Transport Phenomena for Chemical Reactor Design
Chapter One
MULTIPLE CHEMICAL REACTIONS
IN PLUG FLOW TUBULAR
REACTORS AND CONTINUOUS
STIRRED TANK REACTORS
1-1 GAS-PHASE PLUG-FLOW TUBULAR REACTORS
THAT PRODUCE TRIETHANOLAMINE FROM ETHYLENE
OXIDE AND AMMONIA
Triethanolamine is produced from ethylene oxide and ammonia at 5 atm total
pressure via three consecutive elementary chemical reactions in a gas-phase plug-flow
tubular reactor (PFR) that is not insulated from the surroundings. Ethylene
oxide must react with the products from the first and second reactions before
triethanolamine is formed in the third elementary step. The reaction scheme
is described below via equations (1-1) to (1-3). All reactions are elementary,
irreversible, and occur in the gas phase. In the first reaction, ethylene oxide,
which is a cyclic ether, and ammonia combine to form monoethanolamine:
C[H.sub.2]C[H.sub.2]O + N ... read full excerpt from Transport Phenomena for Chemical Reactor Design ebook