2/15/25, 8:45 PM GATE – 2000

Topic-Wise Distribution of GATE Questions

CH: Chemical Engineering Syllabus:

Section 3A: Fluid Mechanics

Fluid statics, surface tension, Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, transport properties, shell-balances including differential
form of Bernoulli equation and energy balance, equation of continuity, equation of motion, equation of mechanical energy,
Macroscopic friction factors, dimensional analysis and similitude, flow through pipeline systems, velocity profiles, flow meters,
pumps and compressors, elementary boundary layer theory, flow past immersed bodies including packed and fluidized beds,
Turbulent flow: fluctuating velocity, universal velocity profile and pressure drop.

Topic: 01: Fluid statics, Surface tension.

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Gate 1991: 9(ii)

A plant has water tank mounted on the top of a 27 m platform. The tank is 10 m high. The height
of the water in the tank if a pressure gauge on the second floor at a height of 5 m from the
ground reads 2.7 bar is,

(A)Full
(B)5.12 m
(C)3.12 m
(D)7.18 m

Gate 1991 13ii

A cylindrical tank 5 m in diameter discharges through a pipe 50m long and 250 mm diameter
connected to the base of the tank.Show that the time taken for water level in the tank to drop
from 4 m to 1m above the bottom of the tank is given by

Where it is assume d that (R/ru2) the resistance to flow per unit area of pipe surface is constant.

Gate 1992 10(c)

In the layout plan for a vacuum distillation unit, operating at 60 mm Hg, supported by a
barometric condenser, the appropriate place for the location of vacuum drum for collecting the
distillate will be,

(A) At ground level

(B) 2 m above ground
(C) 5 m above ground
(D) 10 m above ground

Gate 1993 13(b)

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2/15/25, 8:45 PM GATE – 2000

A piece of wood floats of an interface between layers of oil and water as shown in Fig.19 (b). the
specific gravity of wood and oil are 0.95and 0.75 respectively. Determine the volume fraction of
wood in the water layer.

Gate 1994 3(b)

As long as a pump is not used, a fluid will always flow from high-pressure region to low pressure
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Gate 1994 4(h)

For a sphere of density rs and volume V placed in a fluid of density r

(I) Weight (A) (rs –r)Vg

(II) Buoyancy force (B) rVg
(C) rs Vg
(D) (rs +r)Vg

Gate 1997 Q15:

A rectangular piece of wood (density = 650 kg/m3) 75 mm x 75 mm x Gate 2000 mm in size floats
on water (density = 1000 kg/m3). How many kilograms of lead of density 11.200 kg/m3 must be
put on the top of the wooden piece so that it will float upright with 300 mm of its length above
the water surface ?

Gate 2004 Q 12
What is the force required (in Newtons) to hold a spherical balloon stationary in water at a depth
of H from the air-water interface? The balloon is of radius 0.1 m and is filled with air.

(A) (B) (C) (D)

Gate 2004 Q 50
For the manometer setup shown in the figure, the pressure difference PA – PB is given by

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2/15/25, 8:45 PM GATE – 2000

(A) (ρH – ρ air) gH

(B) (ρH – ρ L) gH
(C) (ρH – ρ L) gH + (ρL – ρ air) g (L – H)
(D) (ρH – ρ L) gL + (ρL – ρ air) gH

Gate 2004 Q51

A conical tank with a bottom opening of cross-sectional area A is filled with water and is mounted
on supports, as shown in the figure. What is the force F with which plate X must be pushed up to
prevent water from leaking? Assume that the density of air is negligible as compared to the
density of water ρL.

(A) ρLVg (B) ρLAhg

(C) ρLVg / 2 (D) ρLVg / 3

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Gate 2005 Q 51
A dam of width 50 m is used to hold water in a reservoir. If the water height is 10 m from the
bottom of the dam, what is the total force F acting on the dam due to the water ? Assume g = 10
m/s2, and the fluid density is 1000 kg/m3.

(a) F = 12.5 x 106 N (b) F = 25 x 106 N

(c) F = 50 x 106 N (d) F = 5 x 106 N

Gate 2005:82a and 82b

Statement for Linked Answer Questions 82a & 82b
A balloon of mass 0.01 kg is charged with hydrogen to a pressure of 102kPa and released from the
ground level. During its rise the hydrogen is permitted to escape from the balloon in order to
maintain a constant differential pressure of 2 kPa under which condition the diameter of the

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2/15/25, 8:45 PM GATE – 2000

balloon remains at 0.4 m. As this balloon rises it is assumed that the temperature in and around
the balloon remains constant at 273 K. Further, the inertia of the balloon and the air resistance
due to the rising balloon may be neglected. Assume that the density of air at 273 K is 1.2733
kg/m3, the average molecular weight of air is 28.9, the atmospheric pressure is 100 kPa and the
acceleration due to gravity is 10 m/s2.

82a. Select the correct value of the upward thrust (in N) expressed in terms of the outside
pressure P which is expressed in Pa.

(a) 10.06 ´ 10-7 P – 0.0122 (b) 3.97 ´ 10-6 P – 0.01006

(c) 15.03 ´ 10-7 P – 0.0534 (d) 8.08 ´ 10-6 P – 0.1362

82b. Select the value of the outside pressure P in Pa for which there will be no force on the
balloon ?

(a) 25340 (b) 35530

(c) 12130 (d) 16860

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Gate 2006 Q9:

The magnitude of the force (in N) required to hold a body of volume 0.05 m3 and mass 40 kg in
water (density 1000 kg/m3) at a depth of 0.1 m is (g = 9.81 m/s2)
.
(A) zero (B) 98.1 (C) 490.5 (D) 882.9

Gate 2007 Q 10
Consider a soap film bubble of diameter D, If the external pressure is Poand the surface tension of
the soap film is σ , the expression for the pressure inside the bubble is

A) P0 B) C) D)

Gate 2008 Q 9:

Three containers are filled with water up to the same height as shown. The pressures at the
bottom of the containers are denoted as P1, P2 and P3. Which ONE of the following relationships
is true ?

A) P3> P1> P2
B) P2> P1> P3
C) P1> P2 = P3

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D) P1 = P2 = P3
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Gate 2010 Q 34
A hydrometer, with stem cross-sectional area of 2.82 x 10-5 m2, is immersed in a very large vessel
containing water as shown in the figure. The immersed volume is 15 x 10-6m3 and the length of
the stem about water surface is Lw. If the entire volume of water is replaced by a liquid with
specific gravity 1.5 and if the length of the stem above the liquid surface is Ll, then the difference,
Ll – Lw , is

(A) –177 mm (B) 177 mm (C) –266 mm (D) 266 mm

Gate 2013 Q 9
An open tank contains two immiscible liquids of densities (800 kg/m3 and 1000 kg/m3) as shown
in the figure. If g = 10 m/s2, under static conditions, the gauge pressure at the bottom of the tank
in Pa is __________

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Gate 2016 Q8:

A vertical cylindrical vessel has a layer of kerosene (of density 800 kg/m3) over a layer of water (of
density 1000 kg/m3). L-shaped glass tubes are connected to the column 30 cm apart. The
interface between the two layers lies between the two points at which the L-tubes are
connected. The levels (in cm) to which the liquids rise in the respective tubes are shown in the
figure below.

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The distance (x in cm, rounded off to the first decimal place) of the interface from the point at
which the lower L-tube is connected is _______

Gate 2007 Q 11:

A gas bubble (gas density ρg = 2 kg/m3; bubble diameter D = 10–4 m) is rising vertically through
water (density ρ =1000 kg/m3; viscosity μ = 0.001 Pa.s) Force balance on the bubble leads to
the following equation.

where υ is the velocity of the bubble at any given time t. Assume that the volume of the rising
bubble does not change. The value of g = 9.81 m/s2.

The terminal rising velocity of the bubble (in cm/s), rounded to 2 decimal places, is _____ cm/s.

Gate 2018 Q 37
Q.37 Under isothermal condition, a vertical tube of length L = 100 m contains a gas of molecular
weight equal to 60. The pressure and temperature at the top of the tube are 100 kPa and 25 oC
respectively. Consider the universal gas constant and acceleration due to gravity as 8.314 J mol-1
K-1 and 9.81 m s-2 respectively. If the gas is ideal, the pressure (in kPa) at the bottom of the tube
will be ____________ (rounded off to third decimal place).

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Gate 2019 Q 23
Q.23 For a hydraulic lift with dimensions shown in figure, assuming g =10 m/s2 , the maximum
diameter Dleft (in m) that lifts a vehicle of mass 1000 kg using a force of 100 N is _____________
(rounded off to two decimal places).

Gate 2020 Q 38

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2/15/25, 8:45 PM GATE – 2000

A U-tube manometer contains two manometric fluids of densities 1000 kg m-3and 600 kg m-3.
When both the limbs are open to atmosphere, the difference between the two levels is 10 cm at
equilibrium, as shown in the figure.

The rest of the manometer is filled with air of negligible density. The acceleration due to gravity is
9.81 m s-2 and the atmospheric pressure is100 kPa. How much absolute pressure (in kPa) has to
be applied on the limb 'P’to raise the fluid in the limb ‘Q’ by another 20 cm?

(A) 100.175
(B) 103.924
(C) 547.231
(D) 833.206

Gate 2021 Q41

Consider a tank filled with 3 immiscible liquids A, B and C at static equilibrium, as shown in the
figure. At 2 cm below the liquid A – liquid B interface, a tube is connected from the side of the
tank. Both the tank and the tube are open to the atmosphere.

At the operating temperature and pressure, the specific gravities of liquids A, B and C are 1, 2 and
4, respectively. Neglect any surface tension effects in the calculations. The length of the tube
𝑳that is wetted by liquid B is _________________ cm.
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Gate 2024 Q 15

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2/15/25, 8:45 PM GATE – 2000

An infinitely long cylindrical water filament of radius R is surrounded by air. Assume water and air to be
static. The pressure outside the filament is Pout. and the pressure inside is Pin. If γ is the surface tension
of the water-air interface, then P − P is
in out

2γ
(A) R

(B) 0
γ
(C) R

4γ
(D) R

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