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Design of experiments on the kinetics of the water‐gas shift reaction
Author(s) -
Hulburt Hugh M.,
Srini Vasan C. D.
Publication year - 1961
Publication title -
aiche journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 167
eISSN - 1547-5905
pISSN - 0001-1541
DOI - 10.1002/aic.690070131
Subject(s) - water gas shift reaction , diluent , carbon monoxide , chemistry , water gas , work (physics) , hydrogen , inert gas , thermodynamics , carbon dioxide , reaction mechanism , kinetics , reaction rate , catalysis , syngas , organic chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics
Experiments on the continuous catalytic water‐gas shift reaction have been carried out making full use of the principles of statistical design to elucidate the reaction mechanism. Instantaneous reaction rates were determined for sixteen different combinations of the five variables: partial pressures of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, carbon dioxide, and temperature. Nitrogen gas was used as an inert diluent to make up the total pressure to 1 atm. From the analysis of variance of these sixteen runs it can be shown that the Temkin mechanism for the water‐gas shift reaction cannot represent the data within the experimental accuracy. A tentative alternative mechanism which is consistent with the data obtained is presented. The work shows that while it is possible to obtain useful empirical kinetic data from small, well‐planned experiments, both highly precise experimental data and very careful statistical treatment are required. When these are available, a very marked reduction in the amount of experimental work can be effected.