Equilibrium conversions

If a reaction is reversible, there is a maximum conversion that can be achieved, the equilibrium conversion, which is less than 1.0. Fixing the mole ratio of reactants, temperature, and pressure fixes the equilibrium conversion. ... 

Again, it is difficult to select the initial setting of the reactor conversion with systems of reactions in series. A conversion of 50 percent for irreversible reactions or 50 percent of the equilibrium conversion for reversible reactions is as reasonable as can be guessed at this stage. 

Single reversible reactions. The maximum conversion in reversible reactions is limited by the equilibrium conversion, and conditions in the reactor are usually chosen to increase the equilibrium conversion. Le Chatelier s principle dictates the changes required to increase equilibrium conversion ... 

We shall see later how temperature and pressure affect equilibrium conversion. For now, let us consider how concentration affects equilibrium conversion. 

The equilibrium conversion can be increased by employing one reactant in excess (or removing the water formed, or both). b. Inerts concentration. Sometimes, an inert material is present in the reactor. This might be a solvent in a liquid-phase reaction or an inert gas in a gas-phase reaction. Consider the reaction system... 

If inert material is to be added, then ease of separation is an important consideration. For example, steam is added as an inert to hydrocarbon cracking reactions and is an attractive material in this respect because it is easily separated from the hydrocarbon components by condensation. If the reaction does not involve any change in the number of moles, inert material has no effect on equilibrium conversion. 

Product removal during reaction. Sometimes the equilibrium conversion can be increased by removing the product (or one of the products) continuously from the reactor as the reaction progresses, e.g., by allowing it to vaporize from a liquid-phase reactor. Another way is to carry out the reaction in stages with intermediate separation of the products. As an example of intermediate separation, consider the production of sulfuric acid as illustrated in Fig. 2.4. Sulfur dioxide is oxidized to sulfur trioxide ... 

Figure 2,9 Various measures can be taken to increase equilibrium conversion in reversible reactions. (From Smith and Petela, The Chemical Engineer, Dec. 17, 1991 reproduced by permission of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.)...

Single reactions. For single reactions, a good initial setting is 95 percent conversion for irreversible reactions and 95 percent of the equilibrium conversion for reversible reactions. Figure 2.9 summarizes the influence of feed mole ratio, inert concentration, temperature, and pressure on equilibrium conversion. ... 

For multiple reactions in which the byproduct is formed in series, the selectivity decreases as conversion increases. In this case, lower conversion than that for single reactions is expected to be appropriate. Again, the best guess at this stage is to set the conversion to 50 percent for irreversible reactions or to 50 percent of the equilibrium conversion for reversible reactions. 

In Fig. 8.3, the curves were limited hy a reactor conversion of 1. If the reaction had been reversible, then a similar picture would have been obtained. However, instead of being limited by a reactor conversion of 1, the curves would have been limited by the equilibrium conversion. 

A catalyst is a material that accelerates a reaction rate towards thennodynamic equilibrium conversion without itself being consumed in the reaction. Reactions occur on catalysts at particular sites, called active sites , which may have different electronic and geometric structures than neighbouring sites. Catalytic reactions are at the heart of many chemical industries, and account for a large fraction of worldwide chemical production. Research into fiindamental aspects of catalytic reactions has a strong economic motivating factor a better understanding of the catalytic process... 

Conversion by a reversible reaction is enhanced by starting out at high temperature and ending at low temperature if equilibrium conversion drops off at high temperature. 

In reviewing thermodynamics, the nature of the heat of reaction and whether the reaction is reversible can be investigated. In the synthesis of aimnonia, reactors operate at about 200 atm and 350°C and approach the equilibrium conversion of about 70% in each pass. 

The equilibrium constant can be determined at any temperature from standard state information on reactants and product. Considering the synthesis of NH3, the equilibrium conversion can be determined for a stoichiometric feed of Hj and Nj, at the total pressure. These conversions are determined by the number of moles of each species against conversion X by taking as a basis, 1 mole of N2. 

Fig ure 6-12. Profiles of equilibrium conversion Xg versus temperature T for ammonia synthesis. (Source Schmidt, L. D., The Engineering of Chemical Reactions, Oxford University Press, New York, 1998.)... 

The metathetic reaction occurs in the gas phase at relatively high temperatures (150°-350°C) with molybdenum or tungsten supported catalysts or at low temperature (=50°C) with rhenium-based catalyst in either liquid or gas-phase. The liquid-phase process gives a better conversion. Equilibrium conversion in the range of 55-65% could be realized, depending on the reaction temperature. ... 

In the Monsanto/Lummus Crest process (Figure 10-3), fresh ethylbenzene with recycled unconverted ethylbenzene are mixed with superheated steam. The steam acts as a heating medium and as a diluent. The endothermic reaction is carried out in multiple radial bed reactors filled with proprietary catalysts. Radial beds minimize pressure drops across the reactor. A simulation and optimization of styrene plant based on the Lummus Monsanto process has been done by Sundaram et al. Yields could be predicted, and with the help of an optimizer, the best operating conditions can be found. Figure 10-4 shows the effect of steam-to-EB ratio, temperature, and pressure on the equilibrium conversion of ethylbenzene. Alternative routes for producing styrene have been sought. One approach is to dimerize butadiene to 4-vinyl-1-cyclohexene, followed by catalytic dehydrogenation to styrene ... 

Effects of Cold Gas Recycle and Approach to Equilibrium. Product gases resulting from various CGR ratios were analyzed (Table XI). For the experiments tabulated, a decrease in the cold recycle ratio resulted consistently in increases in the product gas concentrations of water vapor, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide and a decrease in methane concentration. These trends may be noted in experiment HGR-12 as the CGR ratio decreased from 8.7 1 to 1.2 1, in experiment HGR-13 as it increased from 1.0 1 to 9.1 1, and in experiment HGR-14 as it decreased from 3.0 1 to 1.0 1. These trends indicate that the water-gas shift reaction (CO + H20 —> C02 + H2) was sustained to some degree. Except for the 462-hr period in experiment HGR-14, the apparent mass action constants for the water-gas shift reaction (based on the product gas compositions in Table XI) remained fairly constant at 0.57-1.6. These values are much lower than the value of 11.7 for equilibrium conversion at 400°C. In... 

The space velocity was varied from 2539 to 9130 scf/hr ft3 catalyst. Carbon monoxide and ethane were at equilibrium conversion at all space velocities however, some carbon dioxide breakthrough was noticed at the higher space velocities. A bed of activated carbon and zinc oxide at 149 °C reduced the sulfur content of the feed gas from about 2 ppm to less than 0.1 ppm in order to avoid catalyst deactivation by sulfur poisoning. Subsequent tests have indicated that the catalyst is equally effective for feed gases containing up to 1 mole % benzene and 0.5 ppm sulfur (5). These are the maximum concentrations of impurities that can be present in methanation section feed gases. 

Conversion to octene because ethene escaped from the system, the calculated equilibrium conversion may be exceeded. 

Two phases are present in the region between the two curves the compositions of the two phases in equilibrium with each other are given by the intersection of a horizontal tie-line with the vapor and liquid curves. Lines cb and fd in Figure 8.13 are two examples. One degree of freedom is present in this region. Thus, specifying the pressure fixes the compositions of the phases in equilibrium conversely, specifying the composition of one of the phases in equilibrium sets the pressure and the composition of the other phase.w... 

Can we influence the equilibrium conversion of a catalytic reaction via NEMCA ... 

---