Chapter three

Series & Parallel Reactor Setup

Sheet No. 3

1- A liquid reactant stream (1 mol/lit) passes through two mixed flow reactors in series.
The concentration of A in the exit stream of 1st. reactor is 0.5 mol/lit. Find the
concentration in the exit stream of 2nd. reactor. The reaction is second order with
respect to A and (V2/V1=2).

2- An aqueous reactant stream (4 mol/lit) passes through a mixed flow reactor followed
by a plug flow reactor . Find the concentration at the exit of the PFR if in the mixed
flow reactor CA= 1 mol/lit, the reaction is second order with respect to A, and the
volume of PFR unit is three times of mixed reactor.

3- Reactant A( A R , CA0 = 26 mol/lit) passes in steady flow through four equal

size mixed flow reactors in series (  total= 2 min) . When steady state is achieved
the concentration of A is found to be (11 , 5 , 2 , 1 mol/ m3) in the four units . For
this reaction, what  must be in PFR so as to reduce the concentration from 26 to 1
mol/m3.

4- We wish to treat 10 lit/min of liquid feed containing 1 molA/lit to x =99%,

C
R ,  rA  0.2  C , mol/lit.min. Suggest a good treatment for doing this
A
A
A

using two mixed flow reactor and find the size of the two units needed. Sketch the
final design chosen.

5- At present elementary liquid-phase reaction A + B R + S. takes place in PFR

using equimolar quantities of A and B, x= 96%, CA0=CB0=1 mol/lit. If a MFR is ten
times as large as the PFR were hooked up in series with the exiting unit, which unit
should come first and by fraction could production be increased for the setup?.

6- The kinetics of the aqueous-phase decomposition of A is investigated in two mixed

flow reactors in series, the 2nd. reactor has twice the volume of the 1st. reactor. At a
steady –state with a feed concentration of 1 mol/lit. In the first reactor the
concentration is 0.5 mol/A/lit and residence time of 96 sec. while the concentration
in the last reactor is 0.25 mol/lit. Find the kinetics of decomposition.