Activity 4: Optimisation of reactor conditions A Client who is operating a reactor is interested in receiving advice on optimising the operating conditions, so that they can propose suggestions for improving the environmental sustainability of their process. The reaction of interest is the adiabatic combustion of methane in air. The Client has given some current operating conditions (given below in red), and is interested in learning about optimising current operations to minimise waste, and whether one of their suggestions can act as an environmental improvement. Notes from Client - CSTR reactor; 1g catalyst used, adiabatic conditions; feed is an air/methane mixture containing 4% methane by volume; feed is at atmospheric pressure and at 300K; feed flow rate is 25molh1. - The surface area of the walls inside the reactor is 300cm2; the global heat transfer coefficient is 11.6Wm2K1 - Standard enthalpy change for the reaction is 800kJmol2; reaction rate for methane (rmethane) is given by: rmethane=kpmethane where Pmethose is the methane partial pressure (in atm ) and the rate constant k is given as: k=106675e9009T, where T is the temperature in kelvin; calorific capacity (constant pressure) of the mixture fed into the reactor is constant and equal to 31Jmol1K1. - If the reactor is not operated in the adiabatic regime, but rather, if the reactor is cooled to a temperature (To) identical to that of the mixture that is initially introduced, such that the exit temperature of the mixture is at 1000K, will there be any benefit? Notes from Team Leader - Need to compare composition and temperature in the exit stream of current versus proposed conditions. - Need to explain whether self-ignition takes place in the reactor in either the current or proposed operations, since this might lead to an environmental benefit. - If there is any beneficial environmental merit in the proposed operations