DESIGN OF A PLANT TO PRODUCE 10,000 TONS PER DAY OF CUMENE FROM THE REACTION OF PROPYLENE AND BENZENE IN THE

PRESENCE OF AN ACID CATALYST

An Undergraduate Design ReportPresented

By

GROUP SEVEN

TO THEDEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING,

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY, MINNA

March, 2014.

PRESENTATION OUTLINE INTRODUCTION PROCESS ROUTE JUSTIFICATION FOR PROCESS ROUTE ALTERNATIVE PROCESS ROUTE PROCESS DESCRIPTION FLOW DIAGRAM BLOCK DIAGRAM RESULTS AND DISCUSSION CONCLUSION RECOMMENDATIONS REFERENCES.

INTRODUCTION Overview of Cumene

Importance of Cumene - utilizing about 7% – 8% of worldwide propylene consumption

Uses of Cumene - Phenol, Acetone, Acetophenone, Methyl styrene, Diisopropyl benzene and Dicumyl peroxide.

PROCESS ROUTE

The chosen process route is THE REACTIVE DISTILLATION PROCESS.

JUSTIFICATION FOR PROCESS ROUTE

Lower Investment

Higher Ultimate Capacity

Safety and Environmental Acceptability.

ALTERNATIVE PROCESS ROUTE

The conventional process - Furnace - Cooled Plug Flow Reactor (PFR) - Distillation Columns.

REACTION EQUATIONSAlkylation Reaction

Transalkylation Reaction

PROCESS DESCRIPTION

Reactive Distillation Column

Trans-Alkylation Reactor

Benzene Distillation Column

Cumene Distillation Column.

FLOW DIAGRAM

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONEQUIPMENT COMPONENT INPUT

Mass Flow Rate (kg/hr)

INPUTMolar Flow Rate (kmol/hr)

OUTPUTMass Flow Rate (kg/hr)

OUTPUTMolar Flow Rate (kmol/hr)

RD Column Benzene 577,991.732 7399.336 288,995.866 3,699.668

Propylene 155,685.729 3,699.668  0  0

Propane 8,193.986   185.817 8,193.986 185.817

 Cumene 0 0 444,681.595 3,699.668

DIPB 0 0 19,366.070 119.344

Total 741,871.447 11,284.821 761237.517 7704.497

Benzene Distillation Column

Benzene  438,154.862 5,609.172 438,154.862 5,609.172

Cumene 447,550.409 3,723.536 447,550.409 3,723.536

DIPB 21,302.677 131.278 21,302.677 131.278

Total 907,007.948 9463.986 907,007.948 9463.986

Cumene Cooler Cumene 447,550.409 3,723.536 447,550.409 3,723.536

Benzene 4,381.549 56.092 4,381.549 56.092

Total 451,931.958 3779.628 451,931.958 3779.628

Table 1.1 Summary of Material Balance

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION CONT.

Equipment Component Heat in (kg/hr) Heat out (kg/hr)

Reactive Distillation Column Benzene 734599729.898 396768427.86916

Propylene 92851255.41  

Propane -18299107.398 -17826472.36581

Cumene   177412381.36128

DIPB   29109210.7267Benzene Distillation Column Benzene 41348550.43741 10131551.63

Cumene 50035170.65031 65302478.4472

DIPB 2105752.53778 2874955.46452Cumene Distillation Column Benzene 547555.0067 483094.02289

Cumene 66048237.8686 55403072.13824

DIPB 2913081.90242 5012677.9247Cumene Distillation Column Pump Benzene 541301.2108 54755.0062

Cumene 653072478.44712 66048237.86865

DIPB 2874955.46452 2913881.90242

Table 1.2 Summary of Energy Balance

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION CONT.

Equipment Parameters Results

Propane Storage TankStorage Time

Number of tanks

24 Hours

17

Volumetric flow rate m3/hr

Volume of Tank 518.575m3

Diameter of Tank 8.706m

Height of Tank 26.118m

Storage Time

Number of tanks

24 Hours

17Reactive Distillation Column Pump Diameter of pipe

Relative roughness

0.322m

1.5 x 10-4

Pipe lenght

Pressure drop 31.961 KN/M2

Pump shaft power 16.98kw

Table 1.2 Summary of Result for Equipment Design

RESULT AND DISCUSSION CONT.

QUANTITY PRICE

Total production cost (TPC) 3.416 x 1010 NGN

Total direct cost (TDC) 4.449 x 109 NGN

Total indirect cost 1.535 x 109 NGN

Working capital (WC) 1.178 x 109 NGN

Fixed capital investment (FCI) 5.984 x 109 NGN

Total capital investment (TCI) 7.162 x 109 NGN

Total direct production cost 1.82146 x 1010 NGN

Plant overhead cost (POHC) 2.986 x 109 NGN

Manufacturing cost 2.567 x 1010 NGN

Total general expenses 8.490 x 109 NGN

Tax Payable 3.538 x 109 NGN

Rate of Return 60.36%

Pay Back Period 2yrs

Total fixed charges 4.498x 109 NGN

Total depreciation 7.913 x 108 NGN

Table 1.3 Summary of Cost and Economic Analysis

CONCLUSION The process route chosen being Reactive

Distillation Process was found to be economically viable and environmentally friendly compared to other conventional route of cumene production.

The proposed capacity of 10,000 tons of cumene per day with a purity of 95 % and 99.9 % yield was achieved using the stated route.

At a selling price of N13,132 per ton, net profit of N 4.323 x 109 was realized with a perback period of two (2) years and a Return of Investment (ROI) of 98.11 %.

RECOMMENDATIONS In line with the capacity required in this design which is

based on daily production of cumene high enough making the design cumbersome, we wish to recommend that subsequent design should be carried out on yearly basis for ease of design operation.

Due to data limitation in estimating the plant cost, it is hereby recommended that more realistic data (updated data) should be used rather than rough estimate or assumed cost data.

Although RD is found viable in this work it is further recommend that future work involving use of RD should intensify effort on the safety assurance of the RD column.

REFERENCESSinnot,R.K. (1996). “Richardson and Coulson Chemical Engineering”, Vol.6, 3rd edition, Butterworth, Heinemann, Oxford- U.K.

Odigure J.O. (1998). “Safety, Loss and Pollution Prevention in Chemical Process Industries”, Jodigs and Associates, Nigaria.

Sinnot, R. K. (2005). Coulson and Richardson’s Chemical Engineering, 5th Edition, Butterworth, Heinemann, Vol. 6, Oxford, UK.

Smith J. M. and Van Ness H. C (2003). Introduction to Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, 5th edition, McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Stephanopoulos G. (2005); Chemical Process Control: An introduction to theory and practice, Prentice-Hall of India, New Delhi.

Walas S.M. (1990). Chemical Process Equipment Selection and Design, 4th edition, Butterworth-Heinemann, London.

Kolesnikov I.M. (2004). Kinetics of alkylation of benzene with propylene in the presence of dimethyldichlorosilane, Chemistry and Technology of Fuels and Oils 11-2004, volume 40, Issue 6, pp403-411

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