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Topic 3.0 TCE2101 Problem Solving Unsteady State Molecular Diffusion

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The document discusses two problems involving unsteady state molecular diffusion: 1) Calculating the rate of CO2 transport through a conduit with varying cross-sectional area. The rate is calculated to be 3.75 x 10-11 kmol/s. 2) Determining the position where the concentration of diffusing element A will be 3.2 wt% in a diffusion couple heated to 1200K for 30 hours, given identical conditions at 1400K yield a concentration of 3.2 wt% at 1.5mm. Using equations for Fick's second law and assuming an Arrhenius relationship for diffusivity, the position is calculated to be 0.50mm.

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Topic 3.0 TCE2101 Problem Solving Unsteady State Molecular Diffusion

Uploaded by

Beatrice
92 views3 pages
The document discusses two problems involving unsteady state molecular diffusion: 1) Calculating the rate of CO2 transport through a conduit with varying cross-sectional area. The rate is calculated to be 3.75 x 10-11 kmol/s. 2) Determining the position where the concentration of diffusing element A will be 3.2 wt% in a diffusion couple heated to 1200K for 30 hours, given identical conditions at 1400K yield a concentration of 3.2 wt% at 1.5mm. Using equations for Fick's second law and assuming an Arrhenius relationship for diffusivity, the position is calculated to be 0.50mm.

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The document discusses two problems involving unsteady state molecular diffusion: 1) Calculating the rate of CO2 transport through a conduit with varying cross-sectional area. The rate is calculated to be 3.75 x 10-11 kmol/s. 2) Determining the position where the concentration of diffusing element A will be 3.2 wt% in a diffusion couple heated to 1200K for 30 hours, given identical conditions at 1400K yield a concentration of 3.2 wt% at 1.5mm. Using equations for Fick's second law and assuming an Arrhenius relationship for diffusivity, the position is calculated to be 0.50mm.

Copyright:

© All Rights Reserved
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as docx, pdf, or txt
92 views3 pages

Topic 3.0 TCE2101 Problem Solving Unsteady State Molecular Diffusion

Uploaded by

Beatrice
The document discusses two problems involving unsteady state molecular diffusion: 1) Calculating the rate of CO2 transport through a conduit with varying cross-sectional area. The rate is calculated to be 3.75 x 10-11 kmol/s. 2) Determining the position where the concentration of diffusing element A will be 3.2 wt% in a diffusion couple heated to 1200K for 30 hours, given identical conditions at 1400K yield a concentration of 3.2 wt% at 1.5mm. Using equations for Fick's second law and assuming an Arrhenius relationship for diffusivity, the position is calculated to be 0.50mm.

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TOPIC 3.

0 PROBLEM SOLVING: UNSTEADY STATE MOLECULAR DIFFUSION

P3.1.
The CO 2 is diffusing through non-diffusing N 2at steady state in a conduit of 2 m long at 300 K
and a total pressure of 1 atm. The partial pressure of CO 2at the left end is 20 kPa and 5 kPa at the
other end. The cross section of the conduit is in the shape of an equilateral triangle being 0.025 m
at the left end and tapering uniformly to 0.05 m at the right end. Calculate the rate of transport of
CO 2. The diffusivity is D = −5 2/s. R = 8 .314
m3
.kPa/(kmol.K).
AB 2 x 10 m
√ 3 D AB PT a1 a 2 PT −P A 2
Ń A (W A )=
4 RT ∆x
ln ( PT −P A 1 )
SOLN
−5 2
Given data: D CO −N =2 x 10 m /s; R = 8 .314 m3.kPa/(kmol.K)
2 2

T = 300 K; PT = 1 atm = 101.3 kPa

P A 1 = 20 kPa; P A 2 = 5 kPa; a 1 = 0.025 m; a 2 =0.05 m; ∆x = 2m


√ 3 D AB PT a1 a 2 PT −P A 2
Ń A (W A )=
4 RT ∆x
ln ( PT −P A 1 )
√ 3 x 2 x 10−5 x 101.3 x 0.025 x 0.05 ln 101.3−5
Ń A ( W A )=
4 x 8.314 x 300 2 ( 101.3−20 )
= 3.75 x 10−11 kmol/ s

P3.2
Consider a diffusion couple between metals A and B. After a 30-hr heat treatment at 1400°K,
the concentration of A is 3.2 wt% at a distance of 1.5 mm from the interface. If an identical
diffusion couple is instead heated 1200°K for 30 hr, at what position will the concentration be
3.2 wt%? Assume that the pre-exponential factor and activation energy for diffusion are 1.8x10 -
5
m2/s and 152 kJ/mol, respectively, and that the surface concentration of A is 100 wt%. R =
8.314 kJ/(mol.K)
Soln

Fick’s 2nd Law:


−Q
C Ax −C A 0 x
d

C As−C A 0
=1−erf
2 √ Dt ( )
; D=D 0 e RT

Calculation of respective diffusivities at respective temperatures:


−(152 000)
(8.314 x 1400)
=3.84 x 10−11 m2 /s
−5
D(1 400 K )=1.85 x 10 e
−(152000)
(8.314 x1200)
=4.35 x 10−12 m2 / s
−5
D(1 200 K )=1.85 x 10 e

• x = 1.5 mm = 1.5 x10-3m to compute the concentration at the surface (CAs)


C Ax −C A 0 x
C As−C A 0
=1−erf
(
2 √ Dt )
3.2−0 1.5 x 10−3
C As−0
=1−erf
(
2 √ ( 3.84 x 10−11 ) (30 x 3600) )
3.2
=1−erf ( 0.368 )
C As

0.368−0.35 y−0.3794
Interpolating: = :⇒ y =0.397∨erf ( 0.368 )=0.397
0.40−0.35 0.4284−0.3794
3.2
=1−0.397 : ⇒ C As=5.31 wt %
C As

• To compute the value of x at 4.35 x10-12 m2/s

3.2−0 x
5.31−0
=1−erf
(
2 √ ( 4.35 x 10−12) (30 x 3600) )
0.603=1−erf ( 729.5 x )
erf ( 729.5 x )=0.397

• What number has an erf equal to 0.397?


• Now we need to read Table 1 in the reverse direction.
• However, if we look above, we see that we just did this problem (in reverse), so we
know that erf(0.368) = 0.397.
• Therefore we can write:

729.5 x=0.368 :⇒ x=5 x 10−4 m=0.50 mm


• Start again with the solution to Fick’s 2nd law:
C Ax −C A 0 x
C As−C A 0
=1−erf
(
2 √ Dt )
• Now note that for both heat treatments, CAs and CAx and CA0 are the same, so the entire
left-hand side of this equation is the same.
• For these two heat treatments, the entire right-hand side of the equation must also be
the same.

x1 x2
• Therefore: 1−erf
(√ )
2 D1 t 1
=1−erf
(
2 √ D2 t 2 )
x 21 x 22
=
D1 t 1 D2 t2

1.52 x 22
−11
= −12
:⇒ x=0.50 mm
(3.84 x 10 )(30) (4.35 x 10 )(30)

Table 1. Tabulation of error function values

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