Ingeniería de Reactores I

1. The elementary gas-phase reaction

(CH3)3COOC(CH3)3 C2H6 + 2CH3COCH3
a) is to be carried out isothermally at 127°C and an initial pressure of 10 atm in a constant-volume
batch mode with 90% conversion, what reactor size and cost would be required to process (2.5
mol min-1 × 60 min h-1 × 24 h day-1) 3600 mol of di-tert-butyl peroxide per day?
The specific reaction rate at 50°C is 10-4 min-1 and the activation energy is 85 kJ mol-1. Pure di-
tert-butyl peroxide is in the reactor in the beginning.
b) Assume that the reaction is reversible with 𝐾 = 0.025 mol2/dm6, and calculate the equilibrium
conversion.
2. The production of ethylene glycol from ethylene chlorohydrin and sodium bicarbonate
CH2OHCH2Cl + NaHCO3 (CH2OH)2 + NaCl + CO2
is carried out in a semibatch reactor. A 1.5 molar solution of ethylene chlorohydrin is fed at a rate
0.1 mole minute-1 to 1500 dm3 of a 0.75 molar solution of sodium bicarbonate. The reaction is
elementary and carried out isothermally at 30°C where the specific reaction rate is 5.1 dm3 mol-1 h-1.
Higher temperatures produce unwanted side reactions. The reactor can hold a maximum of 2500
dm3 of liquid. Assume constant density.
a) Plot the conversion, reaction rate, concentration of reactants and products, and number of
moles of glycol formed as a function of time.
b) Suppose you could vary the flow rate between 0.01 and 200 mol min-1, what flow rate and
holding time would you choose to make the greatest number of moles of ethylene glycol in 24 h
keeping in mind the downtimes for cleaning, filling, etc., shown in Table 4-3?
c) Suppose the ethylene chlorohydrin is fed at a rate of 0.15 mol min-1 until the reactor is full and
then shut in. Plot the conversion as a function of time.