CHEMICAL ENGINEERING TRIPOS Part I

Tuesday 30 May 2006

9 to 12

PAPER 1
Answer five questions in all. At least one answer must be from Section A, and at
least two answers from Section B.
Write on one side of the paper only.
The approximate number of marks allocated to each part of a question is
indicated in the right hand margin.
Write your number, but not your name on the cover sheet.
STATIONERY REQUIREMENTS
Script paper
Metric graph paper
Rough work pad.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Department of Chemical Engineering Data Book
Chart for emissivity of water vapour
Approved calculators are allowed.

You may not start to read the questions

printed on the subsequent pages of this
question paper until instructed that you
may do so by the Invigilator

2
SECTION A
1 (a) Show that the velocity profile of a viscous fluid flowing in steady laminar
flow between parallel plates under the influence of a pressure gradient is

u=

1  dp  1 2
2

 (2 h )
y ,
2  dx 

where the x-axis is in the direction of flow, and the y-axis is perpendicular to the
plates, with the origin so that the plates are at 12 h . Find the volumetric flow rate, q,
per unit width of the plates.
[10 marks]
(b) The fluid flows radially outwards through a narrow gap between two parallel
discs, as shown in Fig. 1. Show that the flow rate, Q, through the cylindrical surface
of radius r, is given by

Q=

h 3 r  dp 
 
6  dr 

and explain why Q is independent of r. The pressure at r1 is p1 and that at r2 is p2.

Hence, find an expression for Q.
[10 marks]
fluid in

r1

r2
fluid out

Figure 1

3
2 An orifice plate of diameter 0.07 m is installed in a pipe of diameter 0.1 m. The
coefficient of contraction is Cc = 0.65. Water at a temperature of 20oC flows through
the pipe, and the pressure drop measured across the orifice plate, from a point
upstream of the plate to the location of the vena contracta, is 2.15
104 Pa.
Find:
(a) The velocities in the pipe and in the jet, and the mass flow rate.
[8 marks]
(b) The overall pressure drop.
[6 marks]
(c) The force on the orifice plate.
[3 marks]
(d) The overall power loss.
[3 marks]

[TURN OVER

4
3 A pump delivers water to two pipes, both of diameter 0.05 m. One pipe has an
effective length of 150 m and its discharge is to atmosphere at an elevation 30 m
higher than the pump. The other pipe is of effective length 300 m, and its discharge is
to atmosphere at an elevation 15 m higher than the pump. The inlet to the pump can
be taken to be at zero gauge pressure.
(a) Using the above data, determine how the flow rates through the two pipes
are related.
[5 marks]
(b) Using the pump characteristic shown in Fig. 2, estimate the volumetric flow
rates in the two pipes.
[10 marks]
(c) What would the flow rates be if the rotational speed of the pump were
halved? Give reasons for your answer.
[5 marks]
Data
The Fanning friction formula is

L v2
H = 4c f
,
D 2g
where the symbols have their usual meanings.
The friction factor, c f , in both pipes can be taken to be 0.005.

Pump characteristic
60

Head (m)

50
40
30
20
10
0
0

Flow rate (litre/s)

(litres/sec)

Figure 2

10 11

5
SECTION B
4 A triple-tube heat exchanger consists of three long concentric pipes as shown in
the cross-section in Fig. 3. The process liquid flows along duct B and the utility fluid
flows through ducts A and C.
(a) The hydrodynamic diameter, dH, of a duct is defined as 4
(area of crosssection)/wetted perimeter. Obtain expressions for dH for each duct, assuming that the
walls are thin.
[3 marks]
(b) A liquid is used as the utility fluid to heat the process fluid. It is desired that
both the inner wall (radius r1) and the outer wall (radius r2) containing the process
fluid in duct B are at the same temperature. For the case where the utility fluid in
ducts A and C has the same bulk temperature, find a relationship between the mass
flow rates in these ducts and the radii r1, r2 and r3. Assume that the coefficients of heat
transfer are obtainable from
Nu = a Re0.75 ,
where both Nu and Re are based on dH and the thermal resistances of the walls are
negligible.
[7 marks]
(c) Calculate the total rate of heat transfer per unit length, for the case
considered in (b), where the bulk utility and process stream temperatures are 40C and
20C, respectively, a = 0.05, r1 = 0.02 m, r2 = 0.025 m and r3 = 0.03 m. Assume that
both liquids have the properties of water at 20C, and that the Reynolds number for
the flow in ducts A and B is 20,000.
[5 marks]
(d) Determine the design criterion which, locally, will give equal wall
temperatures over the length of the triple-tube exchanger when a liquid utility fluid is
used. In practice, what change could you make to enable the device to operate at a
constant wall temperature.
[5 marks]
r2
r1

A
Figure 3

C
r3

[TURN OVER

6
5 (a) In a testing device, a thin sample of solid material is placed between two
circular metal plates, as shown in Fig. 4. Initially, the temperatures of the plates and
sample are uniform throughout at T0. At time t = 0, the temperature of each plate is
increased simultaneously in a step change from T0 to T*.
(i) Assuming that there are no temperature gradients in the metal plates,
and that the sample can be treated as a homogeneous, semi-infinite slab, write
down, but do not solve, the partial differential equation relating the subsequent
temperature in the sample to position and time, identifying the initial and
boundary conditions.
[8 marks]
(ii) The solution to the equation identified in (i) shows that the temperature
at the centre of the slab will have risen by 0.95(T* - T0) when the characteristic
Fourier number has a value of unity. Calculate the time for this temperature rise
to occur at the centre of the sample.
[3 marks]
(iii) In Fig. 4, one of the metal plates is now replaced by a perfect insulator.
Determine the time for a temperature rise of 0.95(T* - T0) to occur in the material
at its boundary with the insulator.
[3 marks]
(b) The material undergoes an endothermic phase change at temperature Tp. If
the surface temperature is held constant at (Tp + 1) K, estimate how long it will take
for the transformation to be complete throughout the sample for the case where the
material is sandwiched between two heated metal plates. Ignore sensible heat changes.
[6 marks]
Data
Sample thickness
Thermal conductivity
Density
Specific heat
Enthalpy change

1 mm
(radius thickness)
0.243 W m-1 K-1
2000 kg m-3
2.0 kJ kg-1 K-1
8000 kJ kg-1

metal plate
sample
metal plate

Figure 4

7
6 An oven consists of a long duct of square cross-section of side 0.5 m. The top
and side walls are black and are maintained at 500C. The product to be cooked
covers the base of the duct in a thin, continuous layer and can be assumed to be at at
uniform temperature.
(a) Calculate the view factors and mean beam length for this oven, given that
the mean beam length is given by 3.5
(enclosed volume)/(surface area).
[5 marks]
(b) The product consists of a continuous slab of pizza covering the entire floor
of the oven. The pizza contains water, which evaporates rapidly into the air in the
oven cavity, so that the partial pressure of water vapour in the air is in equilibrium
with the temperature of the pizza. The oven operates at atmospheric pressure.
Generate an electrical circuit construction for the net rate of heat transfer to the pizza
per unit length of oven when its temperature, T, is less than 100C. Note that the pizza
is not black and that the vapour participates in the radiant heat transfer. You may
assume that the gas is grey.
[4 marks]
(c) Calculate the vapour temperature and total rate of heat transfer to the pizza
per unit length of oven when T = 50C, given that the emissivity of the surface of the
pizza is 0.5.
[9 marks]
(d) Explain briefly what will happen to the rate of heat transfer in the oven as T
exceeds 50C.
[2 marks]

[Chart for emissivity of water vapour supplied]

[TURN OVER

8
7 (a) A vapour condenses on a vertical plate, which separates the vapour from a
cold utility stream. Explain briefly where the resistances to heat transfer come from
and why the local rate of heat transfer will vary with position along the plate.
[5 marks]
(b) Consider the case where the bulk vapour contains a mole fraction yi of an
inert, non-condensing gas. Starting from the mass transport equation for the vapour
N A = (N A + N B )y A
DCT

dy A
,
dx

where the symbols have their usual meanings, show that the local heat flux arising
from condensation, q, is given by
q =
H vap

DCT  y * 
ln   .

 yi 

Here, y* is the concentration of inerts at the condensate surface,
Hvap is the latent
heat of vaporisation, and
is the thickness of the mass transfer boundary layer in the
vapour. You may assume that film condensation occurs and that the vapour behaves
as an ideal gas. Ignore superheating effects.
[5 marks]
(c) Calculate the local rate of condensation for saturated steam at an absolute
pressure of 2 bar, if the local overall coefficient of heat transfer for the combined
effect of the condensate, plate and utility is 2000 W m-2 K-1 and the utility temperature
is 20C, for each of the following cases:
(i) the steam is pure,
(ii) the steam contains 1 mol% inert gas.
In (ii), an iterative solution is needed: take your initial guess for the condensing
temperature as 110oC. Comment on the result. You should note that the condensate
temperature will be determined by the vapour pressure of steam in contact with the
surface of the condensate and that an iterative calculation of this temperature is
required in (ii).
[10 marks]
Data


D

0.1 mm
1.0  10-5 m2 s-1

9
8 (a) Show that the overall gas-side mass transfer coefficient, Kg , for the
absorption of a soluble gas component into a liquid phase, is given by
 1  mg H m
Kg =  +
k
 ml k l
 g

1


 ,



where kg and kl are the gas- and liquid-side mass transfer coefficients, and
mg and
ml
are, respectively, the molar densities of the gas and liquid phases. Hm is a Henrys
Law constant such that y* = Hmx , where y* is the mole fraction of soluble component
in the gas phase in equilibrium with x, the mole fraction of soluble component in the
liquid phase.
[4 marks]
(b) A volatile organic compound is to be removed from a stream of air by
counter-current scrubbing in a packed tower using a feed of pure water. The tower
operates at 15C and an absolute pressure of 1 bar, and has a cross-sectional area A of
0.5 m2. The height Z of the packing is 6 m. The volumetric flowrate of the stream of
inlet air is 0.1 m3 s-1 and the mass flowrate of the water feed is 1 kg s-1. It may be
assumed that the organic compound is fully soluble in water.
(i) Determine the molar flowrates, Gm and Lm, of the gas and liquid streams.
[4 marks]
(ii) Given that kga and kla for the column are 0.262 s-1 and 4.68
10-3 s-1
respectively, where a is the packing surface area per unit volume of packing,
determine Kga.
[4 marks]
(iii) Determine the maximum allowable concentration of organic compound
in the gas stream if the concentration in the exit gas must not exceed
8
10-9 kmol m-3.
[8 marks]
Data
The equilibrium relationship for the system is given by p = 3000 Cl, where p is the
partial pressure (in Pa) of the organic compound in the gas phase, and Cl is the
concentration (in kmol m-3) of the organic compound in the liquid phase.
For dilute absorption with a straight equilibrium line:



 
 y
y B 
Gm
1


Z =
ln B

A mg K g a   Gm H m   yT
yT 

1

  Lm 



END OF PAPER