equilibrium in industrial processes

what is the haber process? what ate the conditions & compromises?

T = 450C

P= 200-100ATM

catalyst= iron

low temp gives good yield but slow rates so temp used is compromises

high pressure gives good yield and high rate, too high a pressure leads to too high energy costs for pumps to rpoduce the pressure

what is the catalyst used in the contact process? what are the compromises?

V2O5 CATALYST

low temp gives good yield but slow rates so the compromise is that a moderate temp is used

high pressure gives slightly better yield and higher rate nut this would lead to high energy costs to produce the pressure

why are catalysts good in industry?

they speed up the rate, allowing lower temp to be used (lower energy costs) but they have no effect on equilibrium

why are unreacted reactants recycled?

recycling unreacted reactants back into the reactor can improve the overall yields of all these processes

give 3 reasons why product is removed before reaching the maximum conc equilibrium

• the equilibrium position will shift to the night
  OR
  this will favour forward reaction
  (1)

• (in an equilibrium) removal of product decreases rate of back reaction / rate of formation of reactants)
  (1)

• time to attain / reach equilibrium may be too long

(1)

• unreacted reactants can be recycled

Why are catalysts useful in industry?

Catalysts increase the rate of reaction moving toward equilibrium by providing an alternate reaction pathway with a lower activation energy

Allows milder conditions to be used so there are lover energy costs