EXAM Molecular Transport Phenomena

October 31, 2014, 14:00 17:00

This test is made of 5 exercises. Question 2 is a bonus question.
The score for each exercise is indicated; divide your time well.
Please use a pen, not a pencil. This exam is made by Volkert van Steijn.

1) [9 points] Basic Transport phenomena

Consider the two dimensional system shown in the figure below, where a circular solid disc
(radius R) rotates around its axis. The disc is separated from the solid support by a very small
distance d (<<R). The gap between the disc and the support is filled with water (density ,
viscosity ). The disc rotates at a fixed anular velocity (such that the surface of the disc rotates
at a velocity R). Due to the rotation, the water level at the left side is higher than the water
level at the right side by an amount h. The length over which the water wets the surface is L.
Consider the flow in the gap to be laminar and consider the system as steady state.

In part (a), you are asked to derive the velocity profile in the gap. In doing so, ignore the fact
that the disc is curved and assume that the velocity profile is the same along the entire length L
of the wetted area (so ignore end effects). In this way, the velocity profile only depends on the
distance y (see sketch) from the surface of the disc
a) [6 points] Derive the velocity profile in the gap and show that it equals
1 gh 2 R
v( y) =
2 L
( )
y dy +
d
(
dy )
As always, start your derivation with a sketch, draw the control volume that you
consider, set up the microbalances, etc.
b) [1 points] What is the average velocity in the gap?
c) [2 points] Show that the height difference equals
6 RL
h =
gd 2

2) [BONUS: 3 points] How to link viscosity to molecular properties

In the course, we made a link between the diffusion coefficient and the motion of molecules. It is
also possible to make a link between the viscosity and the motion of molecules. Consider a gas.
Without doing a full analysis, describe the steps that one should take to establish a link between
the viscosity of a gas and the molecular motion.

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1/4 Exam -- Molecular Transport Phenomena, Oct. 31, 2014

3) [12 points] Ion exchanger
Ion exchangers are used in a wide variety of industries (food, petrochemical, water treatment) to
purify fluid samples. One way to purify a fluid sample is to flow the sample through a column that
contains particles. Ions in the fluid sample are then exchanged with ions that are initially in the
particles.

Here we consider water that contains a small amount of

table salt (NaCl). We would like to remove the Na+ ions.
This is done with particles that exchange Na+ for H+. We
will now consider a single particle and analyse the
transport of ions just after the water sample is
introduced into the column.

In your analysis, use the following assumptions / approximations:

use a one-dimensional approach (no need to take the curvature of the particle into
account)
use the film approach,
treat the fluid sample as a dilute solution of ions in water at room temperature and
pressure,
there are no internal mass transport limitations inside the particles, so you only have to
analyze what happens in the film around the particle,
ignore the transport of water.

Furthermore, use the following nomenclature:

Na+ = species 1, H+ = species 2, Cl- = species 3, and H2O = species 4.

Data:
Diffusion coefficients: D14 = 110-9 m2/s, D24 = 9D14,
Film thickness: L = 1 mm,
the mole fraction of salt in the bulk is 310-4,
the mole fraction of H+ in the bulk is zero,
the mole fraction of Na+ at the surface of the particle is zero.

a) [1 points] Make a sketch of the particle and the film, and indicate all known mole fractions.
Also give the independent Maxwell Stefan equations that describe this problem.
b) [3 points] Formulate the boot strap(s) for this system.
c) [2 points] We want to know the mole fractions of H+ at the surface of the particle. Without
doing any calculation, show that the number of unknowns in this problem matches the
number of (independent) equations such that it is possible to compute all the unknows.
d) [4 points] Now calculate the mole fraction of H+ at the surface of the particle and show
that it equals 110-4.
e) [2 points] Calculate the potential difference across the film.

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4) [16 points] Linear stability of epidemic spread
Currently, there is an outbreak of the disease Ebola in West Africa. Spreading of diseases can be
described with a reaction-diffusion type of model and the stability of epidemic spread can be
studied using linear stability theory.
Consider a community of people living in a village. We divide this community into two groups:
people that are susceptible to the disease (healthy people that are not (yet) infected),
people that are infected.
We use the symbol for the total number of people that is susceptible at a given time t, while
we use () for the total number of infected people at a given time t.
One of the simplest models to describe epidemic spread is based on these two equations:
dS
= aS bSI
dt
dI
= bSI cI
dt
with a, b, and c positive constants (that do carry a unit).
a) [2 points] There are five different terms in the two equations. Give the physical
interpretation of all these terms in one or two sentences per term.
b) [2 points] One steady state is !"! , !"! = (0,0). Calculate the other state !"! , !"! .
Note: If you couldnt find the steady state in (b), proceed the exercise with !"! , !"! = (! , ! ).

According to the steady state obtained in (b), the community in the village consists of both
susceptible and infected people. So far, we havent looked at the location of these people, but we
assume that the susceptible people are uniformly distributed over the village. Considering a one-
dimensional village with boundaries at x=-L and x=+L, we can hence write the local distribution
of susceptible people (people per kilometer) at the steady state of (b) as !" , = !"! /2.
Similarly, for the local distribution of infected people at steady state, we can write !" , =
!"! /2.

The fact that a fraction of the community is infected might lead to the emigration of susceptible
people, who leave the village and go to different parts of the country. This migration can be
described as a diffusive proces.
The local distribution of susceptible (, ) and infected people , , can then be described as
ds d 2s
= as b*si + D 2
dt dx
di
= b*si ci
dt
The question that we will address in the remainder of this exercise is whether the emigration of
susceptible people leads to an instability.
c) [1 points] Express the constant b* in the equations for (, ), , in terms of the
constant b that was used in the equations for (), and show that b* = 2Lb.
d) [3 points] Use = !" + and = !" + and simplify the differential equation for (, ) as
much as you can. Give a brief justification for all terms that you neglect or eliminate.
e) [3 points] Perform a similar analysis, now on the differential equation for (, ).
f) [3 points] Fill in perturbations for and in the two equations you obtained in (c) and (d),
and then combine the two relations to find the dispersion relation for the steady state
(!" , , !" , ) discussed in/after question (b).
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 g) [2 points] Analyse the dispersion relation and explain whether and when the situation in
the village upon emigration of the susceptible people is stable.

5) [10 points] Oil trapped inside a porous rock

Oil companies put a lot of effort in getting as much oil out of the ground as they can.
Unfortunately, a substantial fraction of oil remains trapped inside the small pores of an oil
reservoir. Here we consider a single pore. The pore has a triangular shape, characterized by the
lengths L1, and the angle as shown in figure (a) below. Oil is trapped inside the corners and the
center is filled with gas. The interfacial tension between oil and gas is , the interfacial energy
between oil and solid is sl, and the contact angle (>0) between the oil-gas-solid is defined as
indicated in the sketch. The area occupied by oil relative to the area of the pore equals 0.2.
Important: Consider the pore to be two-dimensional. Note that, without a third dimension,
we deal with energies per unit length (J/m) instead of energies (J).

a) [3 points] First consider the situation in figure (b), where the oil is spread on the walls as a
uniform film with thickness . Express the free energy (per unit length), E, of the system in
terms of the length L1, the angle , the fraction of oil, and the relevant interfacial energies.
Show that it is equal to
" 1 %
( sl )
+ 1 0.2 L1 $1+ tan( ) +
#
'
cos( ) &
Now consider the situation in figure (a).
b) [1 points] The three oil-gas interfaces have the same radius of curvature R. Give an
argument why this radius is the same for the three interfaces.
c) [6 points] Express the free energy (per unit length) in terms of the coordinates given in
figure (a), the length L1, the angle , the contact angle , the radius R, and the interfacial
energies and sl.
d) [1 points] Without doing any calculations, explain which of the two situations has a smaller
free energy per unit length.
e) [2 points] If you would compute the free energies for the cases in figure (a) and figure
(b), you will find that the situation in figure (a) is energetically favourable. A pore that is
initially wetted on the walls will hence evolve to the situation in figure (a). It is also possible
to use another argument (not based on energy) why the situation in figure (b) evolves to
the situation in figure (a). Gives this argument.

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