Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Web Solved Problems: Web Example SP-8.1 Hydrodealkylation of Mesitylene in A PFR
Web Solved Problems: Web Example SP-8.1 Hydrodealkylation of Mesitylene in A PFR
CH3 CH3
H2 CH4 (WESP-8.1.1)
CH3 CH3 CH3
H2 CH4 (WESP-8.1.2)
CH3
A significant The second reaction is undesirable, because m-xylene sells for a higher price than
economic incentive toluene ($1.32/lbm vs. $0.30/lbm).2 Thus we see that there is a significant incentive
to maximize the production of m-xylene.
The hydrodealkylation of mesitylene is to be carried out isothermally at
1500R and 35 atm in a packed-bed reactor in which the feed is 66.7 mol% hydro-
gen and 33.3 mol% mesitylene. The volumetric feed rate is 476 ft3/h and the reactor
volume (i.e., V = W ⁄ ρb ) is 238 ft3.
The rate laws for reactions 1 and 2 are, respectively,
0.5
–r 1M = k 1C MC H (WESP-8.1.3)
0.5
r 2T = k 2C XC H (WESP-8.1.4)
The bulk density of the catalyst has been included in the specific reaction rate (i.e.,
k 1 = k′1 ρb ).
Plot the concentrations of hydrogen, mesitylene, and xylene as a function of
PFR space time. Calculate the space time where the production of xylene is a max-
imum (i.e., τopt ).
Solution
Reaction 1: M + H ⎯⎯→ X + Me (WESP-8.1.1)
dF
Mesitylene: ---------M- r M (WESP-8.1.6)
dV
dFX
Xylene: --------- r X (WESP-8.1.7)
dV
dF
Toluene: --------T- r T (WESP-8.1.8)
dV
dFMe
Methane: ------------ r Me (WESP-8.1.9)
dV
2. Rate laws and net rates: Given
1⁄2
Reaction 1: –r 1M = k 1C H C M (WESP-8.1.3)
1⁄2
Reaction 2: r 2T = k 2C H C X (WESP-8.1.4)
Relative rates:
(1) –r1H = –r1M = r1Me = r1X (WESP-8.1.10)
(2) r2T = r2Me = –r2H = –r2X (WESP-8.1.11)
Net rates:
1/2
r M = r 1M = –k 1C H C M (WESP-8.1.12)
1/2 1/2
r H = r 1H + r 2H = r 1H – r 2T = –k 1C H C M –k 2C H C X (WESP-8.1.13)
1/2 1/2
r X = r 1X + r 2X = –r 1H – r 2T = k 1C H C M – k 2C H C X (WESP-8.1.14)
1/2 1/2
r Me = r 1Me + r 2Me = –r 1H + r 2T = k 1C H C M + k 2C H C X (WESP-8.1.15)
1/2
r T = r 2T = k 2C H C X (WESP-8.1.16)
3. Stoichiometry
The volumetric flow rate is
F P T
v = v0 -------T- -----0 -----
FT 0 P T 0