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 B.Tech.(Chemical Engineering) Seventh Semester (C.B.S.)
Chemical Reactor Design
P. Pages : 2 NRT/KS/19/3799
Time : Three Hours *0080* Max. Marks : 80
_____________________________________________________________________
Notes : 1. All questions carry marks as indicated.
2. Solve any five questions.
3. Assume suitable data whenever necessary.
4. Diagrams and chemical equations should be given whenever necessary.
5. Illustrate your answers whenever necessary with the help of neat sketches.
6. Use of non programmable calculator is permitted.

1. For mixed flow of particles of a single unchanging size, uniform gas composition and 16
chemical reaction step is controlling, derive an expression for the determination of mean
conversion XB in terms of ( / t) for cylindrical particle.
2. a) The concentration of undesirable impurity in air at 105 Pa. is to be reduced from 0.1% to 8
0.02% by absorption in pure water. Find the height of tower required for counter current
operations.
Data : For packing
KAg a = 0.32 mol / hr.m3 Pa.
KA a = 0.1/ hr
The solubility of A in water is given by Henry's law constant
HA = 12.5Pa m3 / mol
The flow rates per meter squared cross section of tower are
Fg / ACS = 1105 mol / hr m 2 , F / A CS = 7 105 mol / hr.m 2
The molar density of liquid under all conditions is
CT = 56000mol / m3
b) Repeat part (a) using a feed in which CB = 128mol / m3 . 8

3. a) Discuss in brief the factors to be considered in selecting a contactor for fluid – fluid 6
reactors?
b) Hydrogen sulfide is removed from coal gas by passing the gas through a moving bed of 10
iron oxide particles. In the coal gas environment (consider uniform) the solids are
converted from Fe2O3 to FeS by the SCM/reaction control,  = 1hr . Find the fractional
conversion of oxide to iron sulfide if the RTD of solids in the reactor is
approximated by the E curves of fig. 1 & fig. 2.

t t
0 90 min 30 90 min

Fig. 1 Fig. 2

NRT/KS/19/3799 1 P.T.O
4. a) Draw the schematic diagrams of tower and tank contactors used in gas – liquid reactions 6
such as spray tower, packed tower, plate tower, bubble tank and agitated tank.
b) For the catalytic reaction A → 4R . 10
Following rate concentration data are available
CA mol / lit 0.039 0.0575 0.075 0.092
 molA / hr.kg cat
−rA 3.4 5.4 7.6 9.1

Directly from this data and without using rate equation, find the size of packed bed
needed to treat 2000mol / hr of pure A at 117ºC. (O2 CA = 0.1mol / lit, = 3) to 35%
0
conversion all at 3.2 atm.
5. a) Discuss in brief the process and criteria for the selection of good contactor for gas – 6
liquid reactions on solid catalysts.
b) A gas containing A(2mol / m3 ) is fed (1m3 / hr) to a plug flow reactor with recycle loop 10

( 0.02m3 loop volume, 3 kg of catalyst), and the output composition from reactor system
is measured (0.5mol A / m3 ) . Find the rate equation for the decomposition of A for
very large recycle,
A → 3R, n = 1,50%A− 50% inerts in feed.
6. a) Write the performance equations for reactors used for gas-liquid reactions on solid 4
catalysts for the following cases (i) For reactant liquid B used in excess for plug flow of
gas A and any flow of liquid B and (ii) For reactant gas A used in excess for plug flow of
liquid. B and any flow of gas A.
b) Predict the conversion of glucose to sorbitol in a stirred slurry reactor using pure hydrogen 12
gas at 200 atm. and 150ºC. The catalyst used is porous Raney nickel, and under these
conditions, the reaction proceeds as follows
solid
H 2 (g → ) + glucose, C6H12O6 ( ) ⎯⎯⎯⎯
→ Sorbitol C6H14O6 ( )
catalyst
(A) (B)
1.6
−6 mol  m3 
with  = −rB = kC0.6
−rA A CB , k = 5.96 10  
kg.s  mol 
Data :
Gas stream Vg = 0.2 m3 / s H A = 277600 Pa.m3 / mol
Liquid stream : V = 0.01m3 / s CB0 = 2000 mol / m3
Reactor : Vr = 2 m3 , fs = 0.056
Catalyst : d p = 10 m, s = 8900 kg / m3 , De = 2 10−9 m3 / m cat .s

Kinetics : (K Ag a i )g + = 0.05s −1, K A c = 10−4 m/ s

7. a) Discuss the mechanism of free radical polymerization in brief and hence derive the 10
expression.
b) Illustrate (with the help of relevant plots) the procedure to find multiple steady states 6
and hence, how to draw ignition – extinction curves in non – isothermal reactor design.
8. Write short notes on : 16
i) Long chain approximation used in polymerization kinetics.
ii) Effectiveness factor in solid catalysed reactions.
iii) Adiabatic temperature and equilibrium conversion.
iv) Determination of rate controlling step in fluid – particle reactions.
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NRT/KS/19/3799 2
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