Chemical Engineering Department

Graduate Student Program

Final Exam Advanced Mass Transfer Che630 - Fall 2023
Take Home Exam April 17th 2024
Examiner: Dr. M. A. El-Behlil Exam Model (B)

Question No.1

A. For equimolar counter diffusion from a sphere to a surrounding

stationary infinite medium, the mass flux NAi of the diffusing
𝐷𝐴
component at the interface is given by 𝑁𝐴𝑖 = (𝐶𝐴𝐼 − 𝐶𝐴𝑏 ) where DA is
𝑅
the diffusivity , R is the radius of the sphere and CAi and CAb the
molar concentrations of A at the interface and a point far away from
the sphere. Show that the Sherwood number is equal to 2.
B. A mixture of air and water is passing over a flat plate 2 ft long at a
rate 210 ft/sec at 1 atm and 75 F.
a. Determine the mass transfer coefficient of water vapor in air
(kd) if the flow is turbulent and the concentration of water
vapor is very low (Pbm/P = 1).
b. Find the mass transfer coefficient of water vapor in air (kd)
when the mixture is passing over a sphere 3 inch in diameter.

Data: Properties of air at 1 atm and 75 °F are:

Density (ρ)=0.0744 lb/ft3
Viscosity (µ)= 0.0184 centipoise = 0.0045 lb/(ft-hr)
Kinematic viscosity (µ/ρ) = 16.62 x 10-5 ft2/sec
Diffusivity of water vapor in air (DAB)=23.7x10-5 ft2/sec

Question No.2

A. A sphere of naphthalene 2 inch in diameter is placed in air at 115° F

flowing with a velocity of 1.1 ft/sec. The vapor pressure of solid
naphthalene is 0.565 mmHg and the diffusivity of naphthalene in air and
at 115° F is 7.5x10-5 ft2/sec. Determine the mass transfer coefficient (kG)
in lbmol/(ft2-hr-atm) and the mass transfer flux of naphthalene to air (NA)
and the total mass evaporated (WA) in lbmol/hr in this stagnant air at
115 °F and 1 atm.

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Data: Properties of air at 1 atm and 115 °F are:
Density (ρ)=0.0692 lb/ft3
Viscosity (µ)= 0.0469 lb/(ft-hr)
R=0.73 (atm-ft3)/(lbmol-°R), kG= kC/RT
NA=KG(PA1-PA2)

B. Pyrex glass is almost impermeable to all gases but helium. For example, the diffusivity
of He through Pyrex (Dhp)is about 25 times the diffusivity of H2 through Pyrex,
hydrogen being the closest “competitor” in the diffusion process. This fact suggests
that a method for separating helium from natural gas could be based on the relative
diffusion rates through Pyrex. Suppose a natural gas mixture is contained in a Pyrex
tube with length L, inner radius Ri , and outer radius Ro.

I. Derive the equation governing the concentration profile in the wall of the tube.
II. b) Solve for the concentration profile in the tube. The interfacial concentrations of
the helium are Che(Ri) = Ci and Che(Ro) = Co.
III. c) Obtain the following expression for the rate at which helium will “leak” out of
the tube WHe, in terms of the diffusivity of helium through the Pyrex, the interfacial
concentrations of the helium in the Pyrex, and the dimensions of the tube.

2 𝜋 𝐿 𝐷𝐻𝑒 (𝐶𝑅1−𝐶𝑅2)
𝑊𝐻𝑒 =
𝑅
ln ( 1 )
𝑅2

C.

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Question No.3

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Question No. 4

In gas treatment plant, a tray tower is used to remove 99% of ammonia (NH3 MW-
17 kg/kg mol) in the air (MW=28.97 kg/kg mol) stream which is coming from reactor
outlet. The air stream contains 6 mol% ammonia at 30 °C and 101.325 Kpa, which
enter the tower at a flowrate of 128 kg/h-m2). The flowrate of pure water (MW=18
kg/kg mol) entering the tray is 188 kg/(h-m2), The equilibrium of the dilute stream
is represented by:

y=0.76 x

Where: y is the mole fraction of NH3 in the gas phase

And, x is the mole fraction of NH3 in the liquid phase

By assuming that the ammonia concentration is sufficiently dilute through the

tower that both operating and equilibrium curves are linear.

a) Draw a sketch of the tray tower showing the amounts of inlet and outlet
streams including the mole fractions and mole ratio of each stream.
b) Determine the number of theoretical trays (N) graphically.
c) Determine the number of theoretical trays (N) analytically using the
Kremser Brown Souders (KBS) equation.

𝒚 − 𝒎𝒙𝒐 𝟏 𝟏
𝐥𝐧 [ 𝑵+𝟏 − +
𝒚𝟏 − 𝒎𝒙𝒐 (𝟏 𝑨) 𝑨]
𝑵=
𝐥𝐧 𝑨
𝑳𝒐 𝑳𝑵
𝑨𝟏 = 𝑨𝑵 = 𝑨𝟏 ≠ 𝑨𝑵 𝑨 = √𝑨𝟏 𝑨𝑵
𝒎 𝑽𝟏 𝒎 𝑽𝑵+𝟏

𝑳𝒐 𝑳𝟐
𝑶𝑹 𝑨𝟏 = 𝑨𝑵 = 𝑨 = √𝑨𝟏 𝑨𝟐
𝒎 𝑽𝟏 𝒎 𝑽𝟐

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Question No.5

100 Kgmol/h of a bubble point liquid mixture of 75 mole% water (Mwt =18) and 25
mole % acetic acid (Mwt =60.5) is distilled continuously in a distillation tower
at a pressure of 1 atm. Distillate contains 95 mol % of light component and
bottom 95 mole % of heavy component. The reflux ratio is 2 times of minimum
reflux ratio (R =2 Rmin).
a) Determine the amounts of distillate (D) and bottom product (B) in kgmol/hr.
b) Determine the number of theoretical stages and optimum feed stage location.
c) Determine the minimum number of stages graphically and using Fenske
equation.
d) Calculate the amount of steam required for heating the re-boiler if the steam
pressure is 0.4 Mpa ( ∆H steam = 2133.9 kJ/kg).
e) Calculate the amount of cooling water required for the total condenser, the
cooling water is preheated by 20 °C (CP cooling-water = 4.184 kJ/kg – K).

Equilibrium data water acetic acid at 1 atm (mole fractions)

x 0 0.0055 0.053 0.125 0.206 0.297 0.510 0.649 0.803 0.959 1.00
y 0 0.0112 0.133 0.240 0.338 0.437 0.630 0.751 0.866 0.972 1.00
Heat of evaporation at Tw for water (∆hwater)= 2214 kJ/kg
Heat of evaporation at Tw for acetic acid (∆hacetic acid)= 390 kJ/kg

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 Vapor Liquid Equilibria water (A) - Acetic acid (B)
system
1 XF= 0.75 , XD=0.95 XW=0.05

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6
YA

0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1

XA

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Question No.6

1000 kg/hr of a mixture containing 42 mole percent heptane (Mw=100) and 58 mole
percent ethyl benzene (Mw= 106) is to be fractionated to a distillate containing 97
mole percent heptane and a residue containing 99 mole percent ethyl benzene using
a total condenser and feed at its saturated liquid condition. The enthalpy-
concentration data for the heptane-ethyl benzene at 1 atm pressure are as follows:

𝑥ℎ𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑒 𝑦ℎ𝑒𝑝𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑒 HL (kJ/kmol) x 10-3 HV (kJ/kmol) x 10-3

0.00 0.00 24.30 61.20
0.08 0.28 24.10 59.60
0.18 0.43 23.20 58.50
0.25 0.51 22.80 58.10
0.49 0.73 22.05 56.50
0.65 0.83 21.75 55.20
0.79 0.90 21.70 54.40
0.91 0.96 21.60 53.80
1.00 1.00 21.40 53.30

Using the Ponchon Savarit method calculate the following:

a. Minimum reflux ratio.

b. Minimum number of stages (Nmin) at total reflux.
c. Number of stages at reflux ratio of 2.5
d. Condenser duty (QC) in kJ/hr.
e. Reboiler duty (QR) in kJ/hr.

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Question No.7

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