FACULTY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

DIPLOMA: CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

SUBJECT Process Control (EHPCO2A)

ASSIGNMENT (Online)

DUE DATE 18 October 2024

EXAMINER Prof. John Kabuba Tshilenge
MODERATOR Prof. Tumisang Seodigeng

REQUIREMENTS:
This is a closed book test. No groupwork allowed. No assistance is allowed.
No late submissions will be accepted
Assessment assessing the development of Graduate Attributes 1 and 2

INSTRUCTIONS:
Read questions carefully and answer ALL of them in any order, but it must be numbered correctly.

Total Marks: 73

THE PAPER CONSISTS OF 7 TYPED PAGES

Page 1 of 7
 Question 1 [10 Marks]

Continuous stirred tank mixer and catalytic reactor system. A + catalyst → B (exothermic).

F1 T1 cA 1 F2 T2 cA 2 = 0

Cooling water
h1

Catalyti
F3 T3 cA3 c
reactor Cooling water

F4 T4 cA4 cB4

Develop a complete mathematical model for the system (each tank separately); assume the
heats of mixing to be small enough to be ignored, that the density and heat capacity remains
constant over the given temperature range for the liquids in the system and that the reaction to
have first order kinetics.
(29)

FOR THE MIXER

Mass balance :

d (V ) d (Ah1 )
= = F1 + F2 − F3 ; V = Ah1 ; F3 = h1 ✓✓✓✓
dt dt
dh
A = F1 + F2 − F3 state equation
dt

Component balance :

d (n A ) d (c A 3V ) dc dV
= = V A3 + c A3 = c A1F1 + 0 − c A 3F3
dt dt dt dt
dc ✓✓✓
V A 3 = c A1F1 + 0 − c A 3F3 − c A 3F1 − 0 + c A 3F3
dt
dc
V A 3 = F1 (c A1 − c A 3 )
dt
dc A 3 F1
= (c A1 − c A 3 )
dt V

Page 2 of 7
Energy balance :

d (Vc P (T3 − Tref ) )

= F1c P 1 (T1 − Tref ) + F2c P 2 (T2 − Tref ) − F3c P 3 (T3 − Tref )
dt
d (VT3 )
= F1T1 + F2T2 − F3T3
dt
dT dV
V 3 + T3 = F1T1 + F2T2 − F3T3
dt dt
dT
V 3 + T3 (F1 + F2 − F3 ) = F1T1 + F2T2 − F3T3
dt
dT
V 3 = F1T1 + F2T2 − F3T3 − F1T3 − F2T3 + F3T
dt
dT
V = F1 (T1 − T3 ) + F2 (T2 − T3 )
dt
dT F1 F
= (T1 − T3 ) + 2 (T2 − T3 ) state equation
dt V V

FOR THE CSTR

Mass balance :

d (V ) ✓
= F3 − F4
dt
dV
= F3 − F4 state equation
dt

Balance component A :

d (n A 4 ) d (c A 4V )
= = c A 3F3 − c A 4 F4 − rV
dt dt
d (c A 4 ) d (V )
V + c A4 = c A 3F3 − c A 4 F4 − rV ✓✓✓
dt dt
d (c A 4 )
V + c A 4 (F3 − F4 ) = c A3F3 − c A 4 F4 − rV
dt
d (c A 4 )
V = F3 (c A3 − c A 4 ) − rV
dt
d (c A 4 ) F3
= (c A 3 − c A 4 ) − r state equation
dt V

Page 3 of 7
Balance component B :

d (nB 4 ) d (c A 4V )
= = −c B 4 F4 + rV
dt dt
d (c B 4 ) d (V )
V + cB 4 = −c B 4F4 + rV
dt dt
d (c B 4 )
V + c A 4 (0 − F4 ) = −c B 4 F4 + rV
dt
d (c B 4 )
V = F4 (c B 4 − c B 4 ) + rV
dt
d (c AB )
= r state equation
dt

Energy balance :
✓✓
dH (T4 , n A 4 , nB 4 )
= F3c PT3 − F4 c PT4 − Q
dt
dH H dT4 H dn A 4 H dnB 4
=  +  + 
dt T4 dt n A 4 dt nB 4 dt

H dn A 4 d (c A 4V ) dnB 4 d (c B 4V )
= Vc P = = c A 3 F3 − c A 4 F4 − rV = = −c B 4 F + rV
T dt dt dt dt
H ~ H ~
= H A (T ) = H B (T )
n A nB
✓✓✓✓✓✓

dT4 ~ ~
F3c PT3 − F4c PT4 − Q = Vc P + H A [c A 3F3 − c A 4 F 4 −rV ] + H B [ −c A 4 F4 + rV ]
dt
dT ~ ~
Vc P 4 = −H A [c A 4 F3 − c A 4F4 − rV ] − H B [ −c A 4F4 + rV ] + F3c PT3 − F4c PT4 − Q ✓✓
dt
~ ~
dT4 − H A H FT FT Q
= [c A 4 F3 − c A 4 F4 − rV ] − B [ −c A 4F4 + rV ] + 3 3 − 4 4 − state equation
dt Vc P Vc P V V Vc P

Question 2 [44 Marks]

Look at the diagram given below and answer the Questions that follow

Component A enters a catalytic bed reactor where it is converted to component B. The product
stream is cooled and fed to the separator where it enters a quieting zone and separates.
Component B overflows from the separator and is pumped to storage. Component B flows
from the bottom of the tank to a stripping section before it returns as a recycle stream to the
reactor feed preparation. All the flow rates given are volumetric (m3/s) and where necessary

Page 4 of 7
flow rates may be assumed proportional to the corresponding hydrostatic liquid pressures.
(Hint: Think very carefully about the gravity separation and the assumptions that are sensible)

Two streams 1 and 2 are being mixed in a well-stirred tank, producing a product stream 3.
Each of the twp streams is composed of two components, A and B, with molar concentrations
cA1, cB1 and cA2, cB2, respectively. Also let F1 and F2 be the volumetric flow rates of the
streams and T1 and T2 their corresponding temperatures. Finally, let cA3, cB3, F3 and T3 be
the concentrations, flow rate and temperature of the product stream.
The fundamental quantities needed to describe the mixing process are:
(a) Total mass in the tank
(b) Amounts of components A and B in the tank
(c) Total energy

2.1 Derive the energy balance for the system (15)

F1, cA1, T1
F4, cB4 = 0, cA4 , T3
F2, cA2, cB2, T2
Catalytic bed
reactor
A→B h2, A2
Cooling water h3, A3
Reactor
Cooling water F3, cA2, cB2, T3

Coolant in F5, cB5, cA5 = 0, T3

Coolant out
Cooling Unit Separator

2.2 Using the diagram, answer the Questions below

2.2.1 Write down the equation for the energy balance of the catalytic bed reactor, state all
assumptions made.
2.2.2 Write down all the equations needed and assumptions made to develop a mathematical
model for the cooling unit.
2.2.3 Write down the mass balance for the separator, state all assumptions made. (29)

This Assessment is assessing the development of Graduate Attribute 2 – application

of scientific and engineering knowledge and Graduate Attribute 9 – independent
learning ability. The graduate attributes will be marked as per the rubrics below.

Page 5 of 7
Tank 1 – Catalytic Bed Reactor

dH (T2 , n A 2 , nB 2 )
= F1c P T1 − Tref  − F2 c P T2 − Tref  − Qreactor ✓✓
dt

dH H dT2 H A dn A2 H B dnB 2
=  +  + 
dt T2 dt n A2 dt nB 2 dt

H
= V1c P
T
dn A2 d (c A 2V1 ) ✓✓✓✓✓✓
= = c A1F1 − c A 2F2 − rAV1
dt dt
dnB 2 d (c B 2V1 )
= = −c B 2F2 + rBV1
dt dt
H A ~
= HA
n A 2
H B ~
= HB
nB 2
 and c P assumed constant over the temperature range ; Tref = 0

dT2 ~ ~
V1c P + H A (c A1F1 − c A2F2 − rAV1 ) + H B ( −c B 2F2 + rBV ) = F1c PT1 − F2c PT2 − Qreactor ✓✓✓✓
dt

~ ~
dT2 F1 F Q H H
= T1 − 2 T2 − reactor − A (c A1F1 − c A2F2 − rAV1 ) − B ( −c B 2F2 + rBV )
dt V1 V1 V1c P V1c P V1c P

Tank 2 – Cooling Unit

Mass Balance
dm dV2 A2 dh1
= = = F2 − F3 ; V2 = A2 h1 ; F3 =  1(h1 − h2 )
dt dt dt
Assume ρ constant over the given temperatur e range ✓✓✓
dV2 dh
= A2 1 = F2 −  1(h1 − h2 )
dt dt
Component Balance

dn A2 d (c A2V2 )
= =c A2 F2 − c A2 F3 ; r AV = 0, no reaction
dt dt
dV dc
c A2 1 + V1 A2 =c A2 F2 − c A2 F3
dt dt
✓
dc A2
V2 =c A2 F2 − c A2 F3 − c A2 (F2 − F3 )
dt
dc A2
=0
dt

Page 6 of 7
dn B 2 d (c B 2V2 )
= =c B 2 F2 − c B 2 F3 ; rBV = 0, no reaction
dt dt
dV dc
c B 2 1 + V1 B 2 =c B 2 F2 − c B 2 F3
dt dt
✓
dc
V2 B 2 =c B 2 F2 − c B 2 F3 − c B 2 (F2 − F3 )
dt
dc B 2
=0
dt

Energy Balance

dH d (mc P T3 − Ts ) d ( V32c P T3 − Ts ) d (V2 T3 − Ts )

= = = c P = F2c P T2 − Ts  − F3c P T3 − Ts  − Qcooler
dt dt dt dt
W = 0, no work added or removed from the system
 and c P assumed constnat over the temperature range
Ts = 0
✓✓✓✓✓
d (V2T3 ) Q
= F2T2 − F3T3 − cooler
dt c P
dV2 dT Q
T3 + V3 3 = F2T2 − F3T3 − cooler
dt dt c P
✓✓✓
dT Q
V2 3 = F2T2 − F3T3 − cooler − T3 (F2 − F3 )
dt c P
dT3 F2 Q
= (T2 − T3 ) − cooler
dt V2 V2 c P

Tank 3 – Separator

Mass Balance
dm dV3 A3 dh2
= = =  mix F3 −  B F4 −  A F5 ; V3 = A3 h3 ; F3 =  2 h2
dt dt dt
We cannot assume ρ constant over the given temperatur e range, as gravity separation
needs the density for A and B to be different, so that they can separate
A3 dh2
=  mix  1(h1 − h2 ) −  B F4 −  A 2 h2
dt
✓✓✓✓

Page 7 of 7