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    Recycle. Process Engineering

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    Darel Williams
    - Recycling unconverted reactants back through a reactor can improve conversion from 60% to 100% by allowing multiple passes through the reactor. - A purge stream is needed to remove excess reactants or inert components that cannot be fully converted and will accumulate in the recycled stream. - A bypass stream around a unit operation diverts some material to rejoin the downstream stream, allowing only partial processing through that unit.

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    Recycle. Process Engineering

    Uploaded by

    Darel Williams
    2K views20 pages
    - Recycling unconverted reactants back through a reactor can improve conversion from 60% to 100% by allowing multiple passes through the reactor. - A purge stream is needed to remove excess reactants or inert components that cannot be fully converted and will accumulate in the recycled stream. - A bypass stream around a unit operation diverts some material to rejoin the downstream stream, allowing only partial processing through that unit.

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    Recycle. process engineering

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    - Recycling unconverted reactants back through a reactor can improve conversion from 60% to 100% by allowing multiple passes through the reactor. - A purge stream is needed to remove excess reactants or inert components that cannot be fully converted and will accumulate in the recycled stream. - A bypass stream around a unit operation diverts some material to rejoin the downstream stream, allowing only partial processing through that unit.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    2K views20 pages

    Recycle. Process Engineering

    Uploaded by

    Darel Williams
    - Recycling unconverted reactants back through a reactor can improve conversion from 60% to 100% by allowing multiple passes through the reactor. - A purge stream is needed to remove excess reactants or inert components that cannot be fully converted and will accumulate in the recycled stream. - A bypass stream around a unit operation diverts some material to rejoin the downstream stream, allowing only partial processing through that unit.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 20

    Multi-systems: Large scale processes

    • Recycle
    • Purge
    • Bypass
    • System boundaries for multi-systems

    Recycle Streams
    It is common for the conversion in a
    chemical reactor to be less than 100%.
    Equilibrium constants for each reaction
    dictate the maximum conversion possible.

    Consider the following process:

    Products
    Reactor +
    Reactants
    Unconverted
    Reactants

    Conversion < 100%


    In this processes there is a significant wastage
    of unconverted reactants. If conversion was
    60% then 40% of the feed would be wasted.
    This makes for poor process economics.

    The obvious solution is to recycle the


    unconverted reactants back to the reactor until all
    is converted. I.e. the stream leaving the reactor is
    passed through a separator where the products are
    separated and the unreacted feed is recycled back
    into the reactor.

    Feed
    Reactor Separator

    Products
    Recycle stream
    (unreacted feed)

    Note: If we do an overall mass balance,


    all feed is converted to product.
    Simple example:
    Consider a reaction in which A → B
    and a reactor conversion of 60% .

    CASE 1:

    100 mol A X mol A


    Reactor Y mol B

    Component balances:
    A: 0 = 100 – X + 0 – 100 x 0.60 X = 40mol
    B: 0 = 0 – Y + 100 x 0.60 x 1/1 – 0 Y = 60mol

    CASE 2:

    Reactor Separator
    100 mol A 100 mol B

    Recycle stream
    X mol A
    Y mol B

    Reactor Separator
    100 mol A 100 mol B

    W mol A
    Balance on the separator:
    B: 0 = Y – 100 Y = 100 mol
    Balance on the reactor:
    B: 0 = 0 – 100 + (100 +W) x 0.60 x 1/1
    W = 66.67 mol
    Balance on the separator:
    A: 0 = X – 66.67 X = 66.67 mol
    66.67 mol A
    100 mol B

    Reactor Separator
    100 mol A 100 mol B

    66.67 mol A
    Note:
    • Same amount of feed: 100 mol A
    • Improved reagent to product conversion
    with recycle
    • Larger reactor volume with recycle
    • Requires a separator with recycle
    CASE 1:
    40 mol A
    100 mol A
    Reactor 60 mol B

    Single pass conversionof A = (100 − 40) ⋅ 100% = 60%


    100

    CASE 2:
    Reactor Separator
    100 mol A 100 mol B

    66.67 mol A
    Overall conversionof A = (100 − 100) ⋅ 100% = 100%
    100
    REACTOR

    Conversion around reactor is


    60% This is called the single-
    pass conversion

    Conversion around overall system is 100% -


    This is called overall conversion.
    Purge streams
    In previous examples of Recycle of unreacted
    chemicals, overall conversion is 100%.

    For example: water shift reaction

    CO + H 2 O H 2 + CO 2
    CO, H2O

    CO,
    Feed H2O
    Reactor Separator
    H2O H2
    CO CO

    Products: H2, CO2

    If equimolar amounts of CO and H2O are placed


    in the feed (i.e. in the right stoichiometric ratio),
    then 100% overall conversion is possible.
    However, what if the amounts of CO and
    H2O are not equimolar (i.e. not in their
    stoichiometric ratio)?
    Consider feeding 100% excess of H2O:

    Feed Product
    50 mol CO CO2, H2
    100 mol H2O

    Element balance:
    C: moles (CO 2) out = 50 mol

    H: moles (H 2) out = 100 mol Not possible

    O: moles (CO2) out = 75 mol

    The excess H2O will continue to be recycled


    as well as being continuously fed and not all
    of it will be converted.
    ∴ H2O must be removed from the system as
    it will accumulate.
    What if inert species (eg. N2) enter with the
    feed?

    50 mol CO CO2
    50 mol H2O H2
    10 mol N2

    Not possible. N2 (or any other inert compounds)


    must be removed or purged from system.

    If N2 is not purged, the recycle stream builds up


    N2 continuously (accumulates) and steady state
    is never achieved.

    To remove excess reactants or inert species


    from a system (if these species cannot be
    removed selectively: separator) usually a
    proportion of the recycle stream must be
    split off.
    Example:

    Methanol is synthesized from carbon


    monoxide and hydrogen in a catalytic reactor.
    The fresh feed to the process contains 32.0%
    CO, 64% H2 and 4.0% N2.
    This stream is mixed with a recycle stream in
    a ratio of 5 mol recycle/mol fresh feed to
    produce the feed to the reactor, which
    contains 13.0 mol% N2.

    The reactor effluent goes to a condenser


    from which two streams emerge: A liquid
    product stream containing all the methanol
    formed in the reactor and a gas stream
    containing all the H2, CO and N2 leaving the
    reactor. The gas stream is split into two
    fractions: One is removed from the process
    as a purge stream, and the other is the
    recycle stream that combines with the fresh
    feed to the reactor.
    Calculate: (a) production rate of methanol
    (mol/h); (b) molar flow rate and composition
    of the purge gas; (c) overall and single pass
    conversions.
    Solution: use element balances
    Basis: 100 mol fresh feed
    N2
    CO
    100 mol/h H2
    CH3OH
    1 2 3 CH3OH
    Reactor Condenser
    32% CO 4
    64% H2 7 5
    4% N2 CO 6
    H2
    N2 Purge

    let n(i)j = number of moles of species ‘i’ in


    stream ‘j’
    now , n(T) 7 = 5n(T)1
    = 500 mol/h
    ∴ balance around mixing point :
    Total :
    n(T) 2 = n(T) 7 + n(T)1
    = 500 + 100
    = 600 mol/h
    N2 :
    n(N 2 ) 2 = n(N 2 ) 7 + n(N 2 )1
    ⇒ 0.13 × 600 = n(N 2 ) 7 + 0.04 × 100
    ⇒ n(N 2 ) 7 = 74 mol/hr
    ∴ mol fraction of N 2 in stream
    74
    7 is = 0.148
    500
    The mol fraction of N 2 in streams
    5 and 6 must also be 0.148
    Mass balanced around the entire system:
    As nitrogen is an inert species, we can do an
    overall mass balance on N2
    N 2 in = N 2 out
    ⇒ 0.04 × 100 = 0.148 n(T) 6
    ⇒ n(T) 6 = 27.0 mol/hr

    We must do element balances to determine


    the flow of H2, CO, CH3OH as these are
    reactants/products.
    Element Balances:
    Around entire system:
    Carbon:
    C in = C out
    ⇒ 0.32 × 100 = n(CO)6 + n(CH 3OH) 4 -1
    H balance
    H in = H out
    2n(H 2 )1 = 2n(H 2 ) 6 + 4n(CH 3OH) 4
    ⇒ 0.64 × 100 = n(H 2 ) 6 + 2n(CH 3OH) 4 -2
    n(H 2 ) 6 + n(CO)6 + n(N 2 ) 6 = 27 -3
    but n(N 2 ) 6 = 0.148 × 27 = 4.00 mol/hr
    ∴ n(H 2 ) 6 + n(CO) 6 = 27 - 4 = 23
    ⇒ n(H 2 ) 6 = 23 - n(CO)6
    Note there is no ‘O’ balance. This would be
    identical to the ‘C’ balance. C and O appear
    in the same ratio (1:1) in the same
    components: CO & CH3OH
    ⇒ n(H 2 ) 6 = 23 - n(CO)6
    substitute into equation 2
    41 = 2n(CH 3OH) 4 - n(CO)6
    Add this to equation 1
    73 = 3n(CH 3OH) 4
    ⇒ n(CH 3OH) 4 = 24.3
    ⇒ n(H 2 ) 6 = 15.4
    ⇒ n(CO)6 = 7.6

    CO + 2H 2 ↔ CH 3OH
    24.3
    ∴ Overall conversion = × 100 = 76%
    32
    For single pass conversion, we need to know
    amount of CO entering the reactor.
    Now , mol fraction of CO in
    7.6
    Stream 7 is (same as in purge stream)
    27
    = 0.282
    ∴ n(CO) 7 = 0.282 × 500
    = 141 mol/h
    ∴ n(CO) 2 = n(CO) 1 + n(CO) 7
    = 32 + 141
    = 173 mol/h
    Amount of CO Converted in
    reactor = amount of CH 3 OH
    leaving reactor = n(CH 3 OH) 3
    = n(CH 3 OH) 4
    = 24.3 mol/h
    ∴ Single pass conversion is
    24.3
    × 100 = 14%
    173
    Bypass

    Unit
    Operation

    For reasons of product quality, or other


    issues, some times a fraction of a stream will
    be diverted around a unit operation only to
    rejoin on the other side.
    Example:
    In the preparation of feedstock to a plant
    manufacturing hydrocarbon product, iso-
    pentane is removed from a petroleum
    stream. Given the data on the below
    diagram, what fraction of the petroleum is
    passed through the iso-pentane tower?

    1 2 Iso-Pentane 5 6 90% n – P
    Tower 10% i - P
    Feed
    80% n - P 4
    20% i - P
    100% i - P 100% n - P

    n – P = n – pentane
    i – P = iso-pentane
    Basis: Feed Flow of 100 kg
    Over Entire System:
    Overall Balance:
    m(T)1 = m(T) 4 + m(T) 6
    ⇒ 100 = m(T) 4 + m(T) 6
    n - P Balance
    0.8(100) = 0 × m(T) 4 + 0.9 m(T) 6
    0.8
    ⇒ m(T) 6 = × 100 = 89 kg
    0.9
    ⇒ m(T) 4 = 100 - 89 = 11 kg
    Balance Around Tower :
    Overall Balance
    m(T) 2 = m(T) 4 + m(T) 5
    = 11 + m(T) 5
    n - P Balance
    0.8 m(T) 2 = m(T) 5
    ⇒ m(T) 2 = 11 + 0.8 m(T) 2
    ⇒ 0.2 m(T) 2 = 11
    ⇒ m(T) 2 = 55 kg

    ∴ 45 kg of feed by-passes iso-pentane


    tower.
    ∴ 45% of the feed by-passes tower.
    55% of the feed passes through the
    tower

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