Modeling and Simulation of a Non-Isothermal Continuous Stirred Tank Reactor for Methanol Synthesis Using Different Catalyst

An unsteady state models for a continuous stirred tank reactor was developed applying principles of conservation of mass and energy to predict feed (reactants) depletion and product formation using three different catalysts namely alumina (Al2O3), Zinc oxide (ZnO) and Copper (Cu). The results obtained from the developed model showed the concentration of product formation using three different catalysts. As the reaction progresses in the reactor the temperature increases which shows a corresponding conversion of the feeds in the reactor. The temperature increased to a maximum of 592K. The developed models were validated with literature values. The simulation was done by MATLAB R2020 and numerically solved using Runge-Kutta method. A sensitivity analysis was carried out on the fractional conversion on Methanol formation. The optimal values from the simulation were obtained using the calculus second differential method to be 0.7426mol/l, 0.6094mol/l, 1.3712mol/l and 1.4054mol/l, respectively.