SAPONIFICATION OF ETHYL ACETATE WHEN OPERATING AT FIXED RESIDENCE TIMES

The effect of reactor geometry on the percent completion of a second order reaction was studied in four different tubular reactors. An aqueous solution of ethyl acetate and sodium hydroxide was al-lowed to react at equimolar initial concentrations in each tubular reactor at several different flow rates. Since all flow rates were in laminar flow, provision was made to develop a laminar velocity profile in the reactant fluid before the reactants entered the reactor. All four experimental reactors had the same volume. Reactors of 1-, 1-1 /4-, 1-1 /2-, and 2-inch diameters were used. Six different flow rates were used with each reactor. The amount of reaction at each flow rate was determined by means of a titration method. The 1-, 1-1/4-, and 1-1/2-inch diameter reactors gave data very similar to each other. At high flow rates all four reactors gave similar data; however, at the low flow rates the 2-inch diameter reactor gave a marked decrease in amount of reactant conversion. Comparison of the experimental data with the data calculated for a theoretical laminar flow reactor showed that the 1-, 1-1/4-, and 1-1/2-inch diameter reactors approached the theoretical results only at the very low flow rates. At high flow rates all four experi-mental reactors gave results very close to those calcualted for a plug flow reactor