2nd order differential equation in Reaction Engineering

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on deriving the maximum temperature equation for a catalyst pellet in a reactor, specifically Tmax=Ts +[(-H)*(D*Cas)]/k. The user developed an energy balance leading to the equation d^2T/dr^2 + (2/r)*dT/dr + (-H)*(-Rxn)/k = 0, with boundary conditions at r=0 and r=R. Additionally, a mole balance equation d^2Ca/dr^2 + (2/r)*dCa/dr - (k/D)*Ca = 0 was established. The user seeks confirmation on the derived equations and guidance on solving them, especially when combining energy and mole balance equations.

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  • Understanding of second-order differential equations
  • Familiarity with energy balance principles in chemical engineering
  • Knowledge of mole balance concepts
  • Experience with boundary value problems
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  • Study methods for solving second-order differential equations with boundary conditions
  • Research the application of energy and mole balances in reactor design
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Chemical engineers, reactor design specialists, and students studying reaction engineering who need to understand temperature and concentration profiles in catalytic reactions.

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There's a catalyst pellet in a reactor and I'm supposed to prove an equation for the maximum temperature which is:

Tmax=Ts +[(-H)*(D*Cas)]/k

First thing I did was develop an Energy Balance across the spherical catalyst and I got the following equation:

(1/r^2)*d/dr(r^2*k*dT/dr) + (-H)*(-Rxn) = 0

expanding i get:

d^2T/dr^2 + (2/r)*dT/dr + (-H)*(-Rxn)/k = 0

Boundary Conditions: at r=0, dT/dr =0 AND at r=R, T=Ts (at the catalyst surface i.e. r=R the temperature T = Ts (catalyst surface temperature))

Using the boundary conditions and integrating factor I got
T=Ts + [(-H)(-Rxn)*(R^2-r^2)]/(6*k) ...(eqn 1)

Now for the mole balance across the catalyst I got (where Ca is the concentration):

d^2Ca/dr^2 + (2/r)*dCa/dr - (k/D)*Ca =0 ... (eqn 2)

Boundary Condition: at r=R, Ca=Cas

Can someone confirm the equation I got for temperature (eqn 1) and also for the concentration (eqn 2) how do I go about to solve it??

I tried another way to solve it, as suggested by my instructor, which is by using the un-expanded forms of the energy and mole balance equations which are:

(1/r^2)*d/dr(r^2*k*dT/dr) + (-H)*(-Rxn) = 0

(1/r^2)*d/dr(r^2*D*dCa/dr) + (Rxn) = 0

So here I have the "Rxn" term common in both equations and I combined and got the following after some simplifications:

d^2Ca/dr^2 + 2*dCa/dr = [k/(H*D)]* { r*d^2T/dr^2 + 2*dT/dr}

But in this case it looks way more complicated and I'm not sure how to deal with this type of an equation, since I have 2 derivates on both sides of the equation one with respect to the Concentration Ca and one with respect to temperature T.

:confused: not sure which way to proceed and how to proceed
 
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Let Ca(r)=(1/r)exp(f(r)) :
 

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