CET IIA - Process Dynamics and Control

Examples Paper 1
1.

The first order reactions

k1 k2
ABC
take place in aqueous solution in a CSTR with mean residence time 40 s, and with
k1 = 0.075 s1 and k2 = 0.025 s1. Initially the CSTR is full of water, and at time t = 0
the feed composition changes to cA0 = 2.0 kmol/m3 and cB0 = cC0 = 0. Find how the
concentrations vary with time.

2.

At time t = 0 a batch reactor contains a volume V0 of an aqueous solution of

concentration c0 (0). Thereafter pure water is added to the tank at constant
volumetric flow rate q. There is no outflow. The solute is destroyed by first order
kinetics with rate constant k. Write down the unsteady volume and concentration
balances, and find how the concentration varies with time.

3.

A foolish undergraduate, X, keeps milk in a jug at room temperature. Bacteria grow in

the milk with first order kinetics and rate constant k day1. X takes small quantities
from the jug at regular intervals, i.e. the outflow q(t) is a known, but complicated,
function of time. Each day at 8.55 am, X puts the remaining milk, apart from a small
quantity, pints, which remains adhering to the walls of the jug, onto cornflakes.
Then, without washing the jug, X pours in a new pint of sterile milk, the contents then
being well-mixed; the contents stay well-mixed all day.
Write down unsteady volume and bacteria balances to find how volume of milk and
concentration of bacteria vary from just after 8.55 am one day to just before 8.55 am
the next day. Carry out balances to relate the concentrations just before and just after
8.55 am. Devise a criterion to determine whether the milk will go off. Comment on
the influence of the nature of q(t).
How does a prudent undergraduate make yoghurt?

4.

A CSTR of volume 10 m3 and feed flow rate 0.02 m3/s has a steady-state conversion
80%. The reaction A B is irreversible and first order. The feed contains no B. Find
the rate constant.
The reactor is to be shut down by decreasing the inlet flow rate to 0.01 m3/s while
maintaining the outlet flow rate at 0.02 m3/s. If the concentration of A in the outlet
stream is not to vary during this procedure, how should the inlet concentration be
adjusted?

5.

N well-stirred tanks in series are fed with a constant flow rate. At time t = 0 there is a
step change in the concentration of an inert tracer in the feed. Use the Initial Value
Theorem (Department Data Book), or otherwise, to find which derivatives d n c / dt n are
zero at t = 0, where c is the outlet concentration of the tracer.

6.

A rotary filter discharges 5 kg of solids and 7.5 kg of liquid every 10 s into the filter
trough (vessel) directly beneath it. The density of the solids is 2500 kg/m3 and the
density of the liquid is 950 kg/m3.
(i) The solids and liquid enter the trough at a constant rate. The filter trough contains
50 litres of slurry. Find the discharge composition (as volume fraction of solids, x)
assuming the trough is well-mixed and at steady state.

CET IIA - Process Dynamics and Control

(ii) The filter is operated so that the solid and half the liquid enter the trough
simultaneously in pulses, once every 10 s. The other half of the liquid enters at a
constant rate. The exit volume flow rate from the trough is constant. Just before the
pulse enters, the trough contains 50 litres of slurry. The system is at cyclic steady
state (each cycle is the same as the one before) and the trough is well-mixed. Find
the outlet flow rate. Find how the volume in the trough varies with time, between
pulses. By constructing a differential equation, find how x in the trough varies with
time, between pulses. Using a material balance, relate x in the trough immediately
before and immediately after each pulse, and thus find these quantities.
7.

An ideal gas passes through a well-mixed insulated vessel. Write down material and
energy balances and show that
( ) +

Here win and wout are mass flow rates in and out of the vessel, m is the mass in the
vessel, Tin is the inlet temperature and T is the temperature in the vessel. Specific
heats are independent of temperature. Use zero as the reference temperature at
which both enthalpy and internal energy are zero.
(i) Find the response of temperature and pressure in the vessel to a step change in
inlet temperature in the case win = wout = constant.
(ii) Following a step increase in inlet temperature, wout is adjusted so that the pressure
in the vessel remains constant, win remaining constant. Show that mT is constant, and
find the temperature and outlet mass flow rate as functions of time (you may find the
variable y = 1/T useful).
8.

Two well-stirred tanks are connected together as shown below.

q1, c1

q1, c0
V1, c1

q2, c1

q2, c2

V2, c2

Show that the transfer functions relating c1 and c2 to c0, there being no reaction, are

c1
1 2s
c
1

, 2
c0 (1 1 s)(1 2 s) 2 s c0 (1 1 s)(1 2 s) 2 s
where 1 V1 / q1 , 2 V2 / q2 , q2 / q1
9.

A plant to neutralise an acid effluent consists of a CSTR of volume 1.1 m3. The
effluent enters the tank with volumetric flow rate 10 litre/s and concentration cA0. The
alkali solution enters the tank with volumetric flow rate 1 litre/s and concentration cB0.

CET IIA - Process Dynamics and Control

Treat the reaction between the acid (A) and the alkali (B) as rapid, irreversible, and
with 1-1 stoichiometry.
Derive transfer functions relating the concentration in the tank (cA, cB) to the inlet
conditions (cA0, cB0). Initially the system is in the steady state with cA0 = 0.21 kmol/m3
and cB0 =2.0 kmol/m3. At time t = 0, cA0 drops to 0.19 kmol/m3. Find the exit
concentrations of A and B at t = 0 s, t = 50 s and t = 100 s.
10.

11.

Use the solution to the ODE in the lecture notes to verify that the characteristics for an
underdamped response of a second order system are as follows:
Overshoot

A
exp
B
1 2

Decay ratio

2
C
exp
A
1 2

A 2

B

Period

2
1 2

A process has a transfer function of the form

Gs =

1
s + s + 1
2

What range of values of gives (i) a decaying oscillatory response and (ii) an unstable
response to a step input? The units of s are s-1.
For a unit step input and 1 s, find the overshoot and the period of the oscillations.
12.

A solution containing a reagent at a concentration of 2.0 kmol/m3 is fed to a CSTR with

mean residence time 10 min. The reagent is destroyed by an irreversible second
order reaction with rate constant 0.15 m3 s/kmol. Find the steady state outlet
concentration.
Derive the transfer function for small changes from the steady state.
The CSTR is in the steady state with inlet concentration 2.0 kmol/m3. At time t = 0 the
inlet concentration changes to 2.2 kmol/m3. Use the linearised model to predict the
outlet concentration at t = 20 s and as t .
Find the true final steady state concentration.

CET IIA - Process Dynamics and Control

Answers
1.
a

1
2

1 e t / 10 ,

3
4

1 e t / 10 32 e t / 20 ,

c 34 14 e t / 10 32 e t / 20 2e t / 40

2.

c V0 c0 e kt V0 qt

3.

e k (1 )

4.

c0 / c0,initial 1.8 0.0016t

5.
6.
7.

Up to n = N 1
(i) 0.202, (ii) 0.9895 litres/s, 55.95 0.595 t, 0.209, 0.194
(i) T Tin (1 e t / ), McV / wc P

(ii) T T0 Tin 1

9.
11.
12.

Tin
w T Tin t
exp in 0

T0
M 0T0

(0.0091, 0) kmol/m3, (0.00194, 0) kmol/m3, (0, 0.00240) kmol/m3

(i) 0 2 , (ii) 0 ; 0.163, 7.26 s
0.1436 kmol/m3, 1/(26.85 + 600s), 0.148 kmol/m3, 0.151 kmol/m3, 0.151 kmol/m3

AZ, MT 2016