Lab 4 : Production of Acetic Anhydride

2013

1.0 PROCEDURE
Methodology for production of acetic anhydride using Aspen Plus for:

1. First, the Aspen plus user interface is opened and Aspen plus blank simulation is chosen. 2. RPlug reactor model is dragged one by one from the unit operation model toolbar at the bottom of process flow sheet onto the flow sheet. RPlug is chosen as the reactor used in this experiment is plug flow reactor (PFR). 3. Inlet stream and outlet streams are attached to the reactor. Each stream and model block is renamed. 4. Setup, components, properties, streams, and blocks inputs from data browser are filled with related information and values.

Reaction

CH3COCH3 or A

CH2CO + CH4 B+C

Vapour phase cracking of acetone to produce ketene and methane

Conditions Feed

-rA = kCA (first order reaction with respect to acetone) Adiabatic reactor Reaction type LHHW 8000 kg/hr 1035 K 1.6 atm 3m 1m Vapour 1.125 to 1000 K 67999 cal/mol

Temperature Pressure Length Diameter Kinetic Rate constant, k Activation energy, E

1

Lab 4 : Production of Acetic Anhydride

2013

Driving force Term 1

Reactant acetone exponent to 1 Products: ketene and methane exponent to 0

Driving force Term 2

A,B,C,D = 0 All exponents and constant B,C,D = 0

Constant A = -1000000

Table 1 : Input information and the values

5. Next button is pressed as for running the simulation process. 6. Step 5 until 6 is are repeated by manipulate the diameter, length and number of tubes of reactor.
7. The detail procedure are also being print screen and are attached in the lab report.

Lab 4 : Production of Acetic Anhydride

2013

2.0 PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM (PFD)

Figure 1 : Production of acetic anhydride

Lab 4 : Production of Acetic Anhydride

2013

3.0 WORKBOOK

Heat and Material Balance Table Stream ID From To Phase Substream: MIXED Mole Flow ACETONE KETENE METHANE Total Flow Total Flow Total Flow Temperature Pressure Vapor Frac Liquid Frac Solid Frac Enthalpy Enthalpy Enthalpy Entropy Entropy Density Density Average MW Liq Vol 60F cuft/hr Btu/lbmol Btu/lb Btu/hr Btu/lbmol-R Btu/lb-R lbmol/cuft lb/cuft lbmol/hr lb/hr cuft/hr F psia lbmol/hr 303.6668 0.0 0.0 303.6668 17636.98 2.58196E+5 1403.330 23.51352 1.000000 0.0 0.0 -52623.43 -906.0502 -1.5980E+7 -17.68577 -.3045068 1.17611E-3 .0683085 58.08004 359.9379 241.2576 62.40922 62.40922 366.0760 17636.98 2.75122E+5 1187.029 23.51352 1.000000 0.0 0.0 -43652.11 -906.0502 -1.5980E+7 -11.30441 -.2346362 1.33060E-3 .0641061 48.17846 403.2265 REACTOR VAPOR VAPOR FEED PRODUCT REACTOR

Table 2 : Stream results for production of acetic anhydride

Lab 4 : Production of Acetic Anhydride

2013

Below are the stream results for production of acetic anhydride for manipulated diameter, 2.6 meter, and length, 1 meter, (20 % conversion) :

Heat and Material Balance Table Stream ID From To Phase Substream: MIXED Mole Flow ACETONE KETENE METHANE Total Flow Total Flow Total Flow Temperature Pressure Vapor Frac Liquid Frac Solid Frac Enthalpy Enthalpy Enthalpy Entropy Entropy Density Density Average MW Liq Vol 60F cuft/hr Btu/lbmol Btu/lb Btu/hr Btu/lbmol-R Btu/lb-R lbmol/cuft lb/cuft lbmol/hr lb/hr cuft/hr F psia lbmol/hr 303.6668 0.0 0.0 303.6668 17636.98 2.58196E+5 1403.330 23.51352 1.000000 0.0 0.0 -52623.43 -906.0502 -1.5980E+7 -17.68577 -.3045068 1.17611E-3 .0683085 58.08004 359.9379 243.0112 60.65565 60.65565 364.3225 17636.98 2.74851E+5 1193.330 23.51352 1.000000 0.0 0.0 -43862.21 -906.0502 -1.5980E+7 -11.42779 -.2360609 1.32553E-3 .0641691 48.41036 402.0102 REACTOR VAPOR VAPOR FEED PRODUCT REACTOR

Table 3 : Stream results for production of acetic anhydride for manipulated diameter (2.6 m) and length (1 m).
5

Lab 4 : Production of Acetic Anhydride

2013

4.0 THEORY
There are two objectives set as guideline while doing this experiment. These objectives are to install and converge a plug flow reactor and to simulate a process involving reaction. As to produce acetic anhydride, the process method used is by the vapour phase cracking of acetone to produce ketene and methane: CH3COCH3 CH2CO + CH4

This reaction is first order reaction with respect to acetone. The feed condition is 8000 kg/hr of acetone to tabular reactor. The reactor is adiabatic, with inlet T is 1035 K and the pressure is 1.6 atm. Hint: 1. Use SYSOPO of state fluid package.(SI unit) 2. Reactor : ADIABATIC Length: Assume 3 m Diameter: Assume 1 m 3. Reaction type LHHW 4. Kinetic : Vapour, k: 1.125, To 1000 K, E = 67999 cal/mol 5. Driving force : Term 1 Reactant: acetone exponent to 1 Products: ketene and methane exponent to 0, and constant A,B,C,D = 0 6. Driving force : Term 2 All exponents and constant B, C, D = 0 Constant A = -1000000 7. There length, diameter, number of tubes can be change to achieve specific goal.

Lab 4 : Production of Acetic Anhydride

2013

5.0 Q&A DISCUSSION

1. What volume required for at least 20 % conversion ?

Solution : At 1st RUN : % Conversion, X =

Volume =

Where diameter, D = 1m and length, L = 3m ( )

Therefore, the volume required for at least 20 % conversion is 2.36 m3.

Lab 4 : Production of Acetic Anhydride

2013

At 2nd RUN : Manipulate diameter/length Length= 2.6 m Diameter= 1 m

% Conversion, X =

Volume =

Where diameter, D = 1m and length, L = 2.6m ( )

Lab 4 : Production of Acetic Anhydride

2013

DISCUSSION
There are two objectives in this experiment which are to install and converge a plug flow reactor and to simulate a process involving reaction. Both of these two objective are successfully done by running the simulation at three different condition. The first condition is where the reactor diameter and length are set at 1m and 3m respectively. While, the second condition is where the diameter and length of the reactor are manipulate at 1m and 2.6m respectively . The results these two different condition show in table 4. 1st RUN Length = 3 meter Diameter = 1 meter % conversion, X = 20.55 % conversion Volume = 2.36 m3
Table 4 : Results of two different condition

2nd RUN Length = 2.6 meter Diameter = 1 meter % conversion, X = 19.97 % conversion Volume = 2.04 m3

Based on calculated results, the higher conversion obtained at the 1st RUN with conversion of 20.55 %. The 2nd RUN only obtained 19.97 % of conversion. As for volume comparison, the 1st RUN had higher, 2.36 m3. Meanwhile, the volume of reactor at the 2nd RUN was 2.04 m3. From this, it can be said that the increment of diameter and length of the reactor will increase the % conversion of the reaction and the volume of reactor will also increase.