Exercise 3.8.1: Acetylene reaction and recycle. infoAbout Acetylene (C2H2), a gas used for welding, is converted into ethanol (C2H6O) and butanol (C4H10O). A fresh feed of acetylene, H2, and O2 is combined with a recycle stream and is fed to a reactor where the following fractional conversions are achieved: acetylene conversion = 0.750, hydrogen conversion = 0.900, and oxygen conversion = 1.00. The reactor effluent contains the two products, unreacted components, and CO2. While the reactor effluent contains 1.10 moles CO2 per 1.00 moles ethanol, the stoichiometry of the reactions is unknown. The reactor effluent is sent to a separator where all of the CO2 leaves as a gas. The remaining components are sent to a second separation unit. The bottoms stream of this unit contains all of the ethanol and butanol products. The process produces 140 mol/min of ethanol and 60.0 mol/min of butanol. (a) Draw and label a process flow diagram. Clearly number each stream. (b) Calculate the molar flow rates (mol/min) of each component exiting the reactor. (c) Calculate the molar flow rates (mol/min) of each component in the fresh feed. (d) A purge stream is now added, which removes some of the flow from the recycle stream. Will the overall conversion of acetylene increase, decrease or stay the same?
Acetylene (C2H2), a gas used for welding, is converted into ethanol (C2H6O) and butanol (C4H10O). A fresh feed of acetylene, H2, and O2 is combined with a recycle stream and is fed to a reactor where the following fractional conversions are achieved: acetylene conversion = 0.750, hydrogen conversion = 0.900, and oxygen conversion = 1.00. The reactor effluent contains the two products, unreacted components, and CO2. While the reactor effluent contains 1.10 moles CO2 per 1.00 moles ethanol, the stoichiometry of the reactions is unknown. The reactor effluent is sent to a separator where all of the CO2 leaves as a gas. The remaining components are sent to a second separation unit. The bottoms stream of this unit contains all of the ethanol and butanol products. The process produces 140 mol/min of ethanol and 60.0 mol/min of butanol.
Draw and label a process flow diagram. Clearly number each stream.
Calculate the molar flow rates (mol/min) of each component exiting the reactor.
Calculate the molar flow rates (mol/min) of each component in the fresh feed.
A purge stream is now added, which removes some of the flow from the recycle stream. Will the overall conversion of acetylene increase, decrease or stay the same?
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