UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN KIMIA

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY IV
(CPE613)

No.
1
2
3
4

NAME

: ADDISON JUTTIE ANAK BANGGA

STUDENT I.D

: 2014259348

EXPERIMENT

: PRODUCTION OF ACETIC ANHYDRIDE

DATE PERFORMED

: 22 OCTOBER 2015

SEMESTER

:5

Title
Procedure
Process Flow Diagram (PFD)
Workbook/Stream Summary
Questions & Discussions
TOTAL MARKS

Allocated Marks (%)

10
20
30
40
100

Marks

Remarks:

Checked by:

Rechecked by:

-----------------------------(
)
Date:

------------------------------)
Date:

PROCEDURE
1. Firstly, the Aspen plus user interface is opened and the reactants and products are
selected.

Figure 1: Selection of components

2. Next, the type of reaction is entered by using Wilson property package. The
information regarding the kinetics (Forward: A = 8.2 x 10 14, E = 2.85 x 105 kJ/kmol,
Reverse: A = 0, E = 0) stoichiometry coefficients and reaction phase are also inserted.

Figure 2: Reaction kinetic tab

3. Then, the reaction set is chosen.

Figure 3: Choosing reaction set

4. Next, the simulation is started.
5. Material stream 1 is then added and the information is added into the stream such as
temperature (760oC), pressure (150 kPa), mass flow rate (8000 kg/h) are entered.

Figure 4: Conditions of material stream 1

6. Next, the composition of the feed stream is added with the feed only having acetone.

Figure 5: Composition of material stream 1

7. Next, a plug flow reactor is added. Material stream 1 is added to the reactor as an
input and the output is named as material stream 2.

Figure 6: Connections of plug flow reactor

8. Next, the pressure drop (50 kPa) is inserted into the parameters of the plug flow
reactor.

Figure 7: Parameters of plug flow reactor

9. On the rating tab, the dimensions of the reactor is added, with length 30m and inner
diameter 0.5m. The length was adjusted to achieve a desired conversion of 20%.

Figure 8: Sizing of plug flow reactor

10. After a few trial and errors, the conversion was obtained.

Figure 9: Conversion results of plug flow reactor

Figure 10: Conditions of material stream 2

Figure 11: Composition of material stream 2

PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM

Figure 12: Process flow diagram of production of acetic anhydride

The plug flow reactor model is a model used to describe chemical reactions in
continuous, flowing systems of cylindrical geometry. The PFR model is used to predict
the behaviour of chemical reactors of such design, so that key reactor variables, such as
the dimensions of the reactor, can be estimated. In this lab experiment, one of the routes
to produce acetic anhydride is by the vapour phase cracking of acetone to produce ketene
and methane by using a PFR. So, in the experiment, the feed inlet is only acetone. The
outlet of the reactor is having the products which are ketene and methane. For this
experiment, it is set with a set-point of achieving a conversion of 20% only, thus the
reactor is designed with different length and internal diameter to achieve the required
conversion, with initial parameters of the reactor already given. A PFR is probably chosen
due to its ability to have a better conversion compared to other reactors such as a
continuous stirred tank reactor, CSTR.

WORKBOOK

DISCUSSION
The objectives of the experiment of production of acetic anhydride is to install and
converge a plug flow reactor and simulate a process involving reaction. In this
experiment, ketene and methane is produced by vapour phase cracking of acetone, with
the given conditions. As taught in the course Chemical Reactions, the volume of a plug
X

FA
V
=
dX . From here, it can be said that the volume of reactor is

PFR
flow reactor is
0 r A
0

dependent on the flow rate and rate of reaction. The flow rate can be said is affected by
the design of the reactor, which are the dimensions of the reactor. In this experiment, the
aim is to determine the relationship between the dimensions of reactor and the
conversion. For this, the conversion is set as the responding variable and the manipulated
variables are either reactor length or internal diameter of the reactor. The chosen
manipulated variable for this experiment is length of reactor with the initial length given
as 30 meters. It is then reduced as the conversion at 30 meters is 24.17%. The next length
estimated was 11 meters, giving a conversion of 19.73%. To achieve the desired 20%, the
next value was extrapolated and gave a length of 11.68 meters. From the graph of
FA
r A versus X (conversion), it can be said that the volume obtained is small and from
0

the experiment conducted, the volume obtained was 2.292 m3. This proves that the
experiment conducted is not conflicting with the lessons taught in the course Chemical
Reactions and also that with an internal diameter of 0.5 meters and length of 11.68
meters, the conversion obtained in a plug flow reactor is 20%.