1.

0 PROCEDURE
1. Experiment is conducted using Aspen Hysys software.
2. New button was clicked to apply the new project.
3. Component Lists on the left side was clicked and compounds of methane, acetone and
ketene are searched and added into the system.

4. After adding the component, the fluid packages is selected. In this case, Wilson property
package is selected as the fluid package.

5. Simulation tab was clicked to start applying the process.

6. Unit was chosen by opening the Palette window and was dragged out to the worksheet.
The first unit that is chosen is plug flow reactor (PFR). PFR was double clicked to insert
the information given as follow.
Data
Temperature inlet
Pressure inlet
Mass flow rate of feed

Value
760 0C
150 kPa
8000 kgmole/hr

7. The compositions of the stream:

Acetone

1.0

Methane

0.0

Ketene

0.0

8. Back to the Properties menu, from the left bar Reactions is chosen to add the reaction.
9. Kinetic was selected to add the kinetics forward and reverse as set 1 into the active
reactions.

10. Rxn-1 is double clicked on the kinetic reaction in the active reactions to fill in the
stoichiometric table as (Acetone = -1, Methane = 1, Ketene = 1).
11. The reaction phase for acetone was changed to vapor phase where the value for A and E
for both forward and reserve were filled. The data is tabulated as follow:
DATA

VALUE

A
E

8.2 1014

FORWARD:
5

2.85 10 kJ /mol

REVERSE:
A
E

0
0

12. Add Set to Fluid Package was clicked to apply it to the system. Then, Add to FP

button was clicked to confirm it.

13. Simulation tab was clicked and the units are dragged into the worksheet from the pallete.
14. The material streams were labeled such as stream 1 is for inlet, stream 2 is for the outlet
and stream 3 is for energy.
15. The value of delta P on the parameters option was filled with 50.0 kPa and the value of
duty, Qout was filled with 0W. At the reaction menu, overall of reaction 1 was added.
16. By clicking the rating menu and choose size, the following data is inserted as assuming
value.
DATA
Length
Inner diameter

VALUE
30m
0.5m

PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM (PFD)

WORKBOOK

QUESTIONS
What is the volume of PFR to achieve at least 20% conversion of acetone?
The volume of PFR can be calculated by
Volume r 2 h=( 0.25 m )211.68 m=2.2934 m3

Where the value of 0.25 m is the radius (0.5 diamter) , and 11.68m is the length.

DISCUSSION

One of the routes to produce acetic anhydride is by the vapor phase cracking of acetone to
produce ketene and methane. This process is about the production of acetic anhydride. The
process involves the kinetic reaction for forward and reverse by using plug flow reactor as the
reactor. In this lab, this reaction is first order with respect to acetone. The feed condition is 8000

kg/hr of acetone at 760oC and 150 kPa. The objectives of this process are to install and converge
a plug flow reactor and to simulate a process involving reaction.
Wilson property package is used with pressure drop is 50kPa and heat out is zero. The length
is assumed to be 30 m and inner diameter is 0.5m. the value of kinetics of forward and
backwards are given to be inserted into the system. The length and the inner diameter can be
changed to achieve specific goal.
Plug flow reactor (PFR) which also known as continuous tubular reactor (CTR) or piston
flow reactor is a model used to describe chemical reactions in continuous, flowing systems of
cylindrical geometry. The fluid in PFR will perfectly mixed in the radial direction but not in the
axial direction (forwards or backwards). PFRs are used to model the chemical transformation of
compounds as they are transported in systems resembling "pipes". The pipe can represent a
variety of engineered or natural conduits through which liquids or gases flow. Plug flow reactors
have a high volumetric unit conversion, can also run for long periods of time without
maintenance, and the heat transfer rate can be optimized by using more, thinner tubes or fewer,
thicker tubes in parallel. This makes a PFR is good reactors in industry.
Chemical kinetics which also known reaction kinetics is the study of the rate of a chemical
reaction. Chemical kinetics includes investigations of how different experimental conditions can
influence the speed of a chemical reaction and yield information about the reaction's
mechanism and transition states, as well as the construction of mathematical models that can
describe the characteristics of a chemical reaction. There are a few factors that will affect the rate
of a reaction such as the nature of the reactants, physical states of the reactants, concentration of
the reactants, pressure of gaseous reactants, temperature and presence of catalysts in the reaction.