“What I hear, I forget;

What I see, I remember;

What I do, I understand.”

- Confucius
 Principles of Chemical Engineering

Books/ References:

1. Bioprocess Engg Principles – Pauline Doran

2. Stoichiometry – B I Bhatt and S M Vora

3. Basic Principles and Calculations in Chemical Engineering – David M.

Himmelblau and James B. Riggs
 DIMENSIONS & UNITS

Dimension – a property (physical quantity) that can be measured;

– It is a physical variable used to specify the behavior or
nature of a particular system

e.g. Length, Time, Mass, Temperature (Fundamental)

Velocity, Acceleration, Flow Rate (Derived)

e.g. Length of a rod (Length  dimension; rod  system)

Temperature of a gas (thermodynamic dimension)

 Note: Certain observable properties cannot be quantified using

appropriate numbers – taste, aroma
Units – means of expressing the dimensions (metre/ second/ litre/ etc.)

 The numerical values of two quantities may be added, subtracted

or equated only if the units are same.

 The numerical values of two quantities along with their

corresponding units – combined by multiplication or division

 Gives significance to the value assigned to a dimension

 Always carry units along with numbers in your calculations.

 Important point: you cannot add or subtract two dimensions

with different units but can only multiply or divide.

 Addition and subtraction is only possible when dimensions have

same units.
Physical quantities can be categorized into:
1. Fundamental Quantities/ Base Quantities
 From these dimensions, other physical variables are derived

2. Derived Quantities
 Example: velocity – LT-1

The SI system of units (The International System of Units or Le

Système Internationale d’ Unités) is preferred worldwide.
Derived variables/ quantities can be endless.

Usually they are derived from multiplying/ dividing base units or

dimensions

Some of them are listed below.

Apart from SI unit system there are other systems also which are less
preferred:
1. CGS System – gram(g) and centimeter (cm); rest same as SI
2. American Engineering System – foot, pound, second
 CONVERSIONS
Length:[1 m = 3.3 ft]; [1 cm = 0.4 in]; [1 km = 0.6 miles]

Area: [1 m2 = ? ft2]; [1 cm2 = ? in2]; [1km2 = ? Miles2];

[1 ha = 104 m2 = 2.5 acre]

Volume: [1 m3 = 1000 L]

Mass: [1 kg = 2.2 lb]

Pressure: [1 atm = 101.3 kPa]; [1 mm Hg = 133.3 Pa]

Temperature: [°F = 1.8°C + 32] [K = °C+273.15]

Refer book on chemical engineering for more conversions

 BASIC PROCESS VARIABLES
 Mole (/gram mole), Molar Mass & Molar Concentration
 Atomic Weight
 Molecular Weight
 Equivalent Weight
 Volume & Density
 Vapor Pressures
 Molarity
 Molality
 Normality
 Partial Pressure
 Mass Fraction/ Mole Fraction/ Volume Fraction
 Specific Gravity
 Specific volume (m3/kg)
Amagat’s Law

The volume of an ideal gas mixture (V) is equal to the sum of the
component volumes of each individual component in the gas mixture
at the same temperature (T) and total pressure (P) of the mixture.
For example,
Dalton’s Law

The total pressure (P) of an ideal gas mixture is equal to the sum of
the partial pressures of each individual component in the gas mixture
at the same temperature (T) and total volume (V) of the mixture. For
example,
Thus, mole fraction (xj) and volume fraction (yj) for an ideal gas
mixture are equivalent.
Ref.: Bioprocess Engg.
Principles – Pauline Doran
“Take care of your units and they will take care of you.”

- Anonymous
 Numericals

1. How many grams of NH4Cl are there in 5 moles?

2. a) How many moles of K2CO3 will contain 117 kg ‘K’?

b) How many molecules of K2CO3 will contain 117 kg ‘K’?

3. Find equivalent weight of:

a) PO43- radical b) Na3PO4

4. The volumetric flow rate of oil in 80 mm diameter pipe is 75

L/min. If ρkerosene = 0.8 g/cm3, find the mass flow rate in ‘kg/s’?
 Numericals

5. NaCl weighing 600 kg is mixed with 200 kg KCl. Calculate the mass
fraction % and mole fraction % of each.

6. In the production of a drug having a molecular weight of 192, the

exit stream from the reactor flows at the rate of 10.3 L/min. The
exit stream drug concentration is 41.2% (w/w) in water and the
specific gravity of the solution is 1.025. Calculate the
concentration of drug in kg/L in the exit stream and the flow rate
of drug in kgmol/ min.

7. Government regulatory offices limit HCN in the air to a

concentration of 10 ppm. According to Merc Index, lethal dose of
HCN in air is 300 mg/kg of air at RT. How many ‘mg HCN/kg air’ is
the 10 ppm? What fraction of lethal dose is 10 ppm?
 Numericals

8. Add the following:

1. 1 cm + 3 seconds
2. 1 kJ/sec + 300 watts

9. Convert:
1. 2km to miles [1 mile = 1.61 km]
2. 400 in3/day to cm3/min [1 in = 2.54 cm]

10. In biological system, enzymes are used to accelerate the rates of

certain biological reactions. Glucoamylase is an enzyme that aids
in the conversion of starch to glucose (a monosaccharide that cells
used for energy). Experiments show that 1 µg mol of glucoamylase
in a 4% starch solution results in a production rate of glucose of
0.6 µg mol/ (mL)(min). Determine the production rate of glucose
for this system in the units of gmole.L-1.day-1.
 Numericals

11. What is the molecular weight of the following cell of a

superconductor material?
12. The available nitrogen in an urea [NH2CONH2] sample is found to
be 45% (by mass). Find the actual urea content in the sample.
[Ans. 96.43 kg urea or 96.43%]

13. Caustic soda flakes obtained from a manufacturer are found to

contain 60 ppm silica (SiO2). Convert this impurity into mass%.
[Ans. 0.006%]

14. A sample of light diesel oil (LDO) from a refinery is found to

contain 0.68 mass % sulphur (S). Its density is 0.85 kg/L at
303.15K. Convert this impurity into ppm.
[Ans. 5780 ppm or mg/L]

[NOTE: When trace impurities are discussed in aqueous solutions;

density 1kg/L; then, 1mg/L = 1ppm].
15. A solution of sodium chloride in water contains 20% NaCl by mass
at 333K. The density of solution is 1.127 kg/L. Find the molarity,
normality and molality (moles of solute/ mass of solvent) of the
solution.
[Ans. 3.85M; 3.85N; 4.275 mol/kg.]

16. Aqueous solution of triethanolamine (TEA) i.e., N(CH2CH2OH)3,

contains 50% TEA by mass. Find the molarity of the solution if the
density of the solution is 1.05 kg/L.
[Ans. 3.524M]

17. The density of a material is 2 kg/m3. What is its specific volume?

[Note: Specific volume is volume occupied per unit mass of a
substance. It is the inverse of density]
[Ans. 0.5 m3/kg]
18. An empty 10 gal tank weighs 4.5 lb. What is the total weight of the
tank plus the water when it is filled with 5 gal of water?
[1 gallon (gal) = 3.78 litres; 1 pound (lb) = 0.45 kg]
[Ans. 46.2 lb]

19. A solution of HNO3 in water has a specific gravity of 1.10 at 25°C.

The concentration of the HNO3 is 15 g/L of the solution. What is
the:
a) Mole fraction of HNO3 in the solution? [Ans.]
b) Concentration (in ppm) of HNO3 in the solution? [Ans.]
[Note: This is not an impurity which is being discussed, but the
major constituent of the solution]
20. 100g of H2SO4 and HNO3, each, is filled in two separate bottles.
Which bottle contains more molecules? How many more?
[Ans. Bottle containing HNO3 has 0.567 moles or 3.415 x 1023
molecules more than other bottle.]

20. A sample of limestone, obtained from Porbandar, Gujarat, is found

to contain 54.5% CaO by mass. If this CaO is present as CaCO3 in
the limestone, find the content of CaCO3 in the limestone.
[Ans. 97.32% w/w]

20. A sample of caustic soda flakes (NaOH) contains 74.6% Na2O by

mass. Find the purity of the flakes.
[Ans. 96.26% NaOH]

20. A sample of sea water contains 35000 ppm solids. Express the
concentration of the solids as mass percentage.
[Ans. 3.5% w/w]
24. The analysis of a sample of glass yields 7.8% Na2O, 7% MgO, 9.7%
ZnO, 2% Al2O3, 8.5% B2O3 and 65% SiO2 by mass (w/w). Convert
this composition into mole%. [Ans. 7.65%, 10.57%, 7.25%, 1.19%,
7.43% and 65.91% respectively]

25. Nitric acid and water forms a maximum boiling azeotrope

containing 62.2 mole % water [boiling temperature = 403.6 K].
Find the composition of the azeotrope by mass. [Ans. 68.02%
HNO3 w/w]