DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

FACULTY OF ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITY OF BENIN.

A TECHNICAL REPORT ON

STIRRED TANK REACTORS IN SERIES.

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY

(CHE 401)
 TITLE PAGE
TITLE OF EXPERIMENT: STIRRED TANK REACTOR IN SERIES

AIM OF EXPERIMENT: TO STUDY AND THOROUGHLY

INVESTIGATE THE BEHAVIOUR OF CONTINUOUS STIRRED TANK
REACTORS IN SERIES, INCLUDING THEIR DYNAMIC BEHAVIOUR
AND THE EFFECT ON THE PROGRESS OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CARRIED OUT IN SUCH SYSTEMS.

NAME: TAKELE MARY-PAULETTE AVWAROSUO

MAT. NUMBER: ENG1703918

SERIAL NUMBER: 46

GROUP NUMBER: A4

LEVEL: 400 LEVEL

COURSE CODE: CHE 401

EXPERIMENT NUMBER: EXPERIMENT 1

NAME OF INSTRUCTORS: MR. MOSES OGHENEOVO AND MR.

MOSES OKHUOYA

DATE: 30/08/2021

1
LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE 1: GASEOUS DIFFUSION APPARATUS……………………….6

FIGURE 2: STOPWATCH…………………………………………………..7

FIGURE 3: A GRAPH OF T/ (L – LO) AGAINST (L – LO)………………..10

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1: CALCULATED VALUES……………………………………….9

2
 TABLE OF CONTENT

TITLE PAGE……………………………………………….………………..1

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES……………………….………………..1

TABLE OF CONTENT…………………………………….………………..1

ABSTRACT ……………………………………………….………………..1

INTRODUCTION …………………………………………………….…….2

THEORY ……………………………………….…………....….…….…….4

DESCRIPTION OF APPARATUS ………………………...….……..…….16

PROCEDURE ……………………………………….…………….….….…19

RESULTS ……………………………………………….…….…...…….…20

DISCUSSIONS …………………………………….…….………………....24

CONCLUSION …………………………………….…….………..….…….26

RECOMMENDATION ……………………………….….………………...27

REFERENCES ………………………………………….…………….……28

APPENDIX …………………………………………….……….…….……29

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 ABSTRACT

The stirred tank reactor in series experiment was carried out with the aim of
studying and thoroughly investigating the behavior of continuous stirred tank
reactor in series including their dynamic behavior and the effect on the progress of
chemical reactions carried out in such systems making use of Winkelmann’s
method. The experiment was done using acetone which is a volatile liquid. A T-
shaped capillary tube was partially filled with acetone and placed in a water bath
that was maintained at a constant temperature of 40℃. An air pump was connected
to the capillary tube to allow the acetone diffuse to the air and prevent a build-up
of eddy current. The travelling microscope was used to measure the liquid level at
intervals of 30 minutes for 2 hours. A graph of T/ (L – L O) against (L – LO) was
plotted and the value of the slope was 8.758 × 10 5 ks/m2 while the diffusivity
value was 2.479× 10-7 m2/s. The diffusivity rate can be influenced by change in the
temperature, partial pressure and concentration.

4
 INTRODUCTION

A reactor is

There are basically 3 types of ideal reactors which include the batch flow reactor, plug
flow reactor, and the mixed flow reactor. The continuously stirred tank reactor
(CSTR) which is another name for the mixed flow reactor is a batch reactor equipped
with an impeller or other mixing device to provide efficient mixing. In chemical
engineering, CSTR refers to an idealized agitated tank reactor used to model operation
variables required to attain specific output.

most industrial processes use continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs). In these reactors, reactants are
continuously flowed into the reactor, where they undergo a chemical reaction. Simultaneously, an exit
stream is extracted from the reactor at the same flow rate as the inlet stream to maintain a constant
volume inside the reactor. CSTRs allow for the continuous production of the desired chemical without the
need to repeatedly empty and fill the tank because the contents of the reactors are constantly stirred, we
can assume that the contents of the reactor are uniform everywhere.

Stirred tanks in series are, as the name says, continuous stirred tank reactors
connected in series. They enable a higher conversion than a single stirred tank
reactor. Stirred tanks in series enable flexible process control as the temperature and
retention time can be set separately for each individual reactor.

THEORY
Reactors are used in both physicochemical (e.g., electro-coagulation process for arsenic and nitrogen
removal (Kumar and Goel 2010) and biological processes (e.g., anaerobic treatment (Hong et al. 2009)) in

5
water treatment and other applications (e.g., biohydrogen production from pig slurry (Kotsopoulos et al.
2009)). The mode of operation of reactors may be batch flow or continuous flow. In a batch flow reactor,
the reactor is charge with reactant, the content are well mixed and left to react and then the mixture will
be discharged. In the other hand, a continuous flow reactor, the feed to reactor and the discharge from it
are continuous. The three types of continuous flow reactor are plug flow reactor, the dispersed plug flow
reactor, and completely mixed or continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs). CSTR consists of a stirred
tank that has a feed stream and discharge stream. Frequently, several CSTRs in series are employ to
improve their conversion and performance (Reynolds and Richards 1996). In different applications of
CSTRs, the performance can be monitored by tracer studies. In water treatment, the most common tracer
studies are pulse input and step input. Both tracer studies give two-dimensional plots called tracer curves.
These are concentration versus time graphs, which can be compared with those suggested by models and
standard equations. Upon comparing the predicted and the actual graphs, the efficiency of reactor or a
series of reactors can be estimated (Teefy 1996). In case of pulse input (also called slug dose), a known
mass of tracer chemical is added immediately upstream of the reactor inlet. Theoretically, all the mass is
added in an infinitesimally small time. In step input tests a constant dose of the tracer chemical is
maintained immediately upstream of the reactor for the duration of the experiment. Each of the two tests,
pulse and step input, has some advantages and disadvantages. For example, the amount of tracer chemical
required will be more in case of step input as compared to pulse input. This is especially important where
costly tracer chemicals are used for these tests. The tracer curves obtained by pulse input require more
rigorous mathematical manipulation to determine the value of t10. (t10 refers to the time at which 10% of
tracer has passed through the effluent outlet to next reactor.) Step input yields graphs that can readily
yield t10 values. Mean residence time and mass recovery rates are easier to obtain from pulse input tests
than step input tests. Also, step input tests might require additional metering pumps for the experiment
(Teefy 1996). The choice of the tracer chemical is also an important consideration in these tracer studies.
As no tracer is ideal for all situations, the choice needs to be made on a case-by-case basis. For drinking
water treatments plants, the tracer must be non-toxic and adhere to the regulations and standards
applicable to the water treatment facility. The cost of the tracer chemical must also be taken into
consideration for regular use in any water treatment plant

DESCRIPTION OF APPARATUS

6
 1. Armfield CEP Mk 11 Stirred Tank Reactor in series unit: It was used to
measure the conductivity in the three reactors connected in series as the
tracer flowed from the feed vessel. There are three reactor vessels connected in series,
each containing a propeller agitator driven by a variable speed electric motor.
Two reagent vessels and two variable speed feed pumps feed reagents into the first reactor in line.
For certain experiments the feed can be connected to the third reactor and a dead time coil, also positioned on
the vacuum formed plinth.
Each reactor and the exit port of the dead time coil are fitted with conductivity probes for monitoring the
process.
Conductivity is displayed on a digital meter on the console through a selector switch.

FIGURE 1: Armfield CEP Mk 11 Stirred Tank Reactor in series unit

2. Stopwatch: It is a handheld time piece used to take measurement of
how long the experiment is to be carried out. It was used to take
record of the time during the experiment.

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 FIGURE 2: STOPWATCH

Other materials used during the experiment include:

1. Potassium chloride: The salt used to make a solution which was used as
tracer to carryout the experiment.
2. Water can: It was used to collect water which was poured into the feed
vessel.

PROCEDURE

STEP INPUT CHANGE EXPERIMENT

1. 5.0 liters of a 0.1 M Potassium chloride solution having conductivity of

10.40 mS at 15℃ was made to fill one of the reagent feed vessels.
2. The other feed vessel was filled with water.
3. The water was poured in each of the reactors until they were full to the
standpipe overflow levels to save time.

8
 4. The water feed pump was started and the value on the speed adjust dial set to
6.0. The stirrers were started and their speed setting set to 8.0 on the speed
adjust dial.
5. The peristatic pump was switched on to allow the flow of the tracer into the
other tanks.
6. The values of conductivity of the different reactors was recorded at time
zero.
7. The time taken for the conductivity in the first reactor to change was noted.
8. The values of conductivity for all the reactors were recorded at regular
intervals of 5 minutes for a 60 minutes period.
9. A graph of conductivity against time was plotted for the different tanks.

RESULT

Time from Reading on Liquid level (L – Lo) T/ (L – LO)

commencement Vernier (mm) Ks/mm
of experiment L(mm)
(Ks)
0 36.40 0 0
9
 1.80 36.90 0.50 3.60
3.60 37.70 1.30 2.77
5.40 38.30 1.90 2.84
7.20 38.70 2.30 3.13
TABLE 1: CALCULATED VALUES

CALCULATION

Converting time from minutes (mins) to kilosecond (Ks)

30× 60
30mins = 1000 Ks

=1.8 Ks

Liquid level (L – Lo)

(36.9 – 36.4) mm = 0.5 mm

Time/Liquid level

1.8
0.5
= 3.6 Ks/mm

A graph of T/ (L – LO) against (L – Lo)

4
3.5
f(x)==0.35
R² 0.88 x + 1.42
3
2.5
T/ (L – LO)

2
1.5
1
0.5
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
(L – Lo)

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FIGURE 3: A GRAPH OF T/ (L – LO) AGAINST (L – LO)

From the graph plotted;

The equation of a straight line, y = mx + c is given as y = 0.8758x +1.417

Where; c = intercept and m = gradient/slope of the graph

Slope (S) = 0.8758 ks/mm2

Converting slope to ks/m2 (0.8758 ÷10-6) = 8.758 × 105 ks/m2

Molecular weight, M (kg/mol)

Molecular weight of Acetone = 58.08 kg/mol

1
Total molar concentration CT (kmol/m3) = ( kmol vol ) ( Tabs
T
)

1 273
CT = ( 22.4 ) ( 273+40 ) = 0.0389 kmol/m3

Logarithmic mean molecular concentration of vapor CBM (kmol/m3)

CB1 = CT = 0.0389 kmol/m3

Pa−Pv
CB2 = ( Pa ) CT = ( 101.3−56
101.3
) × 0.0389

= 0.0174 kmol/m3

CB1 – CB 2 0.0389 – 0.0174

CBM = ( ln( B 1 ) ) = ( ln( 0.0389 ) )
B2 0.0174

CBM = 0.0267 kmol/m3

Saturation concentration at interface, CA

11
 Pv 56
CA = ( Pa ) CT = ( 101.3 ) 0.0389

CA = 0.0215 kmol/m3

Ρl is the density of the liquid which is 790 kg/m3

Diffusivity, D (mm2/s)

Pl ×Cbm 790 × 0.0267

D = ( S × 2 M ×Ca ×Ct ) = ( 8.758× 10 ˆ 5 ×2(56)×0.0215 × 0.0389 )

D = 2.479× 10-4 m2/ks = ((2.479× 10-4 ) ÷ 1000) m2/s

D = 2.479× 10-7 m2/s

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 DISCUSSION
n case of step input, the concentration in Reactor 1 is given by: where C = concentration in Reactor 1 at
time t Csat = saturation value of concentration As the flow rate increases, tR decreases and the expression
in the brackets approaches unity and the concentration (C) approaches its saturation value (Csat). This
means that the peaks (and saturations) will occur earlier for faster flow rates. As tR decreases, the
concentration curves also become steeper. This is also observed upon comparing figure 4 with 5 (DI flow
rates of 2.93 mL/s and 3.72 mL/s) and figure 7 with 8 (DI flow rates of 2.8 mL/s and 2.23 mL/s). As there
were no valves or controllers to accurately regulate the flow rate of DI water, there were some
fluctuations in the flow during the experiments and the flow had to be adjusted manually during the
experiments. These fluctuations could have affected the retention time, thereby causing the peaks to
appear earlier. The readings reported in the earlier laboratory report were also lower than those predicted
by the theoretical models (‘Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of CSTRs in series in comparison with
PFR’, Gregoire Seyrig and Wenqian Shan, Spring 2007). Possible reasons for this are discussed below.
While adding sodium chloride as a pulse input to the system, DI water was used to prepare a concentrated
solution of negligibly small volume to help easily add the salt. The volume of DI water was increased to
25mL to ensure that the higher density of the solution did not cause it to settle at the bottom and deviate
from uniform mixing conditions. It is assumed that the volumes (10 mL and 25 mL) were small enough
(compared to the reactor volume of 1620 mL) not to introduce any significant error in the mass balance
calculations. The density of the resulting solution could still be high enough to cause the solution to settle.
This, coupled with any inefficiency with mixing, could have resulted in lower peak concentrations being
observed. Higher rpm for mixing could be tried for future experiments. It should be remembered that

13
higher rpm could result in more vortex formation, thereby decreasing mixing efficiency. All calculations
in the models for pulse and step input were done with the assumption that all the reactors had the same
‘working’ volume. This assumption is not correct in the context of the actual experiments. The water
level in each reactor was a little lower than that in the preceding reactor. This could also be the cause for
the differences observed in the models and the actual experiments. € C = Csat 1− e−t / t R [ ] (Levenspiel
1999)Every instrument has a ‘response time’. If the sampling rate of 1 sample per second were too high
for the conductivity probes, then that would cause some error in the real time measurements. This could
be another reason why lower concentrations were observed. Delays caused by the software could also be
one of the contributing factors. By definition, CSTR is an ideal reactor in which the extent of back-mixing
is infinite (Teefy 1996). Under the given setup, there would be some deviation from the idealized
scenario, thereby resulting in some differences between the predicted and actual values.

CONCLUSION

Diffusion is a very important and finds application in the industries and in our
everyday lives. From the experiment and calculations carried out making use of
Winkelmann’s method, the diffusion coefficient (diffusivity) of acetone was
obtained as 2.479× 10-7 m2/s at a constant temperature of 40℃.

14
 RECOMMENDATION

I recommend that for future purpose, the following can be done:

 The water used should be demineralized to avoid deviation in values.

 The low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method can be used
instead of Winkelmann’s method to determine the concentration and mass
transfer rate.
 Distilled water should be used to fill the water bath.
 More sophisticated apparatus can also be used.

15
 REFERENCES

www.gunt.de/en/products/process-engineering/chemical-process-
engineering/thermal-activation/stirred tank in series.

Microsoft Word - Lab report_CSTR_2010.docx (msu.edu)

CEP-MKII - Stirred Tank Reactors in Series - Armfield

Lecture 24: Continuously stirred tank reactors - Chemistry LibreTexts

Levenspiel,!O.!(1999)!Chemical!reaction!engineering.!Industrial(&(Engineering( Chemistry(Research

Chemical engineering laboratory manual, department of chemical engineering,

university of benin.

16
 APPENDIX

D = Diffusivity

CA = Saturation concentration at the interface

L = Effective distance of mass transfer

CBM = Logarithmic mean molecular concentration of vapor

CT = Total molar concentration

M = molecular weight

T = time

S = slope of the graph of T/ (L – LO) against (L – Lo)

Pabs = absolute pressure

Pv = vapor pressure

ΡL = density of fluid

17
CACULATION

Converting time from minutes (mins) to kilosecond (Ks)

30× 60
30mins = 1000 Ks

=1.80 Ks

60× 60
60mins = 1000 Ks

=3.60 Ks

90 ×60
90mins = 1000 Ks

=5.40 Ks

120× 60
120mins = 1000 Ks

=7.20 Ks

Liquid level (L – Lo)

(36.90 – 36.40) mm = 0.50 mm

(37.70 – 36.40) mm = 1.30 mm

(38.30 – 36.40) mm = 1.90 mm

(38.70 – 36.40) mm = 2.30 mm

18
Time/Liquid level

1.80
0.50
= 3.60 Ks/mm

3.60
1.30
= 2.77 Ks/mm

5.40
1.90
= 2.84 Ks/mm

7.20
2.30
= 3.13 Ks/mm

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