Tutorial 5 (Multiple Reactions)

1. The partial oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde takes place in a batch reactor. The
reactor initially contains 100 moles of CH3OH, 28 moles of O2, and 140 moles of N2.
Sometime later, at time = t, the reactor contains 44 moles of CH2O, 6 moles of CO, and
140 moles of N2. A significant quantity of water (H2O) also is present. However, there
are no other chemical species present in measurable quantities. The reactions are as
follows:

CH3OH + O2 CH2O + H2O

A. How many moles of CH3OH, O2, and H2O are present at time = t?
B. What is the overall selectivity of CH2O?
C. What is the overall yield of CH2O?
D. What is the fractional conversion of CH3OH?
F. What is the fractional conversion of CH2O?

Parallel Reactions
2. Consider the following parallel reaction. Take C A0 = 2 mole/liter, k2 = 0.2 liter/mole min,
and kl = 0.1 min-1.
R (desired)
k1
k2
A B (undesired)
a. Calculate the instantaneous selectivity and yield of 90% of A is reacted?
b. How conditions might be altered to favor for the formation of desired product?
3. Reactant A decomposes by three simultaneous reactions to form three products given as
below, what condition favors for the formation of desired product, would it minimize the
unwanted products C and D?
 B…...Desired product, * ( )+

kB

A kC
C.....Undesired, ( ) }

kD

D…… Undesired, * ( )+

4. Consider the following reaction where a reactant A decomposes by three competitive

R -rA1 = k1CA3,
k1
k2
A B -rA2 = k2CA2,

k3
S -rA3 = k3CA,
If k1 = 0.005, k2 = 0.008 and k3 = 0.001,
a. Find the optimum reactant concentration (mol/L) which maximizes the rate formation
of desired product?
b. Find maximum attainable instantaneous selectivity?
c. Find the maximum instantaneous yield?
5. Consider the following reaction where a reactant A decomposes by three competitive
reactions to form three products of which R and S are undesired products.

R -rA1 = k1CA3, k1 =0.0003

k3
S -rA3 = k3CA, k3=0.000097
The specific rate constants were obtained at 400K. If the pre-exponential factors A1=0.002,
A2=0.001 and A3=0.005 and activation energies E1= 1500cal/mol, E2=2500cal/mol and
E3=1300cal/mol,
i. Under what conditions the reaction should be carried out to maximize formation
of the desired product?
ii. Find the selectivity of desired product? Take R= 1.986 cal/mol.K
6. Consider the two reactant parallel reaction

k1 R, Desired , mol/liter.min

A+B

k2 S, Unwanted mol/liter.min

For 90% conversions of A, find instantaneous yield, overall yield and the concentrations
of R in the product stream. Equal volumetric flow rates of the A and of B streams are fed
to the reactor, and each stream has a concentration of 20 mol/liter of reactant. The flow in
the reactor follows
a. Plug flow
b. Mixed flow
7. Often a desired reaction is accompanied by a variety of undesired side reactions, some of
higher order, some of lower order. To see which type of single reactor gives the best
product distribution, consider the simplest typical case, the parallel decomposition of A,
CA0 = 2,

R rR = 1

A S rS = 2CA

T rT = CA^2
Find the maximum expected CS for isothermal operations
a. in a mixed flow reactor
b. in a plug flow reactor
 c. in a reactor of your choice if unreacted A can be separated from the product stream
and returned to the feed at CA0 = 2
Series Reaction
8. The two, irreversible, homogeneous reactions are taking place in the liquid phase in an
isothermal, ideal plug-flow reactor (PFR). The first reaction is first order in A with a rate
constant (k1) of 0.50 min-l. The second reaction is first order in B with a rate constant (k2)
of 0.10 min-1. If CA0 = 1mol/l, CB0 = 0.1mol/l, V = 400L and 𝝊 = 10 l/min, calculate the
exit concentrations of A, B and C?
A B C
9. A. Derive equations to describe the progress of a series reaction in a CSTR if both
reactions are first order and irreversible. i.e expression for CA and CR as functions of
space time.

B. Determine the optimum space time for maximum production of the species R.

10. **Under appropriate conditions A decomposes as follows:

R is to be produced from 1000 liter/hr of feed in which CAo = 1 mol/liter, CRo= Cso= 0.
(a) What size of plug flow reactor will maximize the concentration of R, and what is that
concentration in the effluent stream from this reactor?
(b) What size of mixed flow reactor will maximize the concentration of R, and what is
CRmax in the effluent stream from this reactor?

11. The following reaction,

is carried out in batch reactor. If CB = CC= 0 initially and CA0 = 100mol m-3 for a given
condition a) k1 = 1 s−1; k2 = 2 s−1 b) k1 =1 s−1 ; k2 =10 4 s−1 , what is the time at which the
concentration of B is maximum?. What is the maximum concentration of B?
Series- Parallel Reaction
12. The first-order irreversible reactions
are being carried out in an ideal, isothermal PFR. At the reactor temperature, k1 = k2 = 1.0
s-1 and k3 = 2 s-1. The concentration of A in the feed to the reactor, CA0, is 2.0 mol/l.
There is no R, S, or D in the feed.
A. What is the composition of the stream leaving the reactor when the concentration of
A in the exit stream is 0.40 mol/l?
B. What space time is required to achieve this effluent composition?