Question

- Concentr = -1, 1, -1, 1, -1, 1, -1, 1

- Feed = -1, -1, 1, 1, -1, -1, 1, 1
- Viscosity = 145, 154, 132, 149, 147, 150, 137, 152

It is important to study the effect of the concentration of the reactant and the feed rate on the viscosity of the product from a chemical process. Let the reactant concentration be factor A, at levels 15% and 25%. Let the feed rate be factor B, with levels 20 lb/hr and 30 lb/hr. The experiment involves two experimental runs at each combination. Data in excel file Qlviscosity.xlsx. Use Minitab to answer the following questions:

a. Compute the estimates of the effects and their SE for the design.
MINITAB Command: STAT → DOE → FACTORIAL → DEFINE (defines your design) STAT → DOE → FACTORIAL → ANALYZE FACTORIAL DESIGN → OK → OK

Answer 1

The question involves a factorial design experiment using Minitab to study the effect of reactant concentration and feed rate on product viscosity, principles tied to chemical reactions' dependence on concentrations for reaction rates.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question concerns the effect of reactant concentration and feed rate on the viscosity of a product from a chemical process, which is an important area of study in chemistry. According to kinetic theory, higher concentrations of a reactant generally lead to more frequent collisions between reactant molecules, thus increasing the rate of the chemical reaction. This principle is reflected in the provided data, indicating that reaction rates vary with changes in concentration. In a practical application such as a chemical engineering process, understanding and controlling these factors can be crucial for optimizing product quality and manufacturing efficiency.

To study these effects using Minitab, one would set up a factorial design experiment through the software's DOE functionality. This involves defining factors A (reactant concentration) and B (feed rate) with their respective levels, running multiple experiments, and analyzing the results to assess the statistical significance of the effects on viscosity. These steps align with understanding chemical reaction dynamics where factors like concentration impact rates, as covered in sections like 15.4: The Rate Law and detailed by examples such as the reaction rate's dependency on monomer concentration in Table 15.5.2.