The cumene process is used to convert benzene and propene


The cumene process is used to convert benzene and propene in the presence of oxygen to phenol and acetone via the following reaction. C6H6 +C3H6+O2 ____> C6H5OH +C3H6O

This reaction is carried out in with excess benzene and excess oxygen to ensure that no side reactions occur. A 1.13 ratio of benzene to propene is fed to a reactor in the presence of 25.5% excess air (N2 and O2). The first pass conversion of propene is 100%. The products leave the reactor and enter a condenser where the gaseous nitrogen and oxygen leave the process and the liquid organic products are fed to a distillation column. The distillation column separates the products from the reactants. Any unreacted reactants are fed into the fresh feed stream. The products are directed to a second distillation column that separates the acetone from the phenol. If 13.9 kg/hr of phenol is produced from this process, answer the following questions. First, label the process flow diagram below, putting either a given numeric value or the words \"unknown\" or \"none\" in each space. Do not leave any spaces blank. Variable names are shown for reference later.

What is n1, the molar flow rate of fresh feed into the process? mol/hr

What are the mole fractions of C6H6 (x1), C3H6 (x2), O2 (x3) and N2 (x4) in the fresh feed stream?

What is n6, the molar flow rate of the recycle stream?

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Mechanical Engineering: The cumene process is used to convert benzene and propene
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