AISSMS College of Engineering Department of Chemical Engineering Unit Wise Question Bank: Mass Transfer T.E. (Chemical
AISSMS College of Engineering Department of Chemical Engineering Unit Wise Question Bank: Mass Transfer T.E. (Chemical
Unit 1: INTRODUCTION
1. The diffusivity of the gas pair O 2- CCl4 is determined by observing the steady state
evaporation of CCl4 (liquid) into a tube containing O 2. The entire system is held at
constant temperature and pressure. Both the gases are assumed to be ideal and O 2 is
stationary. The distance between the CCl 4 (liquid) level and top of the liquid level is
0.171m. The total pressure on the system is 100.658*10 3N/m2(755mm Hg)and
temperature is 273 K. The vapour pressure of CCl 4 is 4.399*103 N/m2 (33mmHg) at
that temperature. The cross sectional area of the tube is 0.082*10 -3 m2. After steady
state is attained, 0.0208*10-6 m3 of CCl4 (liquid) evaporated in a 36*103 second
period. What is the diffusivity of gas pair CCl 4- O2? Assume specific gravity of liquid
CCl4 as 1.59.
14.A gas phase is being stripped from a water solution into air stream. At certain pount in
the column, the concentration of component A in liquid is 4.8 kmol/m3 ñ partial pressure
of componenet A in gas stream is 1 atm. The equilibrium relationship is P Ai= 0.25CA ,
The overall liquid coefficient KL= 0.0144 Kmol A/ m3 . Assume gas phase offers 70% of
total resistances calculate:
1. Convective mass transfer coefficient kL
2. Convective mass transfer coefficient kg
3. Overall mass transfer coefficient in gas phase
15. In a mass transfer apparatus operating at1 std atm, the individual mass transfer
coefficient have the following values
KX=22kgmole/m2hr, Ky =1.07 kgmole/m2hr. The equilibrium compositions of the
gaseous ñ liquid phases are characterized by Henry’s law p*=0.08*10 6 mmHg. Determine
the overall mass transfer coefficient K X and find out how many times the diffusion
resistance of the liquid differs that of gaseous phase.
16. Ammonia is absorbed by water in wetted column operated at 25°C at 1 atm. The
overall mass transfer coefficient is 1 Kmole NH3/m2 std. atm. At one point in the column
the gas contains 10mole% ammonia and the liquid phase contains 0.155 mole
ammonia/m3. 95% of the total resistance lies in gas phase. (Henry’s law constant at 293
K is 4.25*10-3 std atm /mole NH3 /m3 solution). Calculate gas phase coefficient k g and
liquid phase coefficient kl.
17. NH3 is absorbed at 1 bar from an NH 3 air stream by passing it a vertical tube down
which dilute H2SO4 is flowing. The following laboratory test data are available:
Length of the tube= 825mm
Diameter of tube=15mm
Partial pressure of NH3 at inlet =7.5 kN/m2
Partial pressure of NH3 at outlet= 2kN/m2
The amount of NH3 absorbed at this condition is 1.12*10 -6 kmole /sec. Determine the
overall transfer coefficient kG based on gas phase.
Unit3: GAS ABSORPTION
1. A mixture of ammonia and air is scrubbed in a plate column with free water. If the
ammonia concentration is reduced from 5% to 0.01% and the water and air rates are
respectively 0.65 and 0.40 kg/m2s. How many theoretical plates are required? The
equilibrium relationship can be written Y=X where X is the mole ratio in the liquid
phase.
2. Solute CS2 is to be absorbed from a dilute gas mixture of CS 2-N2 into a solvent at atm
pressure in counter current absorber. The mole fraction of CS 2 in inlet gas stream is 0.05
and the flow rate of gas stream G is 1500 kmole/hr. The equilibrium relationship is
y=0.5x where x= mole fraction of CS 2 in liquid stream. It is desired to reduce the mole
fraction of CS2 in exit gas stream to 0.005. Calculate minimum value of L/G where L
liquid flow rate in kmole/hr.
3. An ammonia air mixture containing 2% by volume ammonia is to be scrubbed with water
at 293K in a tower packed with 1.27cm Rasching. The water and gas rates are
1170kg/hrm2 each based on empty tower cross section. Estimate the height of tower
requied if 98% ammonia in the entering gas is to be absorbed. The tower operate at 1 atm
pressure. The equilibrium relationship is given by the following equation. Ye=0.746X
Where Ye=Mole fraction of ammonia in air
X= Mole fraction of ammonia in solution with water.
The height of transfer unit may be taken as equal to 2m.
4. A plate absorption column is used to reduce the concentration of solute A in the air
stream from 5.5% to 0.3% via counter current absorption column by using solvent
monoethanolamine , solvent enters at the top gas from bottom at flow rate 2.4 m 3/s at the
column conditions 293K and 1 atm pressure. Following equilibrium data is generated.
X 0 0.005 0.010 0.020 0.030 0.040 0.045
Y 0 0.002 0.005 0.015 0.032 0.053 0.065
X= Kmol of A /Kmol of solvent Y= kmol of A /kmol of air. Determine the minimum
flow rate needed for fresh solvent and if actual flow rate is 1.1 times the minimum,
estimate the number of plates needed.
5. A packed tower is designed to recover 98% CO 2 from a gas mixture containing 10%
CO2 ñ 90% air using water. A relation y=14x can be used for equilibrium conditions
where y is kg CO2/kg dry air ñ x is kg CO2/ kg water. The water to gas rate is kept
30% more than the minimum value. Calculate the height of tower if (HTU)OG is 1m.
6. A paraffin hydrocarbon of molecular mass 114 kg/mol at a temperature 373K is to be
separated from a mixture with a non volatile organic compound of molecular mass
135kg/mol by stripping with stream. The liquid contains 8% of the paraffin by mass
and this is to be reduced to 0.08% using an upward flow of steam saturated at 373K.
If three times the minimum amount of steam is used, how many theoretical stages
will be required? The vapor pressure of the paraffin at 373K is 53 KN/m2, ñ the
process takes place at atmospheric pressure. It may be assumed that the system obeys
Raoult’s law.
7. It is desired to absorb 80% of acetone in a gad containing 1 mole % acetone in air in
counter current stage tower. The total inlet gas flow rate to the tower is 30 kmol/ hr
and total inlet water flow rate is 90 kmol H 2O/hr. The process is to be operated at
300K and total pressure of 101.3 KPa. The equilibrium relationship is Y A=2.53XA.
Determine no. of stages graphically ñ analytically for required separation.
8. A plant manufacturing dry ice will burn coke in air to produce flue gas containing
15% CO2 by volume. This will be passed into sieve tray to wet scrubber at 1 atm and
25°C to be scrubbed with monoetanolamine solution. The recycled scrubbing liquid
contains 0.058 mole CO2/ mole solution. The gas leaving the scrubber contains 2%
CO2 by volume assume isothermal operation. Determine minimum liquid gas ratio.
Determine number theoretical plates for 1.2 times (L/G) min. for 0.5 m 3/sec of
entering gas at 1.2 atm. and 25°C
Equilibrium data
Moles 0.058 0.060 0.062 0.064 0.066 0.066 0.0070
CO2
PCO2 5.6 12.8 29 56 98.7 155 232.0
(mmHg)
1) The DBT and WBT of air are found to be 30°C and 20°C respectively. By using
humidity chart, calculate absolute humidity, molar humidity, % relative humidity, %
saturation, humid volume.
2) Moist air at 310K has WBT of 300K. The latent heat of vaporization of water at 300K
is 2440KJ/kg , estimate the humidity of the air and percentage relative humidity. The
total pressure is 105Kpa and the vapour pressure of water vapour at 300K is 3.60Kpa at
310K. Psychrometric ratio (hG/kY)=1000 J/kg.K and latent heat of vaporization is
2440KJ/kg.
3) A humidifier is conditioning 15000 kg of air per hour at 49°C DBT and 32°C WBT by
heating outside air, passing it through an adiabatic spray chamber in which it reaches
90% humidity ñ then reheating to the desired temperature. The outside air is at 4.5°C ñ is
foggy carrying 0.006 kg of liquid water per m 3. To what temperature must the air be
heated in the first heating operation? What is the temperature of air as it emerges from the
spray chamber before the final heating operation? Calculate the heat supplied in the first
ñ final heating. Show the complete process on humidity charts. Specific heats of water
vapors ñ dry air are 2.006 and 1.003kJ/ kgK respectively.
4) For an air-water mixture having a DBT of 65°C, calculate the wet bulb temperature
using the formula for wet bulb depression. Data:
Y’=0.0247 kg vap./kg dry air,
Y’w=0.0365 kg vap./kg dry air,
λw=2419.3kJ/kg
Psychrometric ratio= 950J/kg
13)A gas (B) -Benzene (A) mixture is saturated at 1 std atm 50°C, calculate absolute
humidity if B is
1. Nitrogen
2. Carbondioxide PA=275 mmHg or 0.362 std atm, molecular wt of C 6H6=78.05,
N2=28.02, CO2=44.01
14)For an air-water mixture having a DBT of 65°C, wet bulb temperature of 35°C, total
pressure was 1 std atm. Compute humidity of air based on the following available data:
At tw=35°C, λw=2419300J/kg,
Y’w=0.0365 kg water/kg dry air,
Psychrometric ratio (hG/ky) =950J/kg at tG=65°C
15)The temperature of air in a room is 40.2°C and total pressure 101.1 KPa. The air
contains the water vapour with partial pressure P A=3.74KPa.Calculate humidity and
saturation humidity, percentage humidity. Data: vapor pressure of water is P AS=7.415KPa
at 40°C.
16) Air at 1 atm is blown past the bulb of mercury thermometer the bulb is covered with a
wick. The wick is immersed in an organic liquid (mol.wt.58). Thermometer reading is
8.6°C, vapour pressure is 5 KPa. Find the air temperature, if ratio of heat transfer
coefficient to mass transfer coefficient is 2kJ/kgK and latent heat of vapourisation of
liquid is 360 kJ/kg. Assume air is free of organic vapour when blown. Assume suitable
data if necessary.
17)The DBT and WBT of air are found to be 30°C and 20°C respectively. By using
humidity chart, calculate absolute humidity, molar humidity, % relative humidity, %
saturation, humid volume.
18)Water is to be cooled from 43.3°C to 26.7°C in a forced draft cooling tower under
conditions such that the height of the transfer unit is 0.53m. Air enters the bottom of the
tower at 23.9°C and a wet bulb temperature of 21.1°C. Find the tower height if 1.33 times
the minimum air is used. Neglect the heat transfer resistance of liquid phase. The
enthalpy data is given as:
Temp. of 15.6 18.3 21.1 23.9 26.7 29.4 32.2 35 37.8 40.6 43.3
air °C
Enthalpy 14.7 16.7 18.9 21.5 24.3 27.5 31.1 35.2 39.9 45.2 51.3
of
moistair
Enthalpy is in Kcal/Kg dry air
Unit 6: DRYING
1) A porous dry solid was dried under constant drying conditions in a batch
dryer. It took 6 hours to reduce the moisture from 30% to 10% on wet basis.
The critical moisture content is 16%, equilibrium moisture content is 2%. All
the moisture contents on dry basis. How long will it take to dry a sample of
the above solid to dry from 365% to6% under the same drying conditions.
2) It is desired to dry a certain type of fiber board in sheets
0.131m*0.161*0.071m from 58% to 5% moisture (wet basis) content. Initially
from laboratory test data with this fibre board, the rate of drying at constant
rate period was found to be 8.9Kg/m 2.hr. The critical moisture content 24.9%
ñ the equilibrium moisture content was 1%. The fiber board is to be dried
from one side only ñ has a bone dry density of 210 kg/m3. Determine the time
required for drying. The following rate may be assumed linear.
ii) A wet solid is dried from 25 to 10 % moisture under constant drying conditions in
4.17 hours. If critical ñ equilibrium moisture contents are from 15% and 5% respectively,
how long will it take to dry solid from 30 to 8% moisture under same conditions? Take
all weight % on dry basis.
iii) A wet solid is dried from 20 to 10 % moisture (wet basis) under constant drying
conditions in 2 hours. If equilibrium moisture content is zero.How long will it take to dry
solid to 4% moisture under same conditions? Assume that no constant rate period is
encountered and falling rate period is linear.
iv) A batch of solid for which the following table of data applies is to be dried from 25%
to 6% moisture under conditions identical to those for which the data were tabulated. The
initial weight of the wet solid is 300kg ñ the drying surface is 1m 2 /8kg dry weight.
Determine the time for drying.
X 0.35 0.25 0.20 0.18 0.16 0.14 0.12 0.10 0.09 0.08 0.064
N 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.266 0.239 0.208 0.180 0.150 0.097 0.07 0.025
Where, X= kg moisture /kg dry solid
N= kg moisture evaporated/hrm2
10)1400 kg (bone dry) of granular solid is to be dried under constant drying conditions
from a moisture content of 0.2 kg/kg of dry solid to a final moisture content of 0.02kg/kg
of dry solid. The material has an effective area of 0.0615m 2/kg. Under the same
conditions of the following rates were previously known. Calculate the time required for
drying.