0 votes
41 views
ago in Chemical engineering by (510 points)
Design a chemical reactor to produce 500 kg of ethylene oxide per hour from ethylene and oxygen gases. Assume the reaction occurs isothermally, and the reactor operates at 3 atm and 250°C. The conversion of ethylene to ethylene oxide is 90%, and the selectivity of ethylene oxide is 97%. You can use either a plug-flow reactor or a continuous stirred-tank reactor. Determine the volume and di

1 Answer

0 votes
ago by (650 points)
To design a chemical reactor for the production of ethylene oxide, we first need to determine the reaction rate and the required reactor volume. The reaction between ethylene  C2H4  and oxygen  O2  to produce ethylene oxide  C2H4O  can be represented as:C2H4 + 1/2 O2  C2H4OGiven the conversion of ethylene  X  is 90% and the selectivity of ethylene oxide  S  is 97%, we can calculate the molar flow rates of the reactants and products.1. Molar flow rates:Molecular weights: C2H4 = 28 g/mol, O2 = 32 g/mol, C2H4O = 44 g/mol500 kg/h of C2H4O =  500,000 g/h  / 44 g/mol = 11,364 mol/hSince the selectivity is 97%, the molar flow rate of ethylene  F_C2H4  can be calculated as:F_C2H4 = 11,364 mol/h / 0.97 = 11,720 mol/hThe molar flow rate of oxygen  F_O2  can be calculated using the stoichiometry of the reaction:F_O2 =  1/2  * F_C2H4 =  1/2  * 11,720 mol/h = 5,860 mol/h2. Reaction rate:Assuming the reaction is first-order with respect to both ethylene and oxygen, the reaction rate  r  can be expressed as:r = k * [C2H4] * [O2]The rate constant  k  can be determined using the Arrhenius equation:k = A * exp -Ea /  R * T  Where A is the pre-exponential factor, Ea is the activation energy, R is the gas constant  8.314 J/molK , and T is the temperature in Kelvin  250C = 523 K . The values of A and Ea can be obtained from the literature or experimental data.3. Reactor volume:For a plug-flow reactor  PFR , the reactor volume  V  can be calculated using the following equation:V = F_C2H4 *  1 - X  /  -r For a continuous stirred-tank reactor  CSTR , the reactor volume can be calculated using the following equation:V = F_C2H4 * X /  -r Choose the reactor type  PFR or CSTR  based on the desired residence time, mixing requirements, and other factors.4. Reactor dimensions and cost:Once the reactor volume is determined, the reactor dimensions  diameter and height  can be calculated based on the desired aspect ratio. The cost of the reactor can be estimated using the cost of stainless steel per unit volume and the required thickness of the reactor wall.In summary, to design a chemical reactor for the production of ethylene oxide, you need to determine the reaction rate, reactor volume, and reactor dimensions based on the given operating conditions and the desired reactor type  PFR or CSTR . The cost of the reactor can be estimated based on the stainless steel construction and the required reactor wall thickness.

Related questions

Welcome to Sarvan Science Q&A, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of the community.
...