CPE 639

Mechanical Design of Process

Equipment
Assignment 2
Dr. Norin Zamiah Kassim Shaari
EH221 6C/EH241 6
PREPARED BY:
NAMES

STUDENT ID

AHMAD SALIHIN BIN MOHAMAD

FHOOZI
NUR SYUHADA BINTI SHANAN

2014825602

WAN ROSLILI BINTI WAN NON

2013624484

NORLYDIA AZREEN BINTI ZULKEFLI

2013251496

NURUL HAFIZAH BINTI HAMID

2013212768

Submit: 18th May 2016

2014625692

ASSIGNMENT 2
1. Choose a suitable material of construction for the following duties. In each
case, select the material for a 50 mm pipe operating at approximately 2
bar pressure. Provide the justifications.
a) 98 per cent w/w sulphuric acid at 70C.
Polytetrafluoroethylene, Teflon (PTFE)
- Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is very non-reactive and is often used in
containers holding reactive and corrosive chemicals. Its melting point is
600 K (327 C; 620 F). It maintains high strength, toughness and selflubrication at low temperatures down to 5 K (-268.15 C; -450.67 F),
and good flexibility at temperatures above 194 K (-79 C; -110 F).
Certain alkali metals and fluorinating agents such as xenon difluoride
and cobalt (III) fluoride can damage PTFE, but otherwise it is highly
resistant.

b) 5 per cent w/w sulphuric acid at 30C.

Polyolefin
- Polyolefin fibres have a density less than 1.0 and therefore, at a given
decitex, are thicker than other man-made fibres and give more cover.
They do not absorb moisture, which is an advantage in many end- uses,
but without modification, it cannot be dyed. Low-density polyethylene
(polythene) is a relatively cheap, tough, flexible plastic. It has a low
softening point and is not suitable for use above about 60C. The higher
density polymer (950 kg/m3) is stiffer, and can be used at higher
temperatures. They have a high resistance to chemical attack and
modern polypropylene fibres have a high resistance to UV degradation.
c) 30 per cent w/w hydrochloric acid at 50C.
Fibre Reinforced Plastics (FRP), Poly-Vinyl Chloride (PVC),
-

Polytetrafluroethylene (PTFE).
Commonly, metal piping is used, but apart from corrosion, metals can
contaminate

the

caustic

product.

These

types

of

thermoplastic

materials are relatively strong and have a good resistance to a wide

range of chemicals and can withstand the temperatures up to 90C.
Beside their desired mechanical properties, their resistance to corrosion

as well as the lower cost for installation and life cycle are also the
factors for using this material as piping material. Although they are
sensitive to UV light, heat and moisture environments and good
maintenance could increase their life time.

d) 5 per cent aqueous sodium hydroxide solution at 30 C.

Carbon steel, 304-Stainless steel
- Due to the hazardous properties of caustic soda solution, plastic pipe
such as fiberglass reinforces plastics (FRP) should not be used. Carbon
steel does not resistant to corrosion but in certain specific condition
such as concentrated sulphuric acid and caustic alkaline, it does. For
304-Stainless steel, it is the most frequently used corrosion resistant
materials in the chemical industry. Additionally, both of the steels are
recommended for 5% aqueous sodium hydroxide up to 95 C.
e) Concentrated aqueous sodium hydroxide solution at 50C.
Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE)
- For concentrated sodium hydroxide at 50 C, ETFE is chosen as one of
the suggested material of construction. Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene
usually used as a material to construct equipment that dealt with high
concentration of acid. ETFE have high corrosion resistance and strength
over a wide temperature range. Furthermore, ETFE have a relatively
high melting temperature, excellent chemical, electrical and high
energy radiation resistance properties. This kind of material has tensile
strength of 42 N/mm2 (6100psi). The working temperature of ETFE is in
a range from -185C to 150C. It is also resistance to ultraviolet light.
f) 5 percent w/w nitric acid at 30C
Polychlorotrifluoroethene (PCTFE)
- To deal with nitric acid in 5% w/w at 30 C, PCTFE was chosen. According
to the corrosion chart, PCTFE is one of the suitable material of
construction that can withstand the corrosivity of the substance.
Polychlorotrifluoroethene

(PCTFE)

is

thermoplastic

chlorofluoropolymer with the molecular formula (CF2CClF)n, where n is

the number of monomer units in the polymer molecule. PCTFE has high
tensile strength and good thermal characteristics. It is non-flammable
and the heat resistance is up to 175C. Besides, it has a low coefficient

of thermal expansion and the glass transition temperature (Tg) is

around 45C. Furthermore it has good chemical resistance. It also
exhibits properties like zero-moisture absorption and non-wetting.
PCTFE is resistant to the attack by most chemicals and oxidizing agents;
a property which is exhibited due to the presence of high fluorine
content. Lastly, PCTFE is resistant to oxidation because it does not have
any hydrogen atoms.
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
- Second material that can be use is PTFE. PTFE is used as a non-stick
coating for pans and other cookware. It is very non-reactive, partly
because of the strength of carbonfluorine bonds, and so it is often
used in containers and pipework for reactive and corrosive chemicals.
As the advantage of PTFE, it can reduce friction, wear and energy
consumption of machinery. PTFE have high melting point that is 600 K
(327 C). It maintains high strength, toughness and self-lubrication at
low temperatures down to 5 K (268.15 C), and good flexibility at
temperatures above 194 K (79 C).
g) Boiling concentrated nitric acid.
Carbon steel and Aluminium
- The suitable materials of construction are Carbon steel and Aluminium.
The main point in choosing this material is because it is cheap and also
commonly used in industry. Other than that, it is suitable with boiling
point of nitric acid with only 83oC, and with the concentration is 0.02
mol/cm3. Aluminium is choose because it has high resistance toward
concentrated nitric acid.
h) 10 per cent w/w sodium chloride solution.
Titanium
- The suitable material of construction is Titanium. It is because, titanium
is mainly resistance in chloride solution besides been widely used in the
chemical industry. The resistance from chloride solutions, including sea
water made the titanium suitable for this sodium chloride solution.
i) 5 per cent w/w solution of cuprous chloride in hydrochloric acid.
Hastelloys and Inconel
- The suitable materials of construction are the Hastelloys and Inconel.
The Hastelloys is made from a range of nickel, chromium, molybdenum,
iron alloys that developed for corrosion resistance to strong mineral
acids known as hydrochloric acid. Inconel is used primarily for acid

resistance at high temperature, which suitable for cuprous chloride that

has high boiling point.

j)

10 per cent w/w hydrofluoric acid.

Alloy 400
- The suitable material that suit for 10 per cent w/w hydrofluoric acid is
alloy 400 or known as Monel 400 was a nickel copper alloy..This is
because alloy 400 exhibits resistance to corrosion by many reducing
media since it involves acid which may corrode a component of a
system.Besides,it has a high strength and toughness over a wide
temperature
environments

range
and

and
good

excellent

resistance

mechanical

to

many

corrosive

properties

from

sub-zero

temperature up to 1020oF.

2. Suggest a suitable material of construction for the following applications and

provide justifications.
a) A 10,000 m3 storage tank for toluene.

Fluorocarbon Rubber FKM (Viton)

- Long lasting material as can be preserved until 20 year shelf life.
Combining high temperature resistance with outstanding chemical
resistance, Fluorocarbon-based compounds approach the ideal for a
universal

material.

New

Polymers

being

offered

have

improved

chemical resistance and low temperature performance. Improved

resistant to steam for higher temperature services. Low temperature

bases can improve performance to -40F.

Polyethene (Polyethylene)
Linear polyethylene is better than crosslinked polyethylene. The material is
extremely durable and has an excellent impact and environmental stress
crack resistance. Unlike the other materials, polyethylene is extremely
flexible and allows for welding. This can be extremely important in
designing a tank with unique or site specific fittings. Maximum operating
temperature of 140c.

Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA)

Has substantial tensile. Strength, more flexibility, and hardness and gas
and aroma barrier characteristics. Polymers, widely used as surface
materials, which should be retained on water surface, in a huge range of
fields as films and glues because of their exceptional chemical and
physical properties. Biocompatibility, stability to temperature variation,
and non-toxicity

b) A 5.0 m3 tank for storing a 30% w/w aqueous solution of sodium chloride.

Stoneware

Stoneware it is non-porous so does not need a glaze. In order to resist the

attack of chemical substances resulting from storage of acids, the
compactness of the surface of the material which, stoneware extends
throughout its entire thickness constitutes a very important quality once
again linked with the materials low porosity, which excludes the presence
of microscopic cracks that can permit penetration and stagnation of
aggressive substances. Great temperature excursions are therefore not a
problem

for

porcelain

stoneware,

compact

material

which

is

homogeneous throughout its entire thickness.

Fused Quartz (Fused Silica)

The extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion, about 5.510 7/C

(20320 C), accounts for its remarkable ability to undergo large, rapid
temperature changes without cracking. Fused silica glass is a very low
thermal expansion material, and so is extremely thermal shock resistant.
The material is also chemically inert up to moderate temperatures except
to hydrofluoric acid, which dissolves silica. Very good chemical inertness,
good for storage of acid.

Glass

Glass is durable due to the strong bonds between the molecules in it. Its
strength and its durability mainly depend on its thickness. It can hold a
liquid without breaking. Glass does not react with other materials and will
not be a reactive to other materials and will not be decomposed by most

acids. With this type of property, it makes glass appropriate for

laboratories

use

and

for

storage

of

acid.

Hydrofluoric

acid

and

concentrated acid are the only acids that glass will react with.
c) A 2m diameter, 20m high distillation column, distilling acrylonitrile.

304-Stainless steel, 316- Stainless steel

The material of construction of distilling acrylonitrile for distillation column
can withstand the temperature up to 70 F. The uses of 304-Stainless steel
and 316- Stainless steel also can prevent induce of polymerization and
discoloration of acrylonitrile. It also can resist corrosion but periodic
inspection should be considered by an inspector.

d) A 100 m3 storage tank for strong nitric acid

Aluminium
With the assumption of operating at ambient temperature, it is suitable for
handling and storage of strong nitric acid with pure aluminium as it has
high resistance to corrosion than its alloy. Also, it is also recommended for
strong oxidizing condition like concentrated nitric acid which is greater
than 80 per cent. Each storage tank should be provided with a vent of
sufficient size and discharging at a safe location.

e) A 500m3 aqueous waste holdup tank. The wastewater pH can vary from 1
to 12. The wastewater will also contain traces of organic materials.

Fibreglass Reinforced Plastics (FRP)

Fibreglass reinforced plastics is a composite material made of a polymer

matrix reinforced with fibres. It is widely used as materials to make tank as
it is highly resistance to the corrosion. It can deal with high acidic and
alkali substance. Besides, it has immense strength against tensile forces
and its resistance to corrosion in order to design a holdup tank, it must
have longer lifecycle. FRP is design to last for the service life operation and
it is suitable for construction of holdup tank. FRP can also withstand high
pressure and temperature and also can withstand fire.

Steel and iron

Low carbon steel is widely used in plant construction because of its cheap
price, available in wide range of size and form and also it can easily work
and welded. The most important is it has a good tensile strength and
ductility. It is not resistant to corrosion but it is suitable to be used with
most organic solvents. In order to strengthen the steel, alloy is added to
improve the mechanical strength but it still do not improve the corrosion
resistance.

f)

A packed absorption column 0.5 m diameter, 3 m high, absorbing gaseous

hydrochloric acid into water. The column will operate at essentially
atmospheric pressure.

Polychlorotrifluoroethene (PCTFE)
Same as nitric acid, for construction of substance using hydrochloric acid,
PCTFE can be used. According to the corrosion chart, PCTFE is one of the
suitable materials of construction that can withstand the corrosivity of the
substance.

PCTFE

has

high

tensile

strength

and

good

thermal

characteristics. It is non-flammable and the heat resistance is up to 175C.

Besides, it has a low coefficient of thermal expansion and the glass
transition temperature (Tg) is around 45C. Furthermore it has good
chemical

resistance.

It

also

exhibits

properties

like

zero-moisture

absorption and non-wetting. PCTFE is resistant to the attack by most

chemicals and oxidizing agents; a property which is exhibited due to the
presence of high fluorine content. Lastly, PCTFE is resistant to oxidation
because it does not have any hydrogen atoms.

High Silicon Cast Iron (14% Si)

High silicon cast iron has high corrosion resistance that can withstand high
corrosion materials. This material makes the process to have less
probability to become segregation. High silicon cast iron is resistance on
sulphuric and nitrogen acids action by very large range of concentrations
and temperatures, and also on mixes of sulphuric and nitrogen acids.
Besides, it is resistance on phosphoric acid action at room temperature,
organic acids at all temperatures and concentrations nitrogen oxides at
higher temperatures, carbon disulphide, solution of higher temperatures,

solution of aluminium chloride, aldehyde and other arressive mediums. It is

widely used for process involving acid such as hydrochloric acid.

3. Aniline is manufactured by the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene in a fluidized

bed reactor. The reactor operates at 250 oC and 20 bar. The reactor vessel is
approximately 3 m diameter and 9 m high. Suggest suitable materials of
construction for this reactor and provide justifications.

For production of aniline, the suitable materials of construction is by using

the 304 stainless steel. This is because it has maximum service
temperature about 1000oc.It can withstand the temperature that will be
constructed. Besides, the price of it is reasonable, about 10 5(dollar/m3) in
unit volume. Next, it has corrosion resistance which is high and weldability,
ease of fabrication and cleaning and readily availability. It also has high
strength and toughness at cryogenic temperatures.
Next, by using PVC-U,PVC-C and other plastic material such as FPM,EPDM
and PVDF for material construction, these plastics can conduct no sign of
corrosion, no visible surface damage, no blistering or debonding and no
swelling and has high resistance. Only noticeable effect was light brown
discoloration of the reactor. However, these materials are rarely being used
as it sometime cannot withstand the high temperature of the reactor.
Lastly, the materials that can be used is manganese-molybdenum carbon
steel (ASTM-SA-302,grade B).This material was selected because it was the
highest strength carbon steel allowed by the code. The weight of the
complete vessel, including the closure head and thermal shields was
approximately 264 tons. Regardless of the heat treatment, a higher carbon
contain in the steel, the weldability is reduced. In carbon steel, the higher
the carbon content used to make the reactor, the lower the melting point.

4. Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) is manufactured by the dehydrogenation of 2butanol using a shell and tube type reactor. Flue gases are used for heating and
pass though the tubes. The flue gases will contain traces of sulphur dioxide. The

reaction products include hydrogen. The reaction takes place in the shell at a
pressure of 3 bar and temperature of 500C.
Select suitable materials for the tubes and shell and provide justifications.
-

For MEK, the suitable material of constructions for tube and shell is first by
using carbon steel. This is because the carbon steel is highly resistant to
shock and vibration making it deal to transport fluid under roadways. The
high-tensile strength in addition to its elasticity and ductility allow carbon
steel to be used under high-pressure conditions. Under abnormal loads,
they will bend, not break. Besides, it can be recycled and preferred
material for its high strength and low cost
Next, it also can used ductile iron as it gives constant performance
whereby the nominal bore of ductile iron remains constant regardless of
pressure requirement. Then, it offers the solution at whatever the pressure.
It has ability to cope with the increase in main pressure requirements and
it simple to specify. Hence, it also difficult to get wrong due to high safety
factors, corrosion is not an issue and it versatile where the solutions meet
any requirement. However, it is costly material.
After that, it also can be used stainless steel as it possess the special
characteristics in resisting the corrosion. It demonstrate the complete
resistance to the corrosive effect of the most commonly encountered,
atmosphere. Besides, the retain their original bright appearance for a long
periods. However, with respect to certain media, the corrosion of different
types may occur.
Lastly, it is one type of the plastics which is ethylene-propylene rubbers
and elastomers (EPR/EPDM).This materials are valuable for their excellent
resistance to heat, oxidation, ozone and weather aging due to their stable,
saturated polymer backbone structure. These polymers responds well to
high filler and plasticizer loading, providing the economical compounds.
They can develop high tensile and tear properties, excellent abrasion
resistance as well as improved oil swell resistance and flame retardance.

5. In the manufacture of aniline by the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene, the offgases from the reactor are cooled and the products and unreacted nitrobenzene

condensed in a shell and tube exchanger. A typical composition of the

condensate

is,

kmol/h:

aniline

950,

cyclo-hexylamine
o

10,

water

1920,
o

nitrobenzene 40. The gases enter the condenser at 230 C and leave at 50 C. The
cooling water enters the tubes at 20oC and leaves at 50oC. Suggest suitable
materials of construction for the shell and the tubes.
- The suitable materials of construction for the shell and tubes are Monel
and Cupro-nickel alloys (70% Cu). In this manufacture of aniline, sea water
is used to cooled down the products and unreacted reactant in heat
exchanger. Cupro-nickel alloy has a good resistance to corrosion erosion
and are used for heat exchanger tubes, particularly where sea water is
used. Besides that, Monel is also suitable because it has good mechanical
properties up to 500oC. Although it is more expensive than stainless steel,
it has a good resistance to the mineral acid also suitable in handling sea
water and high temperature properties.