NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROURKELA

Department of Chemical Engineering

End-Semester
Semester Examination, Session: 2018-19 (Spring)
(B.Tech, 4th Semester)

Subject Name:
Name Mass Transfer Operations Operations-I Subject Code:
Code CH-2112
Duration:
Duration 03 hrs Full Marks:
Marks 50
There are 4 questions. All questions are compulsory. Make necessary rational assumptions wherever required.
All symbols have their usual meaning. Figures at the right hand margin indicate marks. All parts of a question
should be answered at one place.

Q. Particulars Marks
No.
(1) Ammonia is to be separated from an air stream by scrubbing with pure water as the solvent in a 16
packed bed absorption column (with 1 m2 of tower cross-section) operatin ng at 25oC and 1 atm
pressure. 16 mole% of Ammonia is originally present in the air stream. The gas flow rate is 60
kmol/m2.h and water flow rate is 70 kmol/m2.h. It is required to remove 99% of Ammonia from
the gas feed. The overall volumetric gas phase mass transfer coefficient is Kya=100 kmol/m3.h.
gas-phase
*
The equilibrium data is represented by: log [ P (1 − x) y ] = 4.699 − 1922 , P = Total pressure in
10
55.5 x T
atmosphere minus vapor pressure of water at 25oC and T is in K. The vapor pressure of water at
25oC=0.4574 psi. Determine: (a) Concentrations of Ammonia in the outlet gas and the outlet
liquid (b) Overall height of a transfer unit (c) Number of transfer units, graphically (d)
Height off the packing required (e) Absorption factor

(2) An aqueous solution containing 40 mol% Methanol is to be separated at a rate of 300 kmol/h using 12
open steam as the source of heat energy. The top product must have 96 mol% Methanol and the
bottom product must not have more than 4 mol% Methanol in it. The ffeedeed enters the column 50%
vaporized. A reflux ratio of 2.25 is suitable. The equilibrium data for Methanol-Water
Methanol system at
101.3 kPa are given below:

x 0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.95 1.0
y 0 0.13 0.23 0.3 0.37 0.42 0.58 0.67 0.73 0.78 0.82 0.87 0.92 0.96 0.98 1.0

Determine (a) The number of theoretical stages required for this separation (b) Location of
feed plate (c) The equation of the stripping section operating line

(3) A feed mixture of A and B (45 mol% A and 55 mol% B) is to be separated into a top product 12
containing 96 mol% A and a bottom product having 95 mol% B. The feed is 50% vapor and the
reflux ratio is 1.5 times the minimum. The relative volatility αAB=2.8. Determine
mine the following:

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 (a) The equation of the feed line (b) The number of theoretical or ideal trays required for
the given separation (c) The location of the feed tray.

(4) Answer the following questions:

(a) Write Kremser’s general analytical expression for desorption or stripping operation for a trayed 1
tower.

(b) Write down the expression for number of transfer units (or, NTU) based on overall 1
concentration gradient with respect to gas phase derived using mass transfer coefficient approach.

(c) Draw a simple schematic of a “total reboiler” used in a distillation tower. 1

(d) Under what conditions Fenske’s equation can be applied in calculating minimum number of 2
stages for a trayed tower?

(e) For a binary distillation system at equilibrium, what would be the value of degrees of freedom? 1
Show that.

(f) For positive deviation from ideality, show the approximate Azeotropic composition profile in a 1
T-x-y diagram.

(g) A mixture containing 30 mol% n-pentane and 70 mol% n-heptane is to be continuously distilled 3
to produce an overhead product that contains 98 mol% n-pentane. 96 % of the n-pentane that
enters the column in the feed is to be recovered in the overhead or distillate product. Calculate the
mole fraction of n-pentane in the bottom product.

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