Chapter 19

Equation of Change for

Multicomponent Systems

Summary of the
multicomponent equations of
change
rate of
net rate
rate of

increase of of addition production

entity
of entity of entity

Entity stands for mass, momentum, or ener

Summary of the
multicomponent fluxes
Mass jA DAB A
binary only
For multicomponent gas mixtures at moderate
pressure, Maxwell-Stefan equations may be
used
There are additional contributions driving
forces other than concentration (Chapter 24)

Example 19.1

A diffusion problem that occurs in the field of

microelectronics is the oxidation of silicon
according to the reaction Si + O2SiO2. When a
slab of the material is exposed to gaseous oxygen
(species A), the oxygen undergoes a first-order
reaction with rate constant k1" to produce a layer
of the oxide (species B). The task is to predict the
thickness d of the very slowly-growing oxide layer
as a function of time t using a steady-state
approach (which suggests that the rate of change
of the dissolved oxygen content in the layer is
small compared to the rate of reaction). Let the
oxygen, whose dissolved concentration is cA0 at
the free surface of the oxide layer at z = 0, diffuse
through the layer as per Fick's law to reach the
reaction surface at z = d as in the figure below.

B.11 The Equation of

Continuity For Species A (page
851)

Example 19.2
Consider a flat plate, of porous material, of
thickness and with the other two
dimensions very large. Gas B is the
predominant gas in the slab, but gas A is
generated throughout the slab at a constant
rate, RA [moles of A/ft3 hr]. One face of the
slab is impermeable to the gas, while the
concentration of A at the other face is C A0.
a)
Assuming DAB is constant and that the
concentration of A is small, obtain the differential
equation for CA as a function of position.
b)
Write the two boundary conditions.
c)Obtain the expression for C A as a function of
position.

B.11 The Equation of

Continuity For Species A (page
851)

Example 19.3
Develop expressions for the mole
fraction profile xA(y) and the
temperature profile T(y) for the
systems shown in Figure.

B.11 The Equation of

Continuity For Species A (page
851)

B.9 The Equation of Energy (page

850)

Example 19.3

A catalytic tubular reactor

B.11 The Equation of

Continuity For Species A (page
851)

B.6 The Equation of Motion (page

848)

Example 19.4 Catalytic

oxidation of carbon monoxide

O2 2CO 2CO2
The reaction is assumed to occur instantaneously and
irreversibly at the catalytic surface. The gas composition at
the outer edge of the film (at z=0) is presumed known, and
the catalyst surface is at z=. The temp. and pressure are
assumed to be independence of position throughout the film.

Example 19.4

Equations

Equations

Equations

Results

Dimensionless Numbers

Diffusion with Homogeneous Chemical

Reaction of a Solid Sphere in a Liquid
A solid sphere (of radius R and density r) made of
substance A (of molecular weight M) is
suspended in a liquid B. Solid A undergoes a
first-order homogeneous chemical reaction with
rate constant k1''' being slightly soluble in liquid
B. Let cA0 be the molar solubility of A in B, and
DAB be the diffusivity of A in B.
a) Establish the concentration profile for A at
steady state (i.e., when the mass diffusion is in
exact balance with the chemical reaction).
b) Using a quasi-steady-state approach, derive an
expression for the time t required for the sphere
radius to decrease from an initial radius R0 to R.

B.11 The Equation of

Continuity For Species A (page
851)

Case Study
Detailed information is on Blackboard.
UND chemical engineering department plans to remodel the power plant for
campus heating. In the power plant, pulverized coal particles are fluidized
within a hot combustion chamber, where oxygen in the air reacts the coal to
produce carbon monoxide and/or carbon dioxide gas. This process produces
energy by the heat of combustion. ChE 301 students have proposed to build
a fluidized coal reactor for a new power plant. If operated at 1145K, the
process will be limited by the diffusion of oxygen countercurrent to the
carbon dioxide, CO2, formed at the particle surface. Assume that the coal is
pure solid with a density of 1.28103kg/m3 and that the particle is spherical
with an initial diameter of 1.510-4 m (150m). Air (21% O2 and 79% N2)
exists several diameters away from sphere. Under the conditions of
combustion process, the diffusivity of oxygen in the gas mixture at 1145K is
1.310-4 m2/s.

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Fluid Machinery