Chemical Reaction Engineering

Assignment 4

Level - 1
1. The rate of liquid phase reaction of the type, A B R ; is found to be independent
of concentration of A and B, and equal to 1 kmol / (m 3 min)at 300 K. find the
conversion in a mixed flow reactor having volume 2 m3 with feed concentration of A
and B are to be 5 kmol / (m3 ), feed flow rate 1 m3 / min and reactor temperature
300K. if the activation energy of the reaction is given as 83.1 kJ / mol. Find the volume
of isothermal PFR for the same conversion and feed conditions as in the case of
above mentioned reactor but temperature kept at 320 K.
2. A gaseous reaction, A 2B C takes place isothermally in a pressure reactor.
Starting with a gaseous mixture containing 50 % A rest inert, the ratio of final to
initial volume is found to be 1.6. the % conversion of A is
(a) 30

(b) 50

(c) 60

(d) 74

3. The irreversible gas phase reaction A 3B will be carried out isothermally. The
reaction is zero order, CA0 = 2 mol / lit and the system contains 40 % inert. The
specific reaction gas constant is 0.10 mol / lit min. Calculate the time required to
achieve 80 % conversion in a constant pressure batch reactor.
4. 60 % conversion is achieved in a CSTR for a homogeneous, isothermal, liquid phase
irreversible second order reaction. What is the conversion if the reactor volume is
seven times the original all else remain unchanged?

5. A homogeneous gas phase decomposition reaction 4A B 7S takes place in an

isothermal plug flow reactor. The reaction rate constant is k = 0.17 s1; feed
concentration of A = 0.1 mol / m3. Feed flow rate = 0.17 mol / s. Determine the size
of reactor in order to achieve 50 % conversion.

Ankush Gupta (IIT D) | Faculty of Chemical Engineering, For any query mail at CHER.ANKUSH@GMAIL.COM

Chemical Reaction Engineering

Assignment 4

Ankush Gupta (IIT D) | Faculty of Chemical Engineering, For any query mail at CHER.ANKUSH@GMAIL.COM

Chemical Reaction Engineering

Assignment 4

6. The equilibrium constant (K) for the reversible reaction A + B

rate constant for the forward reaction is
backward reaction?

P + Q is 100. The

. The rate constant for the

7. After 8 minutes in a batch reactor, (CA0 = 1 mol / liter) is 80 % converted; after 18

minutes, conversion is 90 %. Find a rate equation to represent this reaction.
(a.)

(b.)

(c.)

(d.)
8. A + B C takes place in a two stage CSTR one of volume 100 m 3 and the other 25
m3 . The volumetric feed rate is 20 lit/min. CA0 = CB0 = 1.5 mol / lit and the overall
rate constant is 0.010 lit /(mol min). Calculate the overall conversion. Assuming
the reaction to be Liquid phase reaction.
(a.) 24.12

(b.) 54.32

9. The reaction 2A

k1
k2

(c.) 94.94

(d.) 18.75

C + D is to be conducted in a CSTR. Calculate the size of the

reactor. Data: Flow rate is

hr. initial concentration of A, C and D are 22 kmol /
3
m , 0.0 and 0.0 respectively. k1 and k2 are 0.7 and 16.0 m3 / (kmol . hr). If conversion
to be obtained is 80 % of equilibrium.
(a.) 173.2 lit

(b.) 236.4 lit

(c.) 153.4 lit

(d.) 386.4 lit

10. The hydrolysis of acetic anhydride is conducted in a reaction battery consisting of

two vessels. The temperature of the first reactor is maintained at 10 0C and second at
150C. The reaction is of the first order with specific reaction rates below:
Temp 0C

10

15

K min-1

0.0567

0.0806

The inlet composition is 177 kmol/m3, the feed rate is 0.095 m3, vessels are of same size,
and the desired conversion is 95%
Calculate the Size of the vessels needed will be?
(a.) 4.48 m3

(b.) 4.84 m3

(c.) 5.48 m3

(d.) 6.48 m3

Ankush Gupta (IIT D) | Faculty of Chemical Engineering, For any query mail at CHER.ANKUSH@GMAIL.COM

Chemical Reaction Engineering

Assignment 4

Level - 2
1. A 200 liter reactor is pressurized to 25 atmospheres with a mixture of 60% A
and the rest inert. The gas-phase reaction A
B + C is carried out at
1770C.
a.

Assuming ideal gas law, determine the initial number of moles of A and

the initial concentration of A.

b.

Determine the time required for the consumption of 75% A if the rate

constant is 0.15/min.

2. The reversible (elementary) reaction 2AC + D is conducted in a CSTR at a

feed rate of 100 liters/min with an inlet concentration CA0=1.5 mol/lit. The
specific rate in the forward direction is 10 lit/mol-min and the equilibrium
constant is 16. If 80% of the equilibrium conversion is required. Find the
size of a CSTR to achieve this conversion.

3. The gas phase reaction 2A + B

2C is carried out isothermally and
isobarically. The reaction is first order in B and first order in A. The feed is
equal molar in A and B and the entering concentration of A is 0.5 mol/dm3.
The specific reaction rate is k = 4.0 dm3/mols. Write the rate of reaction,
rA , solely as a function of conversion, evaluating all parameters.
R, takes
4. An elementary liquid phase reaction (irreversible first order) A
place in a PFR and the conversion is 96%. If a mixed flow reactor of 10 times
as large as the PFR is hooked up in parallel with the existing unit, by what
fraction could the production be increased for the same 96% conversion?
5. The conversion of an irreversible first-order, liquid-phase reaction, taking
place in a PFR of 500 liter capacity is 50%. In order to increase conversion, a
300 liter CSTR is installed upstream of (before) the PFR. What is the exit
conversion in the new system?

Ankush Gupta (IIT D) | Faculty of Chemical Engineering, For any query mail at CHER.ANKUSH@GMAIL.COM

Chemical Reaction Engineering

Assignment 4

6. A first-order reaction A B is taking place in a recycle reactor. The initial

concentration is 4 mol/liter, the reactor volume is 200 liters and the
volumetric flow rate is 20 liters/s. For a recycle ratio of 5, a conversion of
60% is obtained. This configuration is to be replaced with a CSTR-PFR
combination. A 50-liter CSTR is followed by a PFR of unknown volume. What
volume of PFR is required is achieve the same conversion as in the recycle
reactor?
7. The rate constant for a second-order reaction at 300 K is 2.5 and the
activation energy is 20,000 J/mole. What are the units of the rate constant?
At what temperature would the rate be triple (of the rate at 300K) for this
reaction?
8. The gas phase irreversible reaction A + B C is elementary. The entering
flow rate of A is 10 mol/min and is equal molar in A and B. The entering
concentration of A is 0.4 mol/dm3.
a) What is the CSTR reactor volume necessary to achieve 90% conversion?
b) What PFR volume is necessary to achieve 90% conversion?
Additional Information
k = 2 dm3/molmin
T0 = 500 K
9. A reversible reaction AB is taking place in a PFR. The equilibrium constant
(in terms of concentrations) is 4. 50% of the equilibrium conversion is
obtained. A CSTR of equal size is placed downstream of the PFR (PFR-CSTR)
to increase conversion. What is the total conversion in the reactor sequence
with this arrangement?

irst order
ero order
10. A series reaction A f

B z

C is taking place in a CSTR. Derive the

concentrations of A, B and C as functions of residence time , the rate

constants ( k1 and k2 ) and the initial concentration of A ( CA0 ). Assume that
the concentrations of B and C in the reactor entrance stream are zero.

Ankush Gupta (IIT D) | Faculty of Chemical Engineering, For any query mail at CHER.ANKUSH@GMAIL.COM