Alexandria University Mass transfer ‫جامعة اإلسكندرية‬

Faculty of Engineering ‫كلية الهندسة‬

Chemical Engineering program ‫برنامج الهندسة الكيميائية‬

Fall 2021

Sheet 4
1- Determine the effective diffusion coefficient for hydrogen gas (H2, species A) diffusing into
nitrogen gas (N2, species B) at 100˚C and 1.0 atm within the following materials:

a. Straight 100 A˚ pores in parallel array;

b. Random pores 100 A˚ in diameter with void fraction of 0.4;

c. Random pores 1000 A˚ in diameter with void fraction of 0.4;

d. Straight 20,000 A˚ pores in parallel array.

2- Researchers are proposing the development of a ‘‘nano-channel reactor’’ for steam reforming
of methane (CH4) to fuel cell hydrogen gas to power microscale devices.

As each channel diameter is so small, the gas flow is likely to be very small within a given
channel. Hence, gas diffusion processes may play a role in the operation of this device,
particularly during the mixing and heating steps. We are specifically interested in evaluating the
effective diffusion coefficient of methane gas (species A, MA = 16 g/g.mol) in water vapor
(species B, MB = 18 g/g.mol) at 300˚C and 0.5 atm total system pressure. The diameter of the
channel is 200 nm (1 x 109 nm = 10 m ) .
A feed gas containing 20 mol % CH4 in water vapor is fed to the nanochannel with a flux ratio
NA/NB = 0.25.
What is effective diffusion coefficient of CH4 in the nanochannel at the feed gas conditions? Is
Knudsen diffusion important?

1
3- Diffusion experiments were conducted with a binary mixture of synthesistic gas containing H2
(species A) diluted in a large excess of CO (species B) at 2.0 atm total system pressure and 80˚C
in a porous material of monodispersed pore size distribution and void volume fraction of 0.3.
From the measurements, the measured effective diffusion coefficient of hydrogen was 0.036
cm2/s.

What is the mean pore size (dpore) of this material?

4- A mixture 1.0 mol % O2 (species A) in a helium carrier gas (species B) enters the microscale
chamber. The chamber consists of a channel that is 5.0μm (microns) in diameter. The total
system pressure within the chamber is 300 Pa, which is very small. The chamber temperature is
maintained at 100˚C. The molecular weight of oxygen is 32 g/g.mol and helium is 4.0 g/g.mol.

a. What is the molar concentration of oxygen gas at the entrance to the microchamber?

b. What is the effective diffusion coefficent of O2 (DAez ) within the microchamber?

5- Consider a single, porous, spherical, inert mineral particle. The pores inside the particle are
filled with liquid water (species B). We are interested in analyzing the molecular diffusion of the
contaminant benzene C6H6, species A within the water-filled pores of the particle. The average
diameter of the pores is 150 nm and the void fraction is 0.40. The benzene solute does not adsorb
onto the intersurfaces of the pores. Benzene is very sparingly soluble in water and has a
molecular diameter of 0.15 nm. The process is isothermal at 298 K. The concentration of
dissolved benzene in the water surrounding the particle, CAc , is constant with time. Initially,
there is no dissolved benzene inside the water-filled pores. The critical volume (Vc) of benzene is
259 cm3/g.mol.

What is the effective diffusion coefficient of benzene inside the porous particle? Is pore diffusion
important?

2
6- As part of a bioseparation process, glucose (solute A) in aqueous solution is diffusing across a
microporous membrane, as shown in the following figure.

The thickness of the membrane is 2.0 mm, and the pores running through the membrane consists
of parallel channels of 3.0 nm diameter. The temperature is 30˚C. The mean diameter of a single
glucose molecule is 0.86 nm (nanometers). Assume that the molecular diffusion coefficient of
glucose in water is described by Stokes–Einstein relationship.

What is the effective diffusion coefficient, DAz , of glucose through the membrane?

7- The diffusion rate of the enzyme ribonuclease into a porous chromatography support was
measured at 298 K, and an effective diffusion coefficient of 5.0 x 10-7 cm2/s was backed out of
the data.
Estimate the mean pore diameter of the support. The molecular diffusion coefficient of
ribonuclease in water is 1.19 x10-6cm2/s at 298 K, and the diameter of the molecule is 3.6 nm.