DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, IITD
CHEMICAL PROCESS TECHNOLOGY (CLL371)
TUTORIAL 5
1. In refineries, some intermediate products are converted to more desired products through
the further processing of those intermediates. Draw a detailed Process flow diagram of Benzene
alkylation to toluene:
HINT: Step-by-Step Process Description
Stage Equipment Function
1. Feed Preparation Mixer & Fresh Benzene, Recycle Benzene, and Methanol are mixed. The mixture is vaporized to
Preheater the reaction temperature (approx. 400°C).
2. Reaction Fixed-Bed The vapors pass over a ZSM-5 Zeolite catalyst. Alkylation occurs, producing Toluene
Reactor and water vapor.
3. Phase Separation Three-Phase The stream is cooled. Water is drained, non-condensable gases (methane/hydrogen) are
Separator vented, and the organic liquid moves forward.
4. Benzene Recovery Fractionation Benzene has a lower boiling point than Toluene. It is recovered at the top and recycled to
Column (T1) the reactor to increase efficiency.
5. Product Finishing Fractionation The "heavy" stream is distilled again to separate high-purity Toluene from side products
Column (T2) like Xylenes and heavier aromatics.
Key Design Considerations
Recycle Ratio: To minimize the formation of Xylenes (over-alkylation), the process often uses an excess of Benzene.
The unreacted Benzene is continuously recycled back to the start.
Heat Integration: The hot effluent coming out of the reactor is usually used to preheat the incoming cold feed via a
heat exchanger to save energy.
Catalyst Regeneration: Over time, carbon (coke) builds up on the zeolite. Modern plants often have two reactors in
parallel: one in operation while the other undergoes "decoking" with hot air.
See [Link] (Figure 11)
2. Thermal cracking: Propane is converted to ethylene and methane in a thermal cracking
operation with the following reaction: C3H8 → C2H4 + CH4. Propane is fed to the reactor at a
temperature of 100°C at a rate of 100 kg/hour, propane conversion is 80%. If the temperature of
the material leaving the reactor is 200°C, calculate the heat load that must be supplied to the
cracking unit.
Data: Standard heat of formation at 25°C (ΔH Fo) for C3H8 = -104680; C2H4 = 52510; CH4
=-74520 J/mol. Cp for C3H8 = 0.41 +0.036T; C2H4 = 2.71 +0.016T; CH4 = 3.42 +0.01T, where
Cp in cal/mol and T in K, given 1 cal = 4.187 J.
3. Burning the coke deposited on the catalyst particles generates all the heat necessary for
catalytic cracking. Therefore, the coke burning rate is a critical parameter to control the rate of
cracking. The composition of dry flue gas (excluding water) from the regenerator of an FCC unit
is given in vol% as follows:
Gas Volume %
N2 81.6
CO2 15.7
CO 1.5
O2 1.2
The dry air (excluding moisture in the air) flow rate to the regenerator is given as 593 SCMM
(standard cubic meters per minute). Considering that a significant portion of coke is carbon,
calculate the carbon burning rate in the regenerator in kg/min. Remember: 1 kmol at STP = 22.4
m3). ANSWER: 52.6 kg/min.
4. In the previous problem, calculate the hydrogen content (wt%) of the coke burnt. Assume
that the coke consists only of carbon and hydrogen.