Final Exam

Chemical Reaction Engineering

December 19, 2013
Name______________________________________________________
Read the exam through first. Please write legibly. Answer all questions completely, clearly
indicating final answers and showing work. Closed book, notes and electronics.
Problem 1. (12 pts) Draw residence time distribution for the following cases using an inert pulse
tracer. Please indicate average residence times for each reactor.
Reactor
System

RTD Graph

Reactor
System

RTD Graph

PFTR

CSTR+CSTR

Infinite CSTRs in
series

CSTR

CSTR + PFTR

PFTR + PFTR

Name_________________________________________________

Final Exam, Fall 2013

Problem 2. (12 pts) Fill in the table to the type of catalysts

Homogeneous

Heterogeneous

a) Typical Catalyst Phase

b) Typical Reactant Phase

c) Give 1 advantage of
use
d) Give 1 disadvantage of
use
e) Example catalyst
f) Example reaction
(does not have to be
for catalyst in e)

Problem 3. (10 pts) What does weak mixing versus strong mixing in mass-transfer dominated
reactions illustrate? Explain in 2-3 sentences. Use drawings if necessary to supplement your
explanation.

Name_________________________________________________

Final Exam, Fall 2013

Problem 4. (20 points). Explain what ideal addition polymerization is in 2-3 sentences. Also
provide an example of how the reaction steps proceed, defining the species as necessary.
Provide the mass balance for [AM3] in a PFTR.

Name_________________________________________________

Final Exam, Fall 2013

Problem 5. (16 points). You have an aqueous, strongly acidic reaction A 2B that is
significantly exothermic. You want to operate at moderately-low conversions to control the
heating of the reactor. Explain what type of reactor you should use, the reactor material and any
safety and environmental concerns. Justify your decisions.

Name_________________________________________________

Final Exam, Fall 2013

Problem 6. (20 pts) A first order reaction A + D B + C (r = kCA) is carried out in an aqueous
solution in an adiabatic CSTR. The feed is equimolar in A and D at a concentration of 2.5 M
each, and the volumetric flowrate is 0.04 L/sec. The reactor volume is 25L and the residence
time is 625 sec. The reactor was observed to operate at a single steady-state temperature of
225C. The rate constant coefficient for this reaction is 5.9x105 sec-1. The activation energy is
75 kJ/mol. The enthalpy of reaction is -12.3 kcal/mol. Determine the conversion of the reactor at
steady state and the feed temperature.

Name_________________________________________________

Final Exam, Fall 2013

Problem 7. (15 pts) You have designed a new continuous process for the manufacturing of
yogurt. In this process, you feed a mixture of 2000 spores of active cultures/min in 10 L/min of
milk into a CSTR. Your finished yogurt needs to have 106 active spores/L. If the spores
multiply in the form S 5S, with a rate r = kCs, with a k = 0.25 hr-1, what is the residence time
for this reactor?

Name_________________________________________________

Final Exam, Fall 2013

Problem 8. (20 pts) A pseudohomogeneous rate of the irreversible 1st order reaction AB was
found to be 2x10-2 mol/L sec when the conc of A was 0.25 M. This is equivalent to having a
pseudohomogeneous rate constant of 0.080 sec-1.
a) If the catalyst used had a surface area of 300 m2/g, a density of 3.3 g/cm3 and a void
fraction of 0.4, what is the surface reaction rate expression (mol/cm2 sec)?

b) What reactor volume will you need to process 90 L/sec of 2.0 M A to 85% conversion in
a slurry reactor?

Name_________________________________________________

Final Exam, Fall 2013

Problem 9. (20 pts). Your copper ore processing plant has a 10,000 gallon waste tailings pond
that you feed an acidic combination of copper and surfactant to. The copper settles with time
and the surfactant decomposes with excess O2 aerated through the pond. Normally, you allow
the waste to process in a batch reactor-type situation for 6 months to get the surfactant
concentration down from 2x10-2M to the environmentally-benign level of 1x10-7M before
releasing to the natural waterway.
Unfortunately, the muskrat population has increased significantly in the area lately. They have
burrowed a hole in the tailings pond dam, creating a stream flowing at 100 gal/hr leading to the
nearby river that flows at 150,000 gal/hr at 0.5mph. Your tailings pond had a concentration of
surfactant at the time of the breach of 3.62x10-4 M. How far down river do you have to go to
reach the environmentally-benign level of surfactant? You may assume first order kinetics in
surfactant and a well-aerated river.

Name_________________________________________________

Final Exam, Fall 2013

Problem 10. (15 pts). The plot shows data for an enzyme reaction both with and without
inhibition. Identify which curve is from an inhibited system, and identify the type of inhibition.
The answer must be justified, not just guessed.

Curve A
Curve B
-1/rS

1/CS