23-Chem-A4 Chemical Reactor Engineering
Worked solutions to 14 past sittings (2013–2019), 70 questions. Pick a sitting, or start from a topic below.
- December 2019
- December 2018
- May 2018
- December 2017
- May 2017
- December 2016
- May 2016
- December 2015
- May 2015
- December 2014
- May 2014
- December 2013
- May 2013
- Undated paper
Topics across the sittings
Topics that come up in more than one sitting, taken from the headings of our worked solutions. A topic counts once per sitting.
- Fluidized Bed (2 sittings): December 2018 Q4 · December 2017 Q4
- Order (2 sittings): December 2017 Q5 · May 2013 Q1
- Packed Bed (2 sittings): December 2018 Q4 · December 2017 Q4
Questions by sitting
December 2019
- Question 1: Sizing a PFR and an MFR from Batch Kinetic Data
- Question 2: Holding Times for an Autocatalytic Reaction
- Question 3: Rate Equation from Total-Pressure Data
- Question 4: Transesterification Kinetics and Selectivity
- Question 5: Reactor Model and Activation Energy for Propylene Oxidation
December 2018
- Question 1: Rate Equation for HI Decomposition from k(T) Data
- Question 2: Rate Expression from Constant-Volume Total-Pressure Data
- Question 3: PFR Holding Time from Mixed-Flow Reactor Data
- Question 4: Packed Bed vs. Fluidized Bed (Kunii–Levenspiel)
- Question 5: Residence-Time Distribution from Pulse-Tracer Data
May 2018
- Question 1: Ethane Cracking — PFR Volume for 60% Conversion
- Question 2: Catalytic Packed Bed — Rate Expression from Conversion Data
- Question 3: Pyrolysis — PFR Length for 90% Conversion
- Question 4: Two Adiabatic CSTRs in Series — Annual Production of B
- Question 5: Batch Reactor Sizing and Two-Stage CSTR Conversion
December 2017
- Question 1: Reversible Hydrodealkylation — Equilibrium Conversion, Adiabatic Rise, Reactor Design
- Question 2: Pulse-Tracer Analysis of a River — Tracer Quantity and Reach Volume
- Question 3: Packed-Bed Rate Data — Rate, Plug-Flow and Recycle Catalyst Loads
- Question 4: Fluidized Bed vs Packed Bed — Pore Diffusion and Catalyst Economy
- Question 5: Order and Rate Constant from Total-Pressure Data
May 2017
- Question 1: Zero-Order Gas Reaction — Volume Change in a Constant-Pressure Batch Reactor
- Question 2: Parallel First-Order Reactions in Two Mixed-Flow Reactors in Series
- Question 3: Rate Equation from Plug-Flow Catalytic Data (Variable Density)
- Question 4: Adiabatic Batch Hydrolysis of Acetic Anhydride — Time for 80% Conversion
- Question 5: Residence-Time Distribution — Mean Time and Tanks-in-Series Number
December 2016
- Question 1: Rate that Passes Through a Maximum — Choosing CSTR vs PFR
- Question 2: Adiabatic Mixed-Flow Reactor Volume for 90% Conversion
- Question 3: Half-Order Batch Kinetics with an Arrhenius Temperature Shift
- Question 4: Fixed-Bed PFR — Catalyst Weight and Pore-Diffusion Effectiveness
- Question 5: Pulse-Tracer RTD — Tracer Amount, Reactor Volume, and Variance
May 2016
- Question 1: Ideal-Gas Batch Reaction $2A\rightarrow B+2C$ — Instantaneous Rates of Change at Constant $V$ and Constant $P$
- Question 2: Consecutive Reactions in a CSTR — Extracting Rate Constants and Orders from Residence-Time Data
- Question 3: Reversible Reaction $A\rightleftharpoons B$ in a PFR — Temperature of Minimum Residence Time
- Question 4: Reversible Gas-Phase Dimerization $2A\rightleftharpoons B$ in a Tubular Reactor — Reactor Length
- Question 5: Gas-Phase Trimerization $3A\rightarrow B$ in a CSTR — Fractional Conversion
December 2015
- Question 1: Parallel Gas-Phase Reactions — Temperature for Selectivity, PFR Volume for Yield
- Question 2: Semibatch Reactor — Ether Concentration as a Function of Time
- Question 3: CSTR + PFR in Series — Best Ordering for Maximum Conversion
- Question 4: Nitration in a CSTR — Adiabatic vs Cooled Volume and Space-Time
- Question 5: Recycle (Gradientless) Reactor → Packed-Bed Catalyst Sizing
May 2015
- Question 1: Batch Esterification — Ethyl Acetate Reactor Sizing
- Question 2: Non-Ideal Tank — Equivalent Ideal Mixed-Flow Reactor
- Question 3: Triangular RTD — Dispersion and Tanks-in-Series Models
- Question 4: Gas-Phase PFR with Mole Change — Third-Order Kinetics
- Question 5: Catalytic Mixed Reactor — Determining the Rate Equation
December 2014
- Question 1: Enzyme Hydrolysis of Sucrose — Michaelis-Menten Constants
- Question 2: Reactor Sizing from Rate-Concentration Data
- Question 3: Autocatalytic Reaction — PFR, MFR and Minimum-Size Train
- Question 4: Parallel Reactions — Reactor Choice for Selectivity
- Question 5: CSTR Kinetic Determination for a Mole-Changing Gas Reaction
May 2014
- Question 1: Ethyl-Acetate Saponification in a CSTR (and Two in Series)
- Question 2: Optimum Temperature for a Reversible Exothermic Isomerization
- Question 3: Acetaldehyde Decomposition — Batch Kinetics and a PFR
- Question 4: Second-Order Reaction in Two Unequal CSTRs — Ordering and Parallel
- Question 5: Phosphine Decomposition in a Plug-Flow Reactor
December 2013
- Question 1: Two CSTRs in Series (Bimolecular Liquid Reaction)
- Question 2: Reversible Pseudo-First-Order Esterification
- Question 3: Adiabatic CSTR — Operating Temperature and Heat Duty
- Question 4: Gas-Phase $A\rightarrow 2B$ from Total-Pressure Data
- Question 5: Isothermal PFR — Second-Order Gas Reaction $2A\rightarrow A_2$
May 2013
- Question 1: Diphosgene Decomposition — Order and Activation Energy
- Question 2: Reversible Pseudo-First-Order Esterification of Formic Acid
- Question 3: Adiabatic Plug-Flow Reactor — Exit Temperature
- Question 4: Acetone Pyrolysis in a Plug-Flow Reactor — First-Order Kinetics
- Question 5: CSTRs in Series vs. a Single CSTR — First-Order Liquid Reaction
Undated paper
- Question 1: Ideal PFR with Product-Inhibited Kinetics
- Question 2: Testing a Dual-Site LHHW Rate Law for DME Synthesis
- Question 3: Pulse-Tracer Test on a Fouled Polymerization Reactor
- Question 4: Effectiveness Factor from Particle-Size Experiments
- Question 5: First-Order Fit and External Mass-Transfer Diagnosis in a Packed PFR