the scale) plots can be drawn in order to solve part A, B and C but
calculations must be carried out using calculator only.

Q.2 [5 + 5 + 5 + 10 = 25 Marks]
t-Butyl alcohol (TBA) is an important octane enhancer that is used to replace lead additives in
gasoline. TBA was produced by a liquid-phase hydration (W) of isobutene (I) over an Amberlyst-15
catalyst. The system is normally a multiphase mixture of hydrocarbon, water and solid catalyst.
However, the use of co-solvents or excess TBA can achieve reasonable miscibility. The reaction

  
. 
mechanism is believed to be

    . 
.  
.    .   
 .     
Derive a rate law assuming
(a) The surface reaction is rate limiting step.
(b) The adsorption of isobutene is limiting step.

 
.    . 
(c) The reaction follows Eley-Rideal kinetics

and that the surface reaction is limiting.

 

. 

(d) Isobutene (I) and water (W) are adsorbed on different sites.

    . 
TBA is not on the surface and the surface reaction is rate limiting.

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Q.3 [5 + 3X5 = 20 Marks]
An endothermic reaction A
R is carried out in three stage, continuous flow stirred tank reactors. An
overall conversion of 95 % of A is required and the desired production rate is 0.95 X 10-3 kmol s-1 of
R. all the three reactors, which must be of equal volumes are operated at 50 0C. The reaction is first
order and the value of rate constant at 50 0C is 4 X 10-3 s-1. The concentration of A in the feed is 1
kmol m-3 and the feed is available at 75 0C. The contents of all three reactors are heated by steam
condensing at 100 0C inside the coils. The overall heat transfer coefficient for the heat exchange
system is 1500 J m-2 s-1 0C-1 and the heat of reaction is +1.5 X 108 J kmol-1 of A reacted. Calculate
(a) The size of the tanks in the reactor system
(b) The areas of heating coil in each tank.

Assume:
• Perfect mixing
• Steady state operation
• Constant fluid mixture density
• Stirrer input energy Ws is negligible
• A1, A2, A3 =areas of the heating coils in tank 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
• CA0 = Initial concentration of A in feed to the first reactor.
• CA1, CA2, CA3 = Concentrations of A in reactor 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
• FA0 = Desired product rate
• v = Fluid volumetric flow rate.
• ρ = Liquid density
• CP = Liquid specific heat
• U = overall heat transfer coefficient.
• VR = Volume of a single reactor.
• ∆HRx = Enthalpy of reaction
• T0 = Inlet feed temperature to the first reactor.
• T1, T2, T3 = Temperature in reactor 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
• Th = Temperature of the heating coils.
The energy balance on ith stage is given by the expression

∆

  

      ,
,
    

   0


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