Plant Design 2

UGPA 3063

Reactor

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 Objectives
• Reaction equilibrium (Ka)
• Reactor Temperature
• Reactor Pressure
• Reactor Phase
• Reactor Concentration
Recall memory: your thermo 2 & you
choose the reactor based on ???

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 Reaction equilibrium (Ka)
• Start from Gibbs free energy

• 2 types of reaction (common):

– Homogenous gaseous reaction, (y)
– Homogenous liquid reaction, (x)

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 Reaction equilibrium (Ka)

Example 1

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Reaction equilibrium (Ka)

Higher Ka, higher X

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Reactor Temperature

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 Reactor Temperature

Further simplify:

where:

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Reactor Temperature

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Reactor Temperature

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 Reactor Temperature
Answer:

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 Reactor Temperature
Rate of reaction:
• Determine the size of reactor
• T↑, rate↑, volume ↓

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 Reactor Temperature
Single reaction:
• Endothermic (T↑, Ka↑)
Strategy: reheating the reactant /
adding heat

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Reactor Temperature

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 Reactor Temperature
Single reaction:
• Exothermic (T↑, Ka↓)
Strategy: re-cooling the reactant /
removing heat

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 Reactor Temperature
Multiple reaction:
• Focus on primary reaction, aim:
maximize selectivity
• Parallel

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 Reactor Temperature
Multiple reaction:
• Focus on primary reaction, aim:
maximize selectivity
• Series

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 Reactor Temperature
Multiple, parallel reaction:

If K2, K1 is proportional with T:

• K1 increase faster, operate at high T

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 Objectives
• Reaction equilibrium (Ka)
• Reactor Temperature
• Reactor Pressure
• Reactor Phase
• Reactor Concentration

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 Reactor Pressure
• Equilibrium constant:

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Reactor Pressure

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 Reactor Pressure
Single reactions (gas phase):
• Decrease in the number of moles
– Increasing the reactor pressure
(when V is constant), increases the
equilibrium conversion (P↑, X↑)

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 Reactor Pressure
Single reactions (gas phase):
• Increase in the number of moles
– Decreasing the reactor pressure
(when V is constant), increases the
equilibrium conversion (P↓, X↑)
– Alternative: by introducing a diluent
(inert material that can be separated
easily, e.g steam) to decrease the
partial pressure.

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 Reactor Pressure
Discussion: Roughly estimate the
pressure, temperature and
recommend a process strategy to get
high conversion for endothermic
reaction, dehydrogenated to styrene
to produce ethylbenzene:

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 Reactor Pressure
For liquid phase reaction, the effect of
pressure on the selectivity and reactor
volume is less significant, and the
pressure is to:
– Prevent / allow vaporization

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 Reactor Phase
• Liquid phase -> higher concentration,
rate faster

• Gas phase -> higher mass transfer rate

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 Reactor Concentration
Single irreversible reaction:
• Excess one feed component to eliminate
– Those is hard to separate
– Or hazard
– To get complete comversion

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 Reactor Concentration
Single reversible reaction:
• Feed ratio - an excess of one feed can
be used to increase the equilibrium
conversion.

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Reactor Concentration

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 Reactor Concentration
Single reversible reaction:
• Inert concentration (liquid / gas)

(1) Addition of inert increase X

(2) X?

If 2 moles reactants to 2 moles products?

X?

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 Reactor Concentration
Single reversible reaction:
• Product removal during reaction

(1) X increase or decrease?

(2) X?

Reversible --> Le Chatelier’s principle

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 Next Lecture Preparation
• Catalyst
• Chapter 11 - Distillation Sequencing

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