Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor

Date of performing experiment: 20 Aug 2025

Date of report submission: 27 Aug 20205

Group 22:
Vishwas Pathania(231168)
Yash Garg (231185)
Yadav Ankit(231181)
Yash Upadhyay(231189)
Aim /Objective:
To determine the reaction rate constant for saponification of ethyl acetate with NaOH at
different temperatures

Problem statement :
To study a non-catalytic homogeneous second order liquid phase reaction in a C.S.T.R at
different temperatures.

Key Findings:
The rate constant for saponification of ethyl acetate with NaOH was determined at different
temperatures, and activation energy was estimated from the Arrhenius plot.

Materials and Chemicals/Utilities Required

Material required

• Conductivity Metre

• Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR)

• Measuring Cylinder

• Stopwatch

• Distilled Water

Chemicals required

• N Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) solution

• N Ethyl Acetate (CH33COOC22H55) solution

Nomenclature

• Ca = Conc. of unreacted NaOH in the reactor (g mole/L)

 • τ = Residence Time (min)

• X = Fractional conversion

• k = Rate constant (L/g mol/min)

• Ea = Activation energy

• ra = Rate of reaction

• V = Total volume in reactor (litre)

• v0 = Flow rate (LPH)

Detailed Theory and Equations

Reaction: saponification

Residence time:

In a CSTR, the residence time is determined by the volume of the reactor and the flow rate at
which the reactants are introduced. You can calculate the residence time using the following
formula:

For a second order reaction:

Description
In this experiment, we're using something called a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) to
perform a chemical reaction called saponification. The CSTR is like a big tank that's constantly
stirring the mixture inside. It's mainly used for reactions that involve liquids, and we assume
that everything mixes perfectly inside it.

We're going to add our starting materials, or reactants, to the reactor using pumps. The pumps
control how fast the reactants are added. To keep track of how much we're adding, we use a
device called a rotameter.
Inside the CSTR, a stirring mechanism keeps everything well-mixed so that the reaction can
happen uniformly. This setup helps us study the saponification reaction under controlled
conditions.

In this experiment, we are trying to understand how a chemical reaction called saponification
works inside the continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). To do this, we are going to change how
fast we add the reactants to the reactor by adjusting the flow rate.

To figure out what is happening during the reaction, we are going to measure something called
conductivity. Think of it as a way to see how well electricity passes through the mixture inside
the reactor. We are particularly interested in how much sodium hydroxide is in the mixture
because it's a key part of the reaction.

To find out the amount of sodium hydroxide, we will create a special graph called a calibration
curve. It helps us connect the conductivity measurement to the amount of sodium hydroxide
present. This way, we can figure out how much sodium hydroxide is getting converted into
something else during the reaction.

Degree of Conversion (%) = (Initial amount of reactant — Amount of reactant remaining) / Initial
amount of reactant × 100

Experimental procedure

1. Fill the tanks with the sodium hydroxide and ethyl acetate solutions which we have
prepared.

2. Turn on the pumps carefully and maintain the rotameter flow rate.

3. Adjust the flow rates for both ethyl acetate and sodium hydroxide going into the CSTR
(the big tank where the reaction happens).

4. Once the liquid inside the reactor reaches about three-quarters of its capacity, start the
stirrer to keep everything mixed and adjust the stirrer speed in between the experiment.

5. Set the temperature you want on the temperature controller and switch on the heater to
reach that temperature.

6. When the temperature is just right (usually after about 10 minutes or when it has been in
the reactor for as long as the reactor's residence time, whichever is longer), take a 10 ml
sample from the outlet of the reactor.

7. Use a conductivity metre to measure how well electricity flows through this sample.

8. Repeat these steps for different flow rates and temperatures to see how they affect the
reaction.

Observations

• V=2.15L (volume of the Reactor)

Observation Table:

1)30C

2)40C

3)54C
Graphs:
Residence time v/s Xa/(1-Xa)^2 at:

1)30 C

2)40 C

2)50 C
Ln(k) v/s 1/T Plot:

OBSERVATION:
Results and Analysis:

A)For Rate constant:

Rate constant at different temperatures (30 C,40C,50C) were found as:

k(in L/(min*gmol))=[119.90,2374.61,5159.958]

B)For Activation Energy:

Scaling Laws:
Summary:

Precautions:

1. Clean the reactor after disposing of the hot-reacted solution.

2. Ensure the required temperature is in both the reactor and tank, mix accordingly.
 3. Ignore the initial reading because mixing will not start suddenly; after some time, it will
start.

4. Maintain the rotameter speed throughout the experiment for particular temp.

Suggestion For Improvements:

1. Error in conversion calculation from conductivity: Since conversion (X) was directly
obtained using the calibration formula relating conductivity to NaOH concentration, any error in
calibration or conductivity measurement directly affects X, leading to wrong k values.
Suggestion: Recalibrate the conductivity meter with standard NaOH solutions and verify the
calibration curve before the experiment.
2. Incorrect residence time calculation: Errors in flow rate measurement using rotameters
or in estimating effective reactor volume can lead to wrong τ values, causing negative or
unrealistic k. Suggestion: Use carefully calibrated rotameters and recheck the actual working
volume of the CSTR after immersing the stirrer and probes.
3. Mixing issues inside the CSTR: If the reactor is not well-stirred, the assumption of perfect
mixing breaks down, giving faulty concentration readings and negative k. Suggestion: Optimize
stirrer speed and ensure uniform mixing throughout the experiment.
4. Temperature measurement errors: If the reactor temperature differs from the set value
due to heat losses or sensor lag, calculated k may become negative or inconsistent. Suggestion:
Place temperature sensors correctly, allow sufficient equilibration time, and use insulation to
minimize heat losses.