The exit stream from a chemical reactor is sent to a storage tank, as shown in Figure. The exit stream from the storage tank serves as the feed stream to a separation process. The function of the intermediate storage tank is to ?damp? feed disturbances and to allow the separation process to continue to operate when the reactor is shut down for short periods of time.

(a) Discuss the design vs. control tradeoffs that are inherent in specifying the capacity of the storage tank.

(b) Suppose that the chemical reactor must produce a variety of products and, consequently, the set point for the exit composition changes frequently. How would ibis consideration influence your specification of the tank capacity?

Transcribed Image Text:

Reactor Storage Separation Feed tank process