Question

3. Methanol is produced by reacting carbon monoxide and hydrogen. A fresh feed stream containing CO and Hjoins a recycle stream and the combined stream is fed to a reactor. The reactor outlet stream flows at a rate of 350 mol/min and contains 10.6 wt% H2, 64.0 wt% CO, and 25.4 wt% CH,OH. (Notice that those are percentages by mass, not mole percents. This stream enters a cooler in which most of the methanol is condensed. The liquid methanol condensate is withdrawn as a product, and the gas stream leaving the condenser--which contains CO, H, and 0.40 mole% uncondensed CH OH vapor is the recycle stream that combines with the fresh feed. a) Draw and label a flow diagram from this process b) What is the molar flow rates of CO and H2 in the fresh feed? c) What is the production rate of liquid methanol? d) What are the single-pass and overall conversions of carbon monoxide? e) After several months of operation, the flow rate of liquid methanol leaving the condenser begins to decrease. List at least two possible explanations of this behavior and state how you might check the validity of each one. (What would you measure and what would you expect to find if the explanation is valid?)

i beed help calculating from wt% to moles in the reactor outlet stream. the reactor outket shows a molar flow rate but the percentages of the reactor outlet are in weight %. see the note in parenthesis in the question. thanks

Answer 1

Solutions Gilena Steam flow rate (s) = 350 ml/min [10.6 wt% W] , [64-0 wt%, co], [254% CH304] Molecular Weight 2 gm/mol 1 Component Со 28 gm/mol Снок 32gm/mol

- 2gh/mol let Bogle = 100 g/min 80 1016 Bm/ren Hs Ten bagepuin) 10.6 peynin = 5.3 mol mór 64 gr/min co Tomofuimos se ha hecne = 2.286 molfmen 25.4 gr/mon CHQOH En bueyond 25.4 pyhien = 0.79375 molin 32 gamol Total molar flow rate for 100 gr/min = 8.37975 mol/min # Now of the Molas flow rate of tz _ 5.3 ml non mole fraction of th = Total molar flow rate 8.37975 mollman # Mole fraction of Hz = 0.6325) Similarly, Mole fraction of co = 2.286 molson = 0.2728 Samolotely – Mode fraction of ChOH = 0; 79225 million = 0.0947 # Molor flow rate of 11 Sr oulet skolcom = Sx0.6325 = 350ml *0.6325=221-3'smel Similarly, molor flow rate of cofn outlet Storcom = 35omol x0.2728 = 95.48 mble Similarly = Molar floro sale of Croh in outlet stream = 350 molX0-0947=33-145 mola the min 8.37975 mol van min min

Thank you. Please upvote it. ??