PEME1025:ENGINEERINGSCIENCES1:MASSBALANCES

TutorialSheet1
1. Useconversiontablestoverifythefollowingunitconversions:
2300gm
2ft16in
4.5m2
359ft3
25gal(UK)
1200cal
5500J
25kwh
100km/h

=5.07lbm
=1.016m
=4.5x104cm2
=10.17m3
=113.7litres
=5024.16J
=5.213Btu
=9x104kJ
=27.78m/s

15m/s
62.4lbm/s
120000ft3/h
13.6g/cm3
1000kg/m3
40lbf/m2
45bar
2.5kW

=49.21ft/s
=28.33kg/s
=0.9439m3/s
=13.6x103kg/m3
=62.37lb/ft3
=177.9N/m2
=4.5x107dynes/cm2
=3.35hp

2.

The Prandtl number (Pr) is a dimensionless group important in heat transfer calculations.
It is defined as Cp/k, where Cp, is the heat capacity of a fluid, is the fluid viscosity, and
k is the thermal conductivity. For a particular fluid, Cp= 0.583 J/gC, k = 0.286 W/mC,
and = 1936 lbm/ft.h. Calculate the Prandtl number.
ANS: 1.63x103

3.

The Reynolds number (Re) is a dimensionless group defined for a fluid flowing in a pipe as
Re = Du/, where D = pipe diameter, u = fluid velocity, = fluid density, and = fluid
viscosity.

4.

5.

Methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) flows through a 2.067-in. ID pipe at 20C, at which
temperature its density is 0.805 g/cm3 and its viscosity is 0.43 centipoise (1 cP = 1.00x10 -3,
kg/ms). The average fluid velocity is 0.048 ft/s. Calculate the Re number.
ANS: 1.4x103
Is the equation P = 14Lu/D2 dimensionally homogeneous? (P is pressure drop, lbf/ft2;
14 is a dimensionless constant; L is pipe length, ft; u is fluid velocity, ft/s; is fluid
viscosity, lbm/ft.s; D is pipe diameter, ft.) If so, are its units consistent?
ANS: Dimensionally homogeneous with inconsistent units
The following dimensionless equation correlates the values of variables in a system in
which solid particles are suspended in a flowing gas.
kgdpy = 2.00 + 0.600(/D)1/3 (dpu/)1/2
D
Both (/D) and (dpu/) are dimensionless groups. kg is a coefficient that expresses the
rate at which a particular species transfers from the gas to the solid particles. What is the
estimated value of kg? (Show units.) for the variable values as follows.
dp = 5.00 mm , y = 0.100 (dimensionless), D = 0.100 cm2/s, = 1.00x10-5 N.s/m2
= 1.00x10-3 g/ cm3 and u = 10.0 m/s.
ANS: 88.8 cm/s

PEME1025:ENGINEERINGSCIENCES1:MASSBALANCES
TutorialSheet2
1.

The specific gravity of nitrobenzene is 1.20.

a) Calculate the mass in kg of 250 litres of nitrobenzene. The density of water is 1000
kg/ m3.
ANS: 300 kg
b) Calculate the volumetric flow rate in ml/min corresponding to a mass flow rate of
30.0 lbm nitrobenzene/h. The density of water is 62.43 lbm/ft3.
ANS: 189ml/min
c) Calculate the density of a mixture formed by mixing 20.0 litres of nitrobenzene (S.G.
= 1.2) with 3.00 ft3 of benzene (S.G. = 0.879), assuming that the volume of the mixture
is the sum of the two feed component volumes.
ANS: 0.94 g/cm3

2.

A mixture of methane and ethane contains 30 wt% ethane.

a) Calculate the gram-moles of methane in 200 kg of this mixture. The mol. wt. of
methane is 16.04.
ANS: 8730 mol
b) What must the mass flow rate of this mixture be for the molar flow rate of methane to
be 25.0 lb-moles/s?
ANS: 260 kg/s

3.

The feed to an ammonia synthesis reactor contains 25 mole% nitrogen and the balance
hydrogen. The flow rate of the stream is 3000 kg/h. Calculate the rate of flow of nitrogen
into the reactor in kg/h.
ANS: 2470 kg/h

4.

Calculatetheaveragemolecularweightofagaswiththefollowingcomposition;60mol
%N2,15mol%H2O,15mol%CO2and10mol%O2.
ANS: 29.3 kg

5.

Amixturecontains300kgCaCO3,305kgNa2CO3,and185kgNa2SO4.
[Atomicmolarmasses:Ca=40;C=12;O=16;Na=23;S=32kg/kmol]
i)Expressthecompositionofthemixtureintermsof
a)weightfractions,ANS: 0.380, 0.386, 0.234
b)molefractionsand
ANS: 0.418,0.401, 0.181
c)molepercentages.ANS: 41.8%, 40.1%, 18.1%
ii)Whatarethemoleratiosofthecomponents?ANS: 2.308, 2.215, 1.00
iii) Whatistheaveragemolecularweightofthemixture?ANS:110.02 kg

PEME1025:ENGINEERINGSCIENCES1:MASSBALANCES
TutorialSheet3
Q1.

A dryer is supplied with a wet feed stock containing 80% w/w water. The material
leaving the dryer contains 5% w/w water. What is the weight of water removed in the
dryer
(a) per 1000 kg of the wet stock entering and
(b) per 1000 kg of the dry material leaving ?
ANS: 789.5 kg, 3750 kg

Q2.

A solution containing 50% ethanol, 10% methanol and 40% water (wt %) is fed at the
rate of 100 kg/h into a separator. The separator produces one stream at the rate of 60
kg/h with the composition of 80% ethanol, 15% methanol and 5% water (wt %) and a
second stream of unknown composition. Calculate the composition (in wt %) of the
three compounds in the unknown stream and its flow rate in kg/h.
ANS : Ethanol 5%, Methanol 2.5% and water 92.5% by wt., 40 kg/h

Q 3.

A liquid adhesive, which is used to make laminated boards, consists of a polymer

dissolved in a solvent. The amount of polymer in the solution has to be carefully
controlled for this application. When the supplier of the adhesive receives an order for
3000 kg of an adhesive solution containing 13 wt% polymer, all he has on hand is (1)
500 kg of a 10 wt% solution, (2) a very large quantity of a 20 wt% solution and (3)
pure solvent. Calculate the weight of each of the three stocks that must be blended
together to fill the order. Use all of the 10 wt% solution.
ANS: Polymer 1700kg and Solvent 800 kg

Q4.

A continuous distillation column separates 30000 kg/hr of a mixture of 60% toluene

and 40% benzene into a top product stream containing 97% benzene and a bottom
product stream containing 98% toluene. Calculate the flow rates of top and bottom
product streams. All percentages are on a w/w basis.
ANS: 12000 kg/hr, 18000 kg/hr

Q5.

A gas mixture containing methane and n-butane enters an absorption tower at 21C.
The gas flow rate is 3000 m3/day. The partial pressures at these conditions are 103 kPa
for methane and 586 kPa for n-butane. In the absorber, 80% of the butane is removed
and the remaining gas leaves the tower at 38C and total pressure of 550 kPa. How
many moles per day of butane are removed from the gas in this process? What is the
volumetric flow rate of gas at the exit? Assume ideal gas behaviour. The Gas Constant
is 8.314 kPa m3/kmol K.
ANS: 575.35 kmol/day, 1270.57 m3/day

Q6.

A mixture of air and methanol is fed to an absorption column in order to absorb the
methanol. At the inlet the mixture has a temperature 297 K, a pressure of 98.7 kPa and
a partial pressure of methanol of 11.3 kPa. The outlet gases have a temperature of 305
K, a pressure of 97.3 kPa and a partial pressure of 0.067 kPa. What is the volume (at
STP) of methanol absorbed per 28.5 m3/hr of gas entering the column?
ANS: 2.9 m3

Q7.

A liquid mixture containing 30 mole% benzene (B), 25 mole%, toluene (T), and 45
mole% xylene (X) is fed at a rate of 1275 kmol/h to a distillation unit consisting of two
columns. The bottoms product from the first column is to contain 99 mole% X and no
B, and 98% of the X in the feed is to be recovered in this stream. The overhead product
from the first column is fed to a second column. The overhead product from the second
column contains 99 mole%, B and no X. The benzene recovered in this stream
represents 96% of the B in the feed to this column. Calculate the molar flow rates
(kmol/h) and component mole fractions in each product stream from both columns.
ANS: Column1 D =707 kmol/h, W=568 kmol/h
Top product mole fractions - B=0.541, T= 0.443 and X=0.016
Column2 D =371 kmol/h, W=336 kmol/h
Bottom product mole fractions - B=0.045, T= 0.921 and X=0.034

Q8.

An evaporation-crystallization process is used to obtain solid potassium sulfate from an

aqueous solution of this salt. The fresh feed to the process contains 18.6 wt% K 2SO4.
The wet filter cake consists of solid K2SO4 crystals and a 40.0 wt% K2SO4 solution, in a
ratio 10 kg crystals/kg solution. The filtrate, also a 40% solution, is recycled to join the
fresh feed. Of the water fed to the evaporator, 42.66% is evaporated. The evaporator
has a maximum capacity of 155 kg water evaporated/min. Calculate the maximum
production rate of solid K2SO4, the rate at which fresh feed must be supplied to achieve
this production rate, and the ratio kg recycle/kg fresh feed.
ANS: 34 kg K2SO4(solid)/min, 193 kg (fresh feed)/min, 1.78 kg/recycle/kg fresh feed