Unit Operations

Final Exam 2/8/2021

PROBLEM-1
A fluidized coal reactor has been proposed for a new power plant. If the coal can be assumed to
be spherical, reduce the general differential equation for mass transfer to obtain a specific
differential equation for describing the steady-state diffusion of oxygen to the surface of the coal
particle. Determine the Fick’s law relationship for the flux of oxygen from the surrounding air
environment if
a. Only carbon monoxide, CO, is produced at the surface of the carbon particle;
b. Only carbon dioxide, CO2, is produced at the surface of the carbon particle.
If the reaction at the surface of the carbon particle is instantaneous, give two boundary conditions
that might be used in solving the differential equation.

PROBLEM-2
Two very large tanks, maintained at 332 K and 1 atm total system pressure, are connected by a
0.1-m-diameter circular duct which is 5 m in length. Tank 1 contains a uniform gas of 55 mol%
acetone and 45 mol% air, whereas tank 2 contains a uniform gas of 15 mol% acetone and 85
mol% air. Determine the initial rate of acetone transfer between the two tanks. The gas
diffusivity of acetone in air at 298 K and 1 atm is 0.093 cm2/s.

PROBLEM-3
Determine the Schmidt number for
a. Oxygen in air at 300 K and 1.0 atm; and
b. Oxygen in liquid water at 300 K.
At 300 K, the diffusion coefficient of oxygen in liquid water is 1.5×10-9 m2/s.

PROBLEM-4
A liquid solution containing 49 moles of benzene and 21 moles of toluene is slowly heated to
368 K and a pressure of 1.013×105 Pa in a closed container.
a. What would be the composition of the liquid phase and the gas phase in equilibrium at
368 K and 1.013×105 Pa? At 368 K, the vapor pressure of benzene is 1.354×105 Pa and
the vapor pressure of toluene is 5.41×105 Pa.
b. Determine the amount of liquid that would be present after this mixture is heated to 368 K.

PROBLEM-5
A 1-m square thin plate of solid naphthalene is oriented parallel to a stream of air flowing at 22
m/s. The air is at 310 K and 1.013×105 Pa. The naphthalene remains at 290 K; at this
temperature, the diffusivity of naphthalene in air is 5.62×10-6 m2/s and its vapor pressure is 25.8
Pa. Determine
a. The value of the mass-transfer coefficient at a point 0.3 m downstream from the leading
edge.
b. The moles of naphthalene per hour lost from the section of the plate 0.5–0.75 m
downstream from the leading edge.