CH6701 CHEMICAL REACTION ENGINEERING II CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

ASSIGNMENT IV

Part A

1. What are the limitations of Shrinking Core Model? (May 2015) (NOV/DEC 2014) (May
June 2014)
It is the best simple representation for the majority of reacting gas-solid systems. However,
there are two broad exceptions to this statement;
 First, Slow reaction of a gas with a very porous solid will not fit to the reality.
 Second, when solid is converted by the action of heat and without needing contact
with gas – Such as baking bread, roasting chickens are mouth watering examples of
such reactions.
2. What are the advantages of FBR? (NOV/DEC 2013)
Uniform Particle Mixing: Due to the intrinsic fluid-like behavior of the solid material,
fluidized beds do not experience poor mixing as in packed beds. This complete mixing allows
for a uniform product that can often be hard to achieve in other reactor designs. The
elimination of radial and axial concentration gradients also allows for better fluid-solid
contact, which is essential for reaction efficiency and quality.
Uniform Temperature Gradients: Many chemical reactions require the addition or removal
of heat. Local hot or cold spots within the reaction bed, often a problem in packed beds, are
avoided in a fluidized situation such as an FBR. In other reactor types, these local temperature
differences, especially hotspots, can result in product degradation. Thus FBRs are well suited
to exothermic reactions. Researchers have also learned that the bed-to-surface heat transfer
coefficients for FBRs are high.
Ability to Operate Reactor in Continuous State: The fluidized bed nature of these reactors
allows for the ability to continuously withdraw product and introduce new reactants into the
reaction vessel. Operating at a continuous process state allows manufacturers to produce their
various products more efficiently due to the removal of startup conditions in batch processes.
3. Name the models used in gas-solid non-catalytic reactions. (NOV/DEC 2013)
For the Gas-Solid non-catalytic reactions, two idealized models are available;
(i) Progressive-conversion model [PCM]
(ii) Shrinking-core model [SCM]
4. Explain Progressive Conversion Model. [Dec 2012]
 Solid reactant is converted continuously and progressively throughout the particle.
 The reaction rates are different at different locations within the particle.
 This model does not match with the real situations.
5. Explain the characteristics of Fluidized bed reactor. [Dec 2012]
A fluidized bed reactor (FBR) is a type of reactor device that can be used to carry out a
variety of multiphase chemical reactions. In this type of reactor, a fluid (gas or liquid) is
passed through a granular solid material (usually a catalyst possibly shaped as tiny spheres) at
high enough velocities to suspend the solid and cause it to behave as though it were a fluid.
This process, known as fluidization, imparts many important advantages to the FBR. As a
result, the fluidized bed reactor is now used in many industrial applications.
Today fluidized bed reactors are still used to produce gasoline and other fuels, along with
many other chemicals. Many industrially produced polymers are made using FBR technology,
such as rubber, vinyl chloride, polyethylene, styrenes, and polypropylene. Various utilities
also use FBR's for coal gasification, nuclear power plants, and water and waste treatment
settings. Used in these applications, fluidized bed reactors allow for a cleaner, more efficient
process than previous standard reactor technologies.
6. State all the assumptions made in the Shrinking Core Model used for gas-solid non-
catalytic reactions.
The assumptions made in the Shrinking Core Model used for gas-solid non-catalytic reactions
are;
 The pellet retains its shape during reaction.
 There is no gaseous region between the pellet and the product layer.

St. Joseph’s College of Engineering 2016-2017

CH6701 CHEMICAL REACTION ENGINEERING II CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
 The temperature is uniform throughout the heterogeneous region.
 The densities of the porous product and the reactant (solid) are the same, so that the
total radius of the pellet does not change with time.
7. Explain how the rate determining step is calculated in gas-solid non-catalytic reactions.

The kinetic runs with different sizes of particles can distinguish between reactions in the
chemical and physical steps control (for gas-solid non-catalytic reactions) as,
t  R1.5 to 2.0 for film diffusion controlling
t  R2 for ash layer diffusion controlling
tR chemical reaction controlling.
8. In a gas-solid non-catalytic reaction, a 4mm solid is 7/8th converted. What is the
diameter of the shrinking core?
Solution: Given D = 4 mm and XB = 7/8 or 0.875.
We know, the fraction unconverted is 1 – xB = (dc/D)3
Where ‘dc’ & ‘D’ are the diameters of the unreacted (shrinking) core and the original diameter
of the solid particle.
Substituting the given data into the above equation, we get
1 – 0.875 = (dc/4)3
On solving the above, we get dc = 2 mm

Part B

1. Obtain rate equation for non-catalytic chemical reaction when chemical reaction is controlling
the rate of reaction. (May 2016)
2. Develop the design expression for fluidized bed reactor with particle size for non-catalytic
chemical reaction. (May 2016)
3. Derive an expression for shrinking core model in a gas-solid non catalytic reaction. (May
2015)
4. Discuss about the mechanism of heterogeneous non catalytic gas-solid system. (May 2015)

St. Joseph’s College of Engineering 2016-2017