Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Guwahati
CL – 308: Chemical Reaction Engineering – II
Assignment – II (Fluid-Fluid Reactors: Design)
Date: 25/04/2020 Due on: 01/05/2020 (Friday)
Note: Use Figure 1 wherever needed.
Q1: We plan to remove about 90% of the A present in a gas stream by absorption in water which contains
reactant B. Chemicals A and B react in the liquid as follows:
A (gàl) + B (l) è R (l), −𝑟! = 𝑘𝐶! 𝐶" , k = 2.6x107 m3/mol×h
B has a negligible vapor pressure, hence does not go into the gas phase. We plan to do this absorption in a
counter-current packed bed column
(a) What volume of contactor is needed?
(b) Where does the resistance of absorption reaction lie?
Additional data:
Gas stream: Fg = 90000 mol/h at π = 105 Pa, PAin = 1000 Pa, PAout = 100 Pa, HA = 105 Pa×m3/mol
Liquid stream: Fl = 900000 mol/h, CBin = 55.56 mol/m3
Reactor: kAga = 0.36 mol/h×m3×Pa, kAla = 72 h-1, a = 100 m2/m3, fl = Vl/V = 0.08
Physical data: DA = DB = 3.6x10-6 m2/h, CU = 55556 mol H2O/m3 liquid, at all CB
Figure 1
Q2: Solve the question 1 for an agitated tank and second-order reaction rate of 2.6´109
m3/mol×h. Use the following data for liquid stream and reactor:
Liquid stream: Fl = 9000 mol/h, CBin = 5556 mol/m3
Reactor: kAga = 0.72 mol/h×m3×Pa, kAla = 144 h-1, a = 200 m2/m3, fl = Vl/V = 0.9
Q3: The rate of CO2 absorption into an alkaline buffered solution of K2CO3 and KHCO3 was
studied. The resulting reaction can be represented as
CO2 (gàl) +OH- (l) à HCO3-
-rA = kCACB (A is CO2 and B is OH-)
In the experiment, pure CO2 at 1 atm was bubbled into a packed column irrigated by rapidly
recirculating solution kept at 20oC and close to constant CB. Find the fraction of entering CO2
absorbed.
Data
Column:
Vr = 0.6041 m3 fl = 0.08 a = 120 m2/m3
Gas:
Total pressure (p) = 101325 Pa HA = 3500 Pa×m3/mol 𝜐o = 0.0363 m3/s
Liquid:
Average CB = 300 mol/m3 DAl = DBl = 1.4´10-9 m2/s
Rates:
k = 0.433 m3/mol×s kAla = 0.025 s-1
Q4: A column packed with 5-cm polypropylene saddles (a = 55 m2/m3) is being designed for the
removal of chlorine from a gas stream (G = 100 mol/s×m2, 2.36% Cl2) by counter-current contact with
an NaOH solution (L = 250 mol/s×m2, 10% NaOH, CB = 2736 mol/m3) at about 40-45oC and 1 atm.
How high should the tower be for 99% removal of chlorine?
Data:
The reaction Cl2 + 2NaOH à product is very very fast and irreversible. For these very high flowrates
the following data can be assumed:
HA = 125´106 atm×m3/mol
kga = 133 mol/h×m3×atm
kla = 45 h-1
D = 1.5´10-9 m2/s