PRODUCTION OF L-ASCORBIC ACID
INTRODUCTION BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS
BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS
MATERIAL BALANCE BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONSMass transfer equipment: Distillation column (DC-101) Auxiliary Equipment: Pump (P-101) Reactor Equipment: Trickle Bed Reactor (TBR- 101) Heat transfer Equipment: Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger (STHE-101)
Mass transfer equipment: Distillation column (DC-101) Assumption Water vaporise rate: 100% Recovery Product:100% No reaction Steady state Inlet=Outlet
INLET = OUTLET
Reactor Equipment: Trickle Bed Reactor (TBR-101) Assumption Conversion rate: 97% Inlet=Outlet No accumulation
INLET = OUTLET
Auxiliary Equipment: Pump (P-101) Assumption Inlet=Outlet Steady state INLET = OUTLET
Heat transfer Equipment: Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger (STHE-101) Assumption Inlet=Outlet Steady State
INLET = OUTLET
ENERGY BALANCE DC-101 P-101 TBR-101 STHE-101
MANUAL VS. STIMULATION COMPARISON BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS
BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS
BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS
BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS
EQUIPMENT DESIGN OF REACTOR BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS Justification selection of Trickle Bed Reactor (TBR-101) Suitable for gas-liquid-solid catalytic hydrogenation process. Provides efficient contact between hydrogen, glucose solution, and Raney Nickel catalyst. High glucose conversion (97%) and product selectivity. Fixed catalyst bed eliminates catalyst separation step. Suitable for continuous large-scale production.
Mass Transfer Equipment Date: 29 MAY 2026 By: AIDA AFIFAH BINTI AZAHARI NUR FATEHAH BINTI MOHD ZAIDI Identification Item Type Trickle Bed Reactor Item No TBR-101 No required 1 Function To convert D-glucose into D-sorbitol through continuous catalytic hydrogenation using Raney Nickel catalyst. Operation Continuous Orientation Vertical Operating Data Conversion Material Handled Input Output Stream 5 Stream 7 Temperature (oC) 120°C 120°C Pressure (bar) 40.53 40.53 Mass Flow Rate (kg/hr) 9205.5 kg/h 9205.5 kg/h D-Glucose 3068.5 92.1 Hydrogen 61.4 Excess D-Sorbitol - 2976.4 Water 6076 6137 SPECIFICATION SHEET OF REACTOR BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS
Design Data Design pressure 44.58 bar Design temperature 148°C Diameter 0.895 m Height 3.58 m Wall thickness 20 mm Type of ends Torispherical End thickness 20 mm Reactor Volume 2.25 m3 Catalyst Volume 1.35 m3 Catalyst Mass 945 kg H/D Ratio 4 Bed Void Fraction 0.4 Catalyst Type Raney Nickel Material of construction Stainless Steel 304L Utilities Cooling Water Tolerances Heuristic Method BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS SPECIFICATION SHEET OF REACTOR
EQUIPMENT DESIGN OF MASS TRANSFER BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS DistillationColumn (DC-101) Selected to separate water from Diacetone L-Sorbose effectively. Trayed column provides better operational flexibility than packed column. Easier maintenance and inspection. Suitable for acidic process streams containing sulfuric acid. Vacuum operation prevents thermal degradation of heat-sensitive compounds. High separation efficiency for continuous operation
Mass Transfer Equipment Date: 20 MAY 2026 By: NUR SYAFIKAH BINTI TAHARIN Identification Item Type Distillation Column Item No DC-101 No required Function Removal of water from reaction mixture to concentrate Diacetone L-Sorbose Operation Continuous Orientation Vertical Water recovery (Distillate) 100% Product purity (Distillate) Water ≥ 99.5 wt% Product purity (Bottom) 100% Product purity (Bottoms) Diacetone L-Sorbose ≈ 76.5 wt% Material Handled Input Stream 17 Output Stream 18 (Distillate) Output Stream 21 (Bottom) Temperature (°c) 65°C 65°C 110°C Pressure (atm) 0.15 1 1 Mass Flow Rate (kg/hr) 5 077.62 778.8 4 298.82 L-Sorbose (aq) 401.97 - 401.97 SPECIFICATION SHEET OF MASS TRANSFER BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS
Mass Transfer Equipment Date: 20 MAY 2026 By: NUR SYAFIKAH BINTI TAHARIN Identification Item Type Distillation Column Material Handled D-Sorbitol (aq) 301.43 - 301.43 H₂SO₄ (aq) 306.85 - 306.85 Water 778.8 778.8 - Diacetone L-Sorbose (l) 3289.62 - 3289.4 Design Data Number of Theoretical Stages 10 Actual number of Trays 16 Feed Tray Location 6 (from top) Reflux ratio 1.5 Column inside diameter 1 100 mm Tangent to tangent height 9.8m Tray spacing 450mm Material of construction Stainless Steel 316L Design pressure Full vacuum Design temperature 130 °C SPECIFICATION SHEET OF MASS TRANSFER BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS
EQUIPMENT DESIGN OF HEAT EXCHANGER BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS Justification selection of Shell & Tube Heat Exchanger (HE-101) High heat transfer efficiency. Can operate over a wide range of temperatures and pressures. Robust construction and long service life. Easy maintenance and cleaning. Suitable for large flow rates in chemical processing plants. Economical and widely accepted industrial design.
Heat Exchanger Date : 7/6/2026 By : Norman Hong Identification Item type Shell and tube heat exchanger Item No. HE-101 Function To cool down the temperature of D-sorbitol and D-glucose from 120°C to 80°C Operation Continuous Design Data Heat duty 209.7852kW Overall coefficient 577.5 W/m².K Tube side Tube Fluid handled Sorbitol-glucose-water solution Outside diameter 0.032m Flow rate 1.7139kg/s Inside diameter 0.0264m Temperature 120-80 °C Length 1.83m Pressure 2 bar No. of tubes 23 Pressure drops allowable 0.01 bar No. of pass 2 Pressure drops calculated 0.00594882 bar Arrangement Triangular pitch 30° Material of construction Stainless steel -304 Pitch 0.04m Nozzle (Inlet)x29.70mm (Outlet)x29.70mm SPECIFICATION SHEET OF HEAT EXCHANGER BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS
Design Data Shell side Shell Fluid handled Cool water Bundle diameter 0.1244m Flow rate 9.9826kg/s Shell diameter 0.14077m Temperature 5-10 °C Baffle spacing 0.067185m Pressure 1.013bar Baffle diameter 0.00912m Pressure drops allowable 0.001bar Baffle cuts 25% Pressure drops calculated 0.0002bar Nozzle (Inlet)x79.80mm Material of construction Stainless steel -304 (Outlet)x79.80mm Support and Foundation Supports Steel saddles (2 sets) Foundation Concrete slab Utilities Cooling water (1.013bar, 5 °C) Tolerances Tubular Exchangers Manufactures Association (TEMA) standards BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS SPECIFICATION SHEET OF HEAT EXCHANGER
CONCLUSION BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS ► Equipment Design Achievements Successfully designed the major process equipment for ascorbic acid production. Selected suitable equipment based on process requirements and operating conditions. Completed detailed sizing, specification sheets, and engineering drawings. Applied material and energy balance data in equipment design. ► Process Performance Trickle Bed Reactor (TBR-101) achieved efficient conversion of D-glucose to D-sorbitol. Hydrogen Gas Compressor (P-101) supplied hydrogen at the required reactor pressure. Distillation Column and Reboiler provided effective product separation. Heat Exchanger ensured proper temperature control before downstream processing. ► Safety and Industrial Suitability Appropriate materials of construction selected for corrosion resistance and durability. Suitable for continuous industrial-scale operation. Design provides reliable and efficient production of ascorb acid.
REFERENCES BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS Alexander, R., Campani, G., Dinh, S., & Lima, F. V. (2020). Challenges and opportunities on nonlinear state estimation of chemical and biochemical processes. Processes, 8(11), Article 1462. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8111462 Hydrogen - Safety Data Sheet. (n.d.). ChemicalBook. https://www.chemicalbook.com/msds/Hydrogen.htm LeMond, G., & Hom, M. (2015). Mitochondrial supplements. In The science of fitness: Power, performance, and endurance (pp. 65–70). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-801023-5.00005-3 MADSA Codex of Dietary Supplement Ingredients. (2022). Vitamin C. Malaysian Dietary Supplement Association. https://madsa.org.my/codex/HC4989396889053 NINGBO INNO PHARMCHEM. (2026, March 31). Understanding Vitamin C (L-Ascorbic Acid) CAS 50-81-7: Chemical properties and industrial synthesis. https://www.nbinno.com/article/vitamins/vitamin-c-chemical-properties-synthesis-cw Susa, F., & Pisano, R. (2023). Advances in Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) Manufacturing: Green Extraction Techniques from Natural Sources. Processes, 11(11), 3167. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11113167 Search Results Page. (2025). Thermofisher.com. https://www.thermofisher.com/search/results? query=sorbitol&persona=DocSupport&filter=document.result_type_s%3ASDS&refinementAction=true SAFETY DATA SHEET ASCORBIC ACID. (2023). https://documents.thermofisher.com/DirectWebViewer/private/document.aspx? prd=ALFAAA15613~~PDF~~MTR~~ASNZ~~EN~~2023-03-15%2017:30:00~~L-(+
THANK YOU! BACHELOR OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY (FOOD TECHNOLOGY) WITH HONS