HW#3

From Geankoplis:
 7.1-1
 7.1-3
 7.1-6

From Welty
 Chapter 25 – Problem 8

Due: TBA
Welty (25-8) One step in the processing of cucumbers to pickles is the pickling process
itself. In one method of making pickles, young cucumbers with no waxy skins are soaked in
a NaCl solution overnight. To initiate the pickling process, acetic acid is added to the salt
solution to make the pickling brine. The acetic acid acts as a preservative, and the salt
solution keeps the cucumber from swelling as the acetic acid diffuses into the cucumber.
When a certain concentration of acetic acid inside the cucumber is achieved, the cucumber
is considered “pickled” and will remain safe and tasty to eat for a long time. In the present
pickling process, the temperature is 80℃, and the pickling brine solution contains an acetic
acid concentration of 0.9 kgmole/m3. The cucumbers are 12 cm in length and 2.5 cm in
diameter. The amount of cucumbers relative to the amount of pickling brine solution is
small so that the bulk liquid-phase concentration of acetic acid remains essentially constant
during the pickling process. Initially, the cucumbers do not contain any acetic acid, and are
maintained at 80℃. End effects can be neglected. It can also be assumed that the diffusion
coefficient of acetic acid into the pickle approximates the diffusion coefficient of acetic
acid in water. The diffusion coefficient of acetic acid in water at 20 C (not 80℃) is 1.21 ×
10−5 𝑐𝑚2 /𝑠.

a. How long will it take (in hours) for the center of the pickle to reach a concentration of
0.864 kgmole/m3? For part (a), consider that the liquid is very well mixed so that
external convective mass-transfer resistances can be neglected.

b. Refer to part (a). What is the new required time if convective mass transfer around the
pickle is now such that kc = 1.94 × 10−5 𝑐𝑚/𝑠?