CHE 396 SENIOR DESIGN HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT 1

09/19/2014

1. Develop project plan for the design and construction of a novel process for converting corn
biomass to bioethanol. Use figure 1.2 for the steps of the plan. Estimate required time for each
step.
2. You are project manager of a team that has been asked to develop organic shampoo for babies.
a. Search to determine customer requirements.
b. Carry out QFD analysis to map the customer requirements into product specifications.
3. Ethylene can be made from ethane by:
C2H6 C2H4 + H2
The reaction is endothermic and is run in the presence of steam (hence the process is called
Steam Cracking), without a catalyst at 870C. The reactor products are rapidly quenched to
about 550C to prevent secondary reactions. Sketch the block flow diagram for this process.
4. Cumene is made by alkylation of benzene with propylene over zeolitic catalyst. To maximize the
selectivity to desired products, several beds of catalysts are used inside the same reactor. A
mixture of feed and recycle benzene enters the top of the reactor and the feed propylene is split
so that a portion of the propylene is fed to each catalyst bed. A large excess of benzene is used,
to minimize propylene oligomerization and ensure complete reaction of propylene. The reactor
product is cooled and sent to a stabilizer column that removes any light hydrocarbons. The
bottoms from this column is sent to a benzene column that recovers benzene overhead for
recycle to the alkylation and transalkylation reactors. The bottoms from the benzene column is
distilled to give cumene product and a heavy stream. The heavy stream is further distilled in a
heavies column to give a mixture of dipropyl- and tripropyl-benzene overhead and a heavy
waste stream as bottoms. The distillate from the heavies column is sent to transalkylation
reactor and reacted with excess benzene. The product from transalkylation reactor is returned
to the benzene column. Sketch a block flow diagram for this process.

5. Ethanol is produced by the hydrolysis of ethylene. Together with the main product, ethanol,
diethyl ether is produced as a byproduct. Feed stream composition of this process is 50%
ethylene, 6% inerts and 44% water. Product stream composition is 47.26% ethylene, 5.89%
ethanol, 0.28% ether, 39.99% water and 6.58% inerts. Calculate conversion of ethylene.
Calculate the selectivity of ethylene for ethanol and for ether. Calculate reaction yield of
ethanol.