Situation for Problems 33-40:
The decomposition of a certain gas proceeds according to a second-order reaction as follows:
2A(g)→2𝑅(𝑔) + 𝑆(𝑔)
The reverse reaction is negligible. AT 9500C, at the rate constant, k, is 1200 cm3/mol.s. The
initial reaction mixture consists of pure A. The temperature is maintained at 9500C in a batch
reactor, and the pressure is constant at 1 atm.
33. What is the design equation for this reactor?
X
N AO A dX A
V o rA
( A)t
XA
dX A
( B)t C AO (r
O A)
2
CA
dC A
(C)t
O
rA
XA
dX A
( D)t N AO (r )V
O A
34. What is the rate expression for the reaction?
( A) rA kC 2 AO (1 X A ) 2
kC 2 AO (1 X A ) 2
( B) rA
(1 A X A ) 2
kCAO (1 X A )
(C ) rA
1 A X A
kC 2 AO (1 X 2 A )
( D) rA
1 2 A X 2 A
35. Which equation can be used to calculate the time required for the proposed conversion?
(1 A X A )dX A
XA
1
( A)t 2
kC AO o (1 X A ) 2
XA
1 dX A
( B)t 2
kC AO (1 X
O A )2
(1 A X A )dX A
XA
1
(C )t
kCAO
O
(1 X A ) 2
(1 A X A ) 2 dX A
XA
1
kCAO O
( D)t
(1 X A ) 2
36. What is the initial concentration of the reaction mixture?
(A) 0.01 mol/L
(B) 0.02 mol/L
(C) 0.03 mol/L
(D) 0.04 mol/L
37. What is the fractional change in volume? A, for complete conversion of A?
(A) 0.30
(B) 0.40
(C) 0.50
(D) 0.60
38. What is the time required for 90% conversion of A?
(A) 17 min.
(B) 23 min.
(C) 32 min.
(D) 41 min.
39. What is the final concentration of A after 90% conversion of A?
(A) 0.0003 mol/L
(B) 0.0005 mol/L
(C) 0.0007 mol/L
(D) 0.0009 mol/L
40. What is the final concentration of S?
(A) 0.003 mol/L
(B) 0.006 mol/L
(C) 0.008 mol/L
(D) 0.010 mol/L
Situation for Problems 41-47:
In a liquid-phase reaction, reactant A is converted to product B in the presence of catalyst C.
AC B C
The rate expression for this reaction is
rA kCACC
The rate constant is k=1.20 x 10-5m3/kmol.s, and the concentration of the catalyst can be assumed
to be constant throughout the reactor. The liquid feed rate is 0.001 m3/s, and the feed consists of
90 kmol/m3 of A and 10 kmol/m3 of C.
41. What is the molar feed rate of A?
(A) 0.03 kmol/s
(B) 0.06 kmol/s
(C) 0.07 kmol/s
(D) 0.09 kmol/s
42. If the molecular weight of B is 40 kg. /kmol, what is the production rate of B in kg. / s for
60% conversion of A?
(A) 1.1 kg. /s
(B) 1.4 kg. /s
(C) 1.8 kg. /s
(D) 2.2 kg. /s
43. What is the reaction rate when the conversion is 50%?
(A) 0.001 kmol/m3.s
(B) 0.003 kmol/m3.s
(C) 0.005 kmol/m3.s
(D) 0.008 kmol/m3.s
44. For 50% conversion, what volume of a plug flow reactor would be required?
(A) 4.9 m3
(B) 5.8 m3
(C) 6.5 m3
(D) 7.1 m3
45. What is the time required for 50% conversion in a plug flow reactor?
(A) 1.6 h
(B) 1.9 h
(C) 2.2 h
(D) 2.7 h
46. What is the volume of a mixed-flow reactor required for 50% conversion?
(A) 7.1 m3
(B) 8.3 m3
(C) 9.1 m3
(D) 9.9m3
47. What is the time required for 50% conversion in a mixed-flow reactor?
(A) 1.5 h
(B) 1.9 h
(C) 2.3 h
(D) 2.7 h
Situation for Problems 66-72:
15 kg. /h of B (MW=45 g/mol) are to be produced from a feed consisting of a saturated of A in a
mixed-flow reactor. The reaction is as follows.
AB
rA kCA And k 0.005s 1
The initial concentration of A is 0.2 mol/L, and the cost of A is $0.85 /mol. The annual
equivalent cost of the reactor is $120V where V is the reactor volume in liters. This cost includes
installation, instrumentation, and other ancillary equipment. The operating cost is $25 / h, and the
reactor will operate 6000 h/yr. XA is the fractional conversion of A.
66. What is the equation for reactor volume in terms of the molar production rate of B, FB?
F (1 X A )
(A) V B
kCAO
FB C AO
(B) V
k (1 X A )
kFB
(C) V
C AO (1 X A )
FB
(D) V
kCAO (1 X A )
67. In terms of conversion of A, XA, what is the annual equivalent cost of the reactor?
10223
(A) cos t $( )
1 X A
11111
(B) cos t $( )
1 X A
14323
(C) cos t $( )
1 X A
16568
(D) cos t $( )
1 X A
68. What is the annual cost of the reactant A?
1.7 x10 6
(A) cos t $( )
XA
2.3x10 6
(B) cos t $( )
XA
3.4 x10 6
(C) cos t $( )
XA
4.6 x10 6
(D) cos t $( )
XA
69. What is the fractional conversion of A that minimizes the total costs?
(A) 0.66
(B) 0.78
(C) 0.86
(D) 0.93
70. What is the optimum reactor size?
(A) 1050 L
(B) 1190 L
(C) 1240 L
(D) 1390 L
71. What molar flow rate of A is required?
(A) 280 mol/h
(B) 360 mol/h
(C) 410 mol/h
(D) 490 mol/h
72. What is the cost of production of B?
(A) $19/kg.
(B) $21/kg.
(C) $24/kg.
(D) $26/kg.
AFTERNOON SAMPLE QUESTIONS
113. Propylene glycol is produced by the hydrolysis of propylene oxide (PO) in the liquid phase:
CH 3CHOCH 2 H 2 O CH 3CHOHCH 2 OH
This exothermic reaction occurs readily at room temperature when catalyzed by sulfuric acid.
The feed is a stream of 24,000 kg. /hr with a composition of:
10 wt% propylene oxide
1 wt% sulfuric acid
89 wt% water
Other data are: Heat capacity of the reaction mixture 4.18kj /( kg K )
Heat of reaction 1,459kj / kgPO
If an adiabatic reactor is used to achieve a fractional conversion of 0.8 for PO with a feed
temperature of 20 0C, the reactor exit temperature is mostly nearly:
(A) 265 K
(B) 295 K
(C) 300 K
(D) 320 K
519. A new process for the removal of SO2 from exhaust gases, using methane and a proprietary
catalyst, is being tested in an experiment reactor.
The reaction is reversible and exothermic with all components as gases.
2SO2 CH 4 CO2 2H 2O S 2
The rate of the forward reaction is
rSO 2 kc2 SO2
The activation energies of the forward and reverse reactions are positive.
The experimental reactor is an isothermal plug-flow reactor, having only a small pressure drop.
The feed to the reactor is a stoichiometric mixture of pure reactants. Two experiments are
performed at the same temperature but at different pressures. The results of the two experiments
are compared. Which of the following results are expected for the experiment at the higher
pressure, when compared to the experiment at the lower pressure?
(A) The rate of reaction will be the same, while the fractional conversion of SO2 will be
higher.
(B) The rate of reaction will be the same, while the fractional conversion of SO2 will be
lower.
(C) The rate of reaction as well as the equilibrium fractional conversion of SO2 will be
higher.
(D) The rate of reaction as well as the equilibrium fractional conversion of SO2 will be lower.
520. Ammonia gas decomposes at 900OC according to the following reaction:
2 NH 3 N 2 3H 2
The value of the forward rated constant for decomposition at 900OC is cm 3 /( mol s) . Ideal gas
behavior may be assumed.
If the decomposition is elementary, then the order of the forward reaction is:
(A) Zero
(B) First
(C) Second
(D) Third
521. Acetaldehyde vapor decomposes to form methane and carbon monoxide according to the
following reaction:
CH 3CHO CH 4 CO
The reaction occurs at 520OC and 1 atm in a continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR). Under these
conditions the reaction is known to be irreversible and second order with respect to acetaldehyde.
The rate constant k is 0.43 m 3 /( mol s) . The molar density of the feed is 0.01537 kmol/m3 and
the feed rate is 0.1 kg/s of pure acetaldehyde. The conversion in the reactor is 65% at a space
time of 2,200 s.
Molecular weights:
Acetaldehyde 44.0
Methane 16.0
Carbon monoxide 28.0
The mean residence time (s) is most nearly:
(A) 2,200
(B) 1,600
(C) 1,300
(D) 1,100
522. You are to design an isothermal reactor system for a constant-density, liquid-phase, solid-
catalyzed reaction
A BC
This reaction has the following rate equation:
k1C A
rB
1 k 2 C A
Data: k1 = 15 hr-1
K2 = 16 ft.3 / (lb mole)
Concentration of A in feed stream, CAO = 0.25 lb mole/ ft3
Fractional conversion, XA = 0.9
The space time (hr) in a plug-flow reactor for this service would be most nearly:
(A) 0.84
(B) 0.39
(C) 0.15
(D) 0.086
523. The stoichiometric equation of an irreversible gas-phase second order reaction is
mA B C nD pE
The stoichiometric equation is such the fractional change in volume of the system between no
conversion and complete conversion of Reactant A is 0.6. The rate equation is rA kCA 2
Where k 0.1L /( mol s) at 300 K.
The reaction occurs in an isothermal, isobaric batch reactor at 300 K. The initial concentration of
A is 0.005 mol/L. Under these conditions the time (seconds) needed to achieve a fractional
conversion of 0.6 is most nearly:
(A) 9
(B) 11
(C) 3,000
(D) 3,700
524. Propylene glycol (C) is produced by the liquid-phase hydrolysis of propylene oxide (A).
Sulfuric acid catalyzes the reaction. With excess water (B), the reaction is zero order with respect
to water, and first order in propylene oxide, having a rate of reaction designated by (rA ) .
A continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) system, having a volume V and a residence time t, is to
be designed for this reaction. The fractional conversion of A in the CSTR is XA. The molar flow
rate of A is FAO in the feed and FA in the product. The concentration of A is CAO in the feed and
CA in the product.
The design equation for the CSTR can be written as:
(A) FAO FA (rA )V O
XA
dX A
(B) V / FAO (r
O A)
(C) A B C
C AF
dC A
(D) t
C AO
(rA )
525. The following liquid-phase reaction
A B P
Is second order and irreversible.
Catalyst C is needed in the reaction so that:
C B C B( fast )
A C B P C ( slow )
P C C P( fast )
The reaction rate expression is found to be
rA kCACC B
k 1.2 x10 6 m 3 /( kmol s )
C AO 50kmol / m 3
C CO 7kmol / m 3
Assume sufficient reactant B to form C B complex. At 30% conversion of A in an ideal CSTR,
the reaction rate [kmol /( m 3 s)] is most nearly:
(A) 1.26 x 10-4
(B) 2.06 x 10-4
(C) 2.94 x 10-4
(D) 4.20 x 10-4
