PE3003 Phase Equilibrium and Mass Transfer

1st Assignment: Mass Transfer

Problem 1 (Marks: 20/100)

A simple rectifying column consists of a tube arranged vertically and supplied at
the bottom with a mixture of benzene and toluene as vapour. At the top, a
condenser returns some of the product as a reflux which flows in a thin film
down the inner wall of the tube. The tube is insulated and heat losses can be
neglected. At one point in the column, the vapour contains 70% mol benzene
and the adjacent liquid reflux contains 59% mol benzene. The temperature at
this point is 365 K.
Assuming the diffusional resistance to vapour transfer to be equivalent to the
diffusional resistance of a vapor layer 0.2 mm thick, calculate the transfer rate
(flux) of benzene and toluene between vapour and liquid.
The molar latent heats of the two materials can be considered as equal. The
vapour pressure of toluene at 365 K is 54.0 kN/m2 and the diffusivity of the
vapors is 0.051 cm2 /s.
Problem 2 (Marks: 30/100)
A solid sphere of 2 cm of diameter of material A is placed in a vessel at a
temperature and pressure that are such that the material sublimates to gas
phase. Although there are several such spheres in the vessel, consider what is
happening to a single sphere when immersed in the gas medium in such
proportions that the concentration of this material A in the gas phase will remain
so small that can be considered approximately zero. The equilibrium between
solid and gas at the conditions of the container (temperature and pressure) for
a solid with pure A is given by Henry’s law.
Determine the mass transfer rate at time zero, when the sphere is 2 cm in
diameter.
Data:
T of vessel: 355 K;
Pressure: 1 MPa (i.e. 10 atm);
Henry’s constant for A: 97.5 mmHg
(i.e.: 𝑦𝐴 (𝑎𝑡 𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑢𝑚 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑝𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑖𝑑) = 97.5/7600)
X = 1,870 Kg/m3;
Molecular weight A = 237 g/mol;
Vapor pressure of A at container’s conditions of pressure and temperature =97.5
Pa;
D A through gas (at container’s conditions) = 2.37 x10-4 m2/s
R=8.314 J/(mol.K)
Problem 3 (Marks: 25/100)
A solid sphere of 5 mm of diameter of napthalene is placed in a container at
45oC. Air is flowing through at a velocity of 0.033 m/s relative to the sphere. The
mass transfer coefficient can be estimated by a dimensionless correlation, and
the value of Kc = 0.01 m/s was obtained for 5 mm diameter.
a) Determine the mass transfer rate at time zero, when the droplet is 5 mm in
diameter.
b) Relating the mass transfer rate to the rate of loss of mass of the sphere, obtain
a relationship between the size of the droplet, the mass transfer rate, and time
assuming pseudo-steady state, and determine the time required for the droplet
to evaporate fully. Assume that the mass transfer coefficient is constant.
Data:
naphthalene = 1,140 Kg/m3;
Molecular weight of naphtalene = 128 g/mol;
Vapour pressure of naphtalene at 45oC = 113.9 Pa;
D naphthalene,air at 45oC = 6.92 x10-6 m2 /s;
R=8.314 J/(mol.K)
Problem 4 (Marks: 25/100)

In order to determine the diffusion coefficient of a liquid A through a solvent B at room

temperature, a small volume of A (10 mL) was placed inside a test tube with 1.5 cm of
diameter and 13 cm height and then 3 mL of the solvent was added on top. The solvent
is lighter than A (i.e. lower density), does not evaporate at room conditions and is
immiscible in A, whereas A has a solubility of 0.00015 mol/L in the solvent at room
temperature and evaporates (its vapor pressure is 117 mm Hg at room temperature).
When the tube was placed in a totally dry environment (essentially just nitrogen and
oxygen) it took 123.1 hours (443,160 s) for liquid A to evaporate completely.

a) Assume that we can neglect the diffusion of A through the test tube headspace,
which means that the concentration of A in the whole headspace is 0. Write the mass
transfer equation by diffusion that quantifies the molar (or mass) flow rate of A across
the film of solvent, consider the concentrations at the two interfaces, and knowing that
10 mL of A took 44,316 s to cross that film, determine the diffusion coefficient of A
through the solvent.
Data:
density of A: 1.17 g/mL;
molecular mass of A: 27.12 g/mol

b) Consider now that the diffusion of A through the headspace might not be negligible,
which would imply two diffusional processes in series: liquid A through the solvent
layer (with instant evaporation on reaching the interface) and gaseous A from the free
liquid surface to the top of the test tube.