(Multiple reactions with heat effects) Xylene has three major isomers, ///-xylene, o-xylen...

(Multiple reactions with heat effects) Xylene has three major isomers, ///-xylene, o-xylene, and /^-xylene. When o-xylene is passed over a Cryotite catalyst, the following elementary reactions are observed:

The feed to the reactor is equimolar in both m-xylene and o-xylene (species A and B). For a total feed rate of 2 mol/min and the reaction conditions below,

plot the temperature and the molar flow rates of each species as a function of catalyst weight up to a weight of 100 kg.

(a) Find the lowest concentration of o-xylene achieved in the reactor.

(b) Find the highest concentration of /»-xylene achieved in the reactor.

(a) Find the maximum concentration of o-xylene in the reactor.

(d) Repeat parts (a) to (c) for a pure feed of o-xylene.

(e) Vary some of the system parameters and describe what you learn.

(f) What do you believe to be the point of this problem?

Additional information:

All heat capacities are virtually the same at 100 J/mol K. Cm = 2 mol/dm3 A^xio = ~ 1800 J/mol o-xylene11 A//£x30 = — 1100 J/mol o-xylene

kt = 0.5 exp[2(l - 320/7)] dm3/kg cat. • min k2 = k{/Kc

k3 = 0.005 exp {[4.6(1- (460/7))]} dm3/kg cat. • min Kc = 10 exp [4.8 (430/7- 1.5)] T0 = 330 K T„ = 500 K Ua/pb = 16 J/kg cat. • min • °C W= 100 kg