1) When to use double pipe heat exchanger and shell and tube heat exchanger?

Double pipe heat exchangers are used when the heat transfer area is small say up to
14 m2. If we connect them in series to increase the heat transfer area it will
require much space as well the pressure drop will be higher due to more fittings.
Also we can’t increase no of passes for either side fluids. The double pipe HE
can’t be used for dirty fluids due to choking and cleaning is tougher. The
advantage is it is simple to construct and easy to operate.

But in shell and tube HE, we can pack a large heat transfer area within a small
volume. As the numbers of tubes are more in a shell and tube HE, we can expect a
higher turbulence which will result in higher heat transfer rates. Dirty fluids
also can be handled owing to easy cleaning.

2) What is Biot No?

Biot No is a dimensionless No defined as Bi= hL/kb (No unit). h= convective heat

transfer co efficient (unit isW/m2 K)

L= characteristic length (Volume of the body/ surface area of the body” unit is
metre)

kb= thermal conductivity of the body(W/mK)

It is the ratio between conductive heat transfer within a body to that of

convective heat transfer away from the body. If it is above one means convection
is more and less than one means conduction is more.

3) What should be the pressure to be taken for pipe and reactor before put
in service?

For pipes the test pressure should be double the proposed application pressure and
for reactors test pressure should be 1.5 times the reaction pressure. It means if
we wish to subject a pipe to 10 bar we have to do pressure testing at 20 bars
whereas for the reactor it would be 15 bars.

4) Which liquid should be on shell side of a shell and tube HE and why?

Even though there are no strict conditions on this the following

points are taken into consideration normally. 1)The corrosive fluid shall pass
through the tube side as the replacement of tubes is easier and cheaper than shell
side 2) The toxic, hazardous fluid shall pass through tube side. Because in
case of any leakage it won’t get exposed to atmosphere.

5) How we can find leakage in any tube in shell and tube HE?

We have to remove the bonnets of left and right side of the HE. We have to force a
liquid thro’ the shell side with high pressure. It will penetrate the leaked tube
and come out via the same tube. Thus we can find the leakage.

6) What is the difference between vapor and gas?

A vapor is formed by heating any liquid and it can be condensed at atmospheric

conditions either by reducing temperature or be increasing pressure. But a gas has
already above the critical temperature and can’t be condensed by application of
above methods. First it has to be brought below critical temperature. Then only it
can be condensed.
7) What is the difference between evaporation and boiling?

Evaporation happens at any temperature whereas boiling occurs only at a single

temperature for a single component like water. For example the water at sea surface
evaporates everyday. It may happen either at 300C or 350C, whereas water boils only
at 1000C when the vapor pressure becomes equal to atmospheric pressure.

8) Why the hot liquid in heat exchanger, reactor jacket should flow from
bottom to top?

If we pass the liquid from top to bottom, it will flow fast by gravity itself. So
it will have less contact time with the heat exchanger/reactor surface which will
result in poor heat transfer. That’s why the hot fluid should be passed from bottom
to top to maximize the contact time. The same is applicable for cold fluid also in
reactors

9) Why steam enters top side of jacket in reactor?

If we pass the steam from bottom side the condensate that is formed after losing
the heat won’t have a comfortable passage to get out of the system. In turn the
entering steam will start to heat the returning condensate rather than heating the
reactor surface. That’s why we have to pass it from the top.

10) When we need pumps in parallel and pumps in series?

If we need a higher discharge flow (Q) we have to go for pumps in parallel

arrangement. If we need a higher head (H) we need to go for pumps in series. For
more details please read the below article.

Pumps in parallel and

series

11) When to use gear pumps?

When we need to handle high viscous liquids we need gear pumps as they deliver a
higher discharge pressure (even up to 200bars) than centrifugal pumps. They are
used to pump paints, resins, adhesives, pitch. diesel, crude oil etc. They are
positive displacement pumps.

12) Please give a comparison between orifice meter and venturi meter?

1) The orifice plate can easily be changed to accommodate widely different flow
rates, whereas the throat diameter of a venturi is fixed, so that its range of flow
rates is circumscribed by the practical limits of Dp.

2) The orifice meter has a large permanent loss of pressure because of the presence
of eddies on the downstream side of the orifice-plate; the shape of the venturi
meter prevents the formation of these eddies and greatly reduces the permanent
loss.

3) The orifice is cheap and easy to install. The venturi meter is expensive, as it
must be carefully proportioned and fabricated. A home made orifice is often
entirely satisfactory, whereas a venturi meter is practically always purchased from
an instrument dealer.

4) On the other hand, the head lost in the orifice for the same conditions as in
the venturi is many times greater. The power lost is proportionally greater, and,
when an orifice is inserted in a line carrying fluid continuously over long periods
of time, the cost of the power may be out of all proportion to the saving in first
cost. Orifices are therefore best used for testing purposes or other cases where
the power lost is not a factor, as in steam lines.

5) However, in spite of considerations of power loss, orifices are widely used,

partly because of their greater flexibility, because installing a new orifice plate
with a different opening is a simpler matter. The venturi meter can not be so
altered. Venturi meters are used only for permanent installations.

6)It should be noted that for a given pipe diameter and a given diameter of orifice
opening or venturi throat, the reading of the venturi meter for a given velocity is
to the reading of the orifice as (0.61/0.98)2, or 1:2.58.(i.e. orifice meter will
show higher manometer reading for a given velocity than venturi meter).

(Courtesy:http://www.msubbu.in/ln/fm/Unit-III/VenturiOrifice.htm)

13) Why centrifugal pumps are widely used in process industries than positive
displacement pumps

Centrifugal pumps ate widely used in process industries. Because

1) They are simple to construct and operate

2) Installation and maintenance are easy

3) Casing can be made of up variety of materials

4) Noise free operation

5) No need of safety valve at discharge side in case of single stage

centrifugal pumps

6) Can handle variety of liquids. The impeller MOC can be altered accordingly.

14) Give brief classification of handling pumps

Click on the image to

Enlarge

15) What is surging in compressors and how it can be prevented?

In centrifugal and axial compressors when the suction volume falls

below a certain limit i.e. when the compressor is not getting enough volume of gas
to compress, the gas from discharge side will flow back to the compressor( which
would reduce the speed of compressor )and join together with the suction side to
increase the volume input. Thereafter the speed of compressor picks and it come to
normal operation. But meanwhile such revere in flow will cross huge pressure
gradient across the compressor and vibration thus may damage the impeller. This
momentary reverse flow lapses for very short time

To prevent surging we need to install an anti surging system. The anti surging
system shall have a mechanism to measure the suction flow and discharge flow time
to time along with a control valve. When the suction volume falls below a certain
set value a part of discharge gas will be directed towards the suction to maintain
the minimum suction volume. As normally compression leads to increase in
temperature the gas recycle sis taken after the “after cooler” to ensure the
discharge temperature is within control.
16) Differentiate compressors, fans and blowers?

Fans, blowers and compressors are differentiated based on the method used to move
the air and specific ratio (specific ratio= discharge pressure/suction pressure).
As per the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) the compression ration
for fans is up to 1.11, blowers- 1.11 to 1.2 and for compressors above 1.2

17) What is the difference between HAZOP and HAZAN?

HAZOP(hazard and operability studies) HAZAN(hazard analysis)

Identifies hazards Assesses hazards
Preferred technique –used on every project Selective technique- use when
others fails
Qualitative Quantitative
Done by a team Done by one or two people
Also called “what if” Also calledRisk analysis,Risk assessmentProbabilistic risk
assessment(PRA)Quantitative risk assessment (QRA)
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Courtesy: Hazop and Hazan By Trevor A. Kletz

18) Why we use LMTD to calculate overall heat transfer co efficient in shell and
tube than arithmetic average?

In a heat exchanger the heat being lost by the hot fluid as well as
the heat gained by the cold fluid is not linear. So we need to use logarithmic
average than arithmetic average to calculate correct value of overall heat transfer
co efficient.

19) What should be the packing size in packed columns?

The size of packing should be approximately 1/8th of the internal diameter of

packed column for optimum pressure drop

20) When to use absorption factor method to calculate no of plates?

If the operating data line and equilibrium line in the Mccabe thiele method runs
parallel the no of theoretical plates would be infinite. So it would be impossible
to find the no of plates as the both won’t touch at any point. So we need
absorption factor method wherein no of theoretical plates can be found by Fenske
equation.

21) How to convert ppm in to percentage?

We have to divide by 104 to for the ppm to get converted to percentage. To convert
percentage to ppm we have to multiply by 104.

How to calculate?

ppm(parts per million) means out of million i.e. out of 106

Percentage means out of 100 ie out of 102

Let us assume we have to convert X ppm into percentage

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106 parts of substance is having x parts of a component

102 parts of the substance would have (102 * X) / 106 = X/104

22) What is TLV (threshold limit value)?

The threshold limit value was set by American Conference of Governmental industrial
Hygienists, Inc (ACGIH) which is defined as the level of concentration of a
chemical substance in which a worker can work without an unreasonable risk of
disease or injury. It can be expressed in ppm or mg/m3.

For example the TLV of chlorine for an 8 hrs work day is 0.5ppm or 1.5 mg/m3.

Which indicates a worker can work without any unreasonable risk of disease or
injury for 8 hours if and only the chlorine concentration in his/her vicinity is
within 0.5ppm.

23) What is critical insulation thickness for pipes?

We know that by adding more insulation to a wall always decreases heat transfer.
The thicker the insulation, the lower the heat transfer rate. This is expected,
since the heat transfer area A is constant, and adding insulation always increases
the thermal resistance of the wall without affecting the convection resistance.

Adding insulation to a cylindrical piece or a spherical shell, however, is a

different matter. The additional insulation increases the conduction resistance of
the insulation layer but decreases the convection resistance of the surface because
of the increase in the outer surface area for convection. The heat transfer from
the pipe may increase or decrease, depending on which effect dominates.

Consider a cylindrical pipe of outer radius r1 whose outer surface temperature T1

is maintained constant. The pipe is now insulated with a material whose thermal
conductivity is k and outer radius is r2 .Heat is lost from the pipe to the
surrounding medium at temperature T∞ with a convection heat transfer coefficient
h. The rate of heat transfer from the insulated pipe to the surrounding air can be
expressed as

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The value of r2 at which heat transfer rate reaches maximum is determined from the
requirement that (zero slope). Performing the differentiation and solving for r2
yields the critical radius of insulation for a cylindrical body to be

rcr,cylinder = k/h

Note that the critical radius of insulation depends on the thermal conductivity of
the insulation k and the external convection heat transfer coefficient h.The rate
of heat transfer from the cylinder increases with the addition of insulation for
r2< rcr, reaches a maximum when r2= rcr, and starts to decrease for r2> rcr. Thus,
insulating the pipe may actually increase the rate of heat transfer from the pipe
instead of decreasing it when r2< rcr.

Coutesy:IITB Source

24) What is priming in centrifugal pumps?

Priming is a technique used to drive away the air entrapped in the suction line of
a centrifugal pump. If the air present in the suction line are not removed the pump
won’t be able to suck the liquid from the reservoir as air is lighter medium
whereas liquid is heavier medium. So the whole suction line and the part of casing
is filled with water and the air is removed via the air vent. Also if air is
allowed to enter to the impeller they will damage the impeller by flashing
(cavitation).

Normally cavitation won’t occur in pump which is continuously in service as there

is a little chance for the air to get into the suction line.

Another answer from “mcnallyinstitute” is as follows

Unlike a positive displacement pump that can pump a liquid to any head as long as
the pump body is strong enough, and there is enough horsepower available, the
centrifugal pump can only pump a liquid to its rated head. You’ll recall that this
head was determined by, and limited to the diameter of the impeller and the
impeller speed (rpm.)

Since the weight of water is approximately 8000 times that of air (50 miles vs. 34
feet or 80 Km. vs. 10 meters) the centrifugal pump can produce only 1/8000 of its
rated liquid pressure. In other words, for every one foot water has to be raised to
prime the pump, the centrifugal pump must produce a discharge head of approximately
8000 feet (each meter requires a head of 8000 meters) and that is impossible with
conventional impeller diameters and speeds.

All of this means that if you intend to use a centrifugal pump you’re going to have
to come up with some sensible method of priming it. Your choices will include:

a) Install a foot valve in the suction piping to insure the liquid will not drain
from the pump casing and suction piping when the pump stops. Keep in mind that
these valves have a nasty habit of leaking.

b) Evacuate the air in the system with a positive displacement priming pump
operating between the pump and a closed discharge valve.

c) Fill the pump with liquid prior to starting it.

d) Convert the application to a self priming pump that maintains a reservoir of

liquid at its suction.

Courtesy: http://www.mcnallyinstitute.com/06-html/6-06.html

Sub question: Is priming needed if the reservoir is located above the pump
level?

No. because already the suction line would be filled with liquid.

25) Why PD pumps need safety valve at discharge side whereas a centrifugal pump
doesn’t need it?

Because the positive displacement pumps create a higher discharge pressure. (Even
up to 200bars) In case by mistake the discharge valve is closed the higher delivery
side pressure will damage the discharge line and the pump itself. To avoid we need
a safety valve which may recycle a portion of liquid from delivery side to the
reservoir.

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26) Why steam ejectors are located above 10.33 meters only (or) What is
Barometric leg ?

When steam ejectors are in operation a higher vacuum is created inside the system.
If the system comes in direct contact with atmosphere the atmospheric air would
enter the system and break the vacuum. So we use water as a seal. But water also
will be sucked by the vacuum to a height of 10.33 meters which is known as
Barometric leg. If the steam ejector is kept below 10.33 meters the barometric leg
would be unstable and water will enter the system. (10.33 Meters of water = 760 mm
of Hg)

N.B: The barometric line should be straight to ensure a perfect vacuum.

27) What is the size of nozzle in steam ejectors?

One to three millimeters diameters.

28) Why Steam ejectors are used in series?

If the system under which vacuum needed is large i.e. if we have to suck large
volume of vapors from the system a single ejector can’t handle the entire load. So
we need more ejectors in series.

Sub question: Why an inter condenser is needed between two stages of

ejectors?

In inter condenser the vapor from a particular stage is cooled and thus the load to
the next stage is reduced. Only the incondensable (the part of vapor that can’t be
condensed) move to the next stage which would leave the system along with next
stage condensed vapor.

29) What is MSDS?

A MSDS (material safety data sheet) is a sheet which gives all information
such as physical, chemical properties of the chemical being handled, TLV, antidote,
safety precautions, fire extinguisher type to be used etc. Everyone who handles a
chemical substance should be well aware of the MSDS of that particular product.
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30) What is the role of casing in centrifugal pumps?

The casing is designed in such manner its cross section area increases from the
side of entry of liquid i.e. the liquid enters in a small cross section and moves
along higher cross section. Due to that the part of its kinetic energy is converted
into pressure energy.

31) What is the difference between PFD and PID?

The PFD (process flow diagram) gives us picture about stages of the process. But
the PID (process instrumentation diagram) shows us the location of valves, pumps,
compressors, utilities etc in the process.

32) What is the MOC of HE?

The material of construction of heat exchanger depends upon the properties of the
liquid / vapor being handled, pressure and temperature conditions etc. Normally
used materials are carbon steel, stainless steel, nickel, nickel alloys or other
special alloys.

33) Why earthing done in reactors?

To ground the static electricity that may be produced in the reactor due to
reaction.

34) Why SS are not corrosive?

The SS (stainless steel) contains some percentage of chromium. The chromium reacts
with oxygen (which is present in air) to form Cr2O which prevents further oxygen to
react with Iron (Fe) of SS to form rust.

35) When vacuum distillation is needed?

In case if the substance being distilled may degrade before it reaches its boiling
point we have to boil it a lower temperature than its boiling temperature. That’s
why we need vacuum distillation.

36) What is the use of plate efficiency in distillation column?

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Plate efficiency in plate column is used to convert the theoretical number of

plates into actual number plates. As any plate can’t perform ideal we have to
multiply its efficiency with theoretical no of plates to get actual plates
required.
37) What would be impact if we increase and decrease the size of packing in packed
column?

Increase in size of packing will give lower mass transfer rate and lower pressure
drop. Decrease in packing size will lead to higher pressure drop and high mass
transfer rates.

38) Why tangential entry in cyclone separators?

If the dust laden gas enters straightly inside the cyclone separator it won’t
acquire swirl motion. Only tangential entry sets up such swirl motion(centrifugal
force) due to which separation of solid- gas is achieved.

39) When to use gate valve and globe, ball?

Gate valve – On off purpose

Globe valve – Throttling purpose

Ball valve – On off purpose with quicker action

40) When extended surface HE is required?

When the temperature difference between two fluids is less to achieve higher heat
transfer rate we may have to increase the external surface area. That’s why we need
extended surface heat exchangers.

41) How liquid nitrogen is saved in tanks?

Nitrogen is available in liquid form after compression. If it is exposed to

atmosphere directly or comes in contact with heat it would flash (evaporate). So we
need to protect the nitrogen storage from the outside temperature. The boiling
point of nitrogen is -195.8oC. To achieve that it is stored in an inside vessel
with an outer vessel surrounding it. The annular space between the two vessels is
evacuated to ensure the outside temperature won’t enter inside as no medium is
there. This method is similar to what we see in a thermos flask

42) In which type of condensation (Film type, drop wise) heat transfer would be
higher?

In drop wise condensation the drops formed will fall and the new steam that enters
will find a new surface to contact, and to transfer heat. But in film type
condensation a film will be formed on the tube wall which will prevent the fresh
steam to contact the tube surface. So naturally drop wise heat transfer will be
higher.

43) What is the use of baffles in heat exchangers?

Baffles installed in a heat exchanger acts as an obstruction in the flow path of

shell side liquid. It reduces the effective cross section area through which the
liquid travels. Due to this the velocity and turbulence of liquid is increased thus
resulting in high heat transfer.

44) Why baffles are used in reactors?

The purpose of baffles in reactors ia s same as that of heat exchangers. Here also

they increase turbulence thus causing higher rate of heat transfer, mixing thus
ultimately reaction rate.

45) Both the Nusselt number and the Biot number have the same form. What are the
differences between them in terms of the variables employed and their physical
significance?

Both the Biot number and the Nusselt number are of the form (hL/k). However, for
the Biot number, the thermal conductivity k used is that for the solid; for
calculating Nusselt number the k value as that of the fluid. The Biot number is a
measure of the ratio of the temperature drop in the solid material and the
temperature drop between the solid and the fluid. The Nusselt number is a
dimensionless version of the temperature gradient at the surface between the fluid
and the solid, and it thus provides a measure of the convection occurring from the
surface.

Courtesy:http://research.me.udel.edu/advani/teaching/s98_me302_review.htm

46) What are the color codes for cylinders of Oxygen, Carbon di oxide, and
Chlorine?

Oxygen – White

Carbon di oxide – Grey

Chlorine – Yellow

For more details in depth

1) Source One

2) Source Two

47) Please provide the color coding of pipe lines in process industries.

Please refer the following file

http://www.scribd.com/doc/40068469/Color-Codes-for-Pipe-Lines

48) What is the difference between fouling and scaling?

Fouling is caused by the collection of loose debris over pump-suction screens in

sumps or growth of algae in sunlit areas while scaling is depositing of dissolved
minerals on equipment surfaces (Source: wiki.answers)

49) What is dry bulb temperature, wet bulb temperature?

Dry bulb is the temperature of ambient air measured by thermometer. It is called

“Dry bulb temperature” because the temperature shown by thermometer is not affected
by the moisture content of the air.

The Wet Bulb temperature is the temperature of adiabatic saturation. This is the
temperature indicated by a moistened thermometer bulb exposed to the air flow.

Wet Bulb temperature can be measured by using a thermometer with the bulb wrapped
in wet muslin. The adiabatic evaporation of water from the thermometer and the
cooling effect is indicated by a “wet bulb temperature” lower than the “dry bulb
temperature” in the air.

(Courtesy: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/dry-wet-bulb-dew-point-air-d_682.html)
50) What is dew point and why it is important in instrument air?

The Dew Point is the temperature at which water vapor starts to condense out of the
air (the temperature at which air becomes completely saturated). Above this
temperature the moisture will stay in the air.

Electronic instruments uses instrument air received from instrument compressors

must be free of any moisture. Because even a very small amount of moisture may
condense and give enormous deviation between actual value and displayed value which
would result in many problems. So the instrument air should be free of moisture.
This is ensured by keeping the dew point below -400C or below.