Hacettepe University
Chemical Engineering Department
KMU-308 Reactor Design
Res. Asst. Gökçe Dicle Kalaycıoğlu
KMU-308 REACTOR DESIGN
TERM PROJECT
The first chemical step in making sulfuric acid from elemental sulfur is burning the sulfur (completely)
to form SO2.
1. Calculate the temperature of the gas leaving the burner based on the following: the burner
operates adiabatically, sulfur enters as liquid at 140oC, and excess air(79% mol N2, 21% O2)
enters at 25oC; ΔH (S(l), 140oC  S(s, rh), 25oC) = -5.07 kJ/mol; the outlet gas contains 9.5 mol
%SO2; other data required are given in Table 1.
2. The gas from the sulfur burner, after reduction of T in a “waste-heat boiler” enters a catalytic
converter for oxidation of SO2 to SO3 in several stages. If the gas enters the converter at 700
K, calculate fSO2 and the temperature (T/K) of the gas at the end of the first stage, assuming
the reaction is adiabatic and equilibrium is attained. Assume P=1 bar. See Table 1 for data.