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EH/OCT 2008/CHE450/471/481

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

FINAL EXAMINATION

COURSE

CHEMICAL PROCESS PRINCIPLES I

COURSE CODE

CHE450/471/481

EXAMINATION

OCTOBER 2008

TIME

3 HOURS

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
1.

This question paper consists of five (5) questions.

2.

Answer ALL questions in the Answer Booklet. Start each answer on a new page.

3.

Do not bring any material into the examination room unless permission is given by the
invigilator.

4.

Please check to make sure that this examination pack consists of:
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)

the Question Paper

an Answer Booklet - provided by the Faculty
an Appendices for Chemical Process Principles Booklet - provided by the Faculty
a one-page appendix

DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE UNTIL YOU ARE TOLD TO DO SO

This examination paper consists of 5 printed pages
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EH/OCT 2008/CHE450/471/481

QUESTION 1
A

a)

A virial equation of state expresses the quantity of PVIRT (also known as z,

compressibility factor) as a power series in the inverse of specific volume:

PV

=Z

= 1 + + r- + r

RT
KI

A2

A3

V
2

where P = absolute pressure, N/m

A

V = specific volume, m3/mol

T = temperature, K
R = gas constant, m 3 Pa/(mol-K)
B,C and D are constants
i)

What are the units for B, C and D respectively?

(4 marks)

ii)

What is the new expression of compressibility factor (power series), if the

volume is expressed in terms of American Engineering System of units?
(5 marks)

b)

The compressibility factor, z can also be determined by using a generalized

compressibility chart (refer to Appendix 1). Using the chart, calculate the diameter
(in cm) of the pipe transporting a process stream flowing at 120 kg/hr of a gas
mixture containing 10 wt% hydrogen and balance 1-butene (C4H8). The stream
pressure is 70 atm gauge pressure, the temperature is 90C and the velocity is 3.5
m/s.
Data of critical temperature, Tc and Critical pressure, P c :
Tc (H2)=33.33 K
Tc (1-butene) = 419.6 K

Pc (H2) = 12.8 atm

Pc (i-butene) = 39.7 atm

(Relative atomic mass: C = 12, H = 1)

(16 marks)
c)

A mixture is 10 mole% ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH), 75 mole% ethyl acetate (C4H802),

and
15 mole% acetic acid(CH3COOH). Calculate:
i)

The mass fractions of each compound.

ii)

The average molecular weight of the mixture.

(3 marks)
(1 mark)
iii)

The mass of a sample (in kg) containing 25 kmol of ethyl acetate.

(1 mark)

(Relative atomic mass: C = 12, H = 1, O = 16 )

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EH/OCT 2008/CHE450/471/481

QUESTION 2
a)

In a power plant, wet wood chips (F) containing 70 wt% wood chips and balance
water is being dried in a continuous steady state drier to yield a product (P)
containing 95 wt% wood chips with the rest being water. Evaporation water (W) is
released from the drier to the surrounding at a rate of 4 kg/min.
i)

Draw and label a complete flow chart for the process.

ii)

Calculate the streams F and P in kg/h.

(1 mark)
(4 marks)
b)

An oil (CHx)n is burned in a furnace. An analysis of the flue gas yielded the following
dry-basis composition:
C0 2
CO
02
N2

7.6%
3.3%
7.3%
81.8%

(Relative atomic mass: C = 12, H = 1, O = 16, N = 14)

i)

Calculate the percentage of excess air.

ii)

Calculate the stack gas analysis on wet basis.

iii)

Calculate the atomic ratio (x) of hydrogen to carbon in oil.

(7 marks)
(4 marks)
(4 marks)

QUESTION 3
a)

Propane (C3H8) at 27C and 2 bar enters a heat exchanger at a flow rate of 50,000
m3/h. Saturated steam at 3 bar enters the heat exchanger to heat up the propane to
98C at constant pressure. The steam exits the heat exchanger as condensed liquid
at 27C. The specific enthalpies of propane at 27C and 98C are 1048 kJ/kg and
1310 kJ/kg, respectively. Atmospheric pressure is approximately at 1.0 bar.
i)

Calculate the amount of energy (in kW) required to heat up propane from
27C to 98C.
(5 marks)

ii)

Assuming no heat loss during the process, calculate the mass flow rate in
kg/s of steam required to heat up the ethane.
(5 marks)

(Gas constant, R = 0.08314 Lbar/molK; relative atomic weights: C = 12, H = 1,

0 = 16)

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b)

EH/OCT 2008/CHE450/471/481

Figure 1 below shows a schematic diagram for making fresh water from sea water by
freezing. The pre-chilled sea water is sprayed into a vacuum at a low pressure. The
cooling required to freeze some of the feed sea water comes from evaporation of a
fraction of the water entering the chamber. The concentration of the brine stream, B,
is 4.8% salt. The pure salt-free water vapor is compressed and fed to a melter at a
higher pressure where the heat of condensation of the vapor is removed through the
heat of fusion of the ice which contains no salt. As a result, pure cold water and
concentrated chilled brine (6.9%) leave the process as products.
i)

Determine the flow rates of streams A, B, C, D and W if the feed is 1000 kg

per hour.
(8 marks)

ii)

Determine the ratio of pure chilled water with respect to water contained in
chilled sea water feed.
(2 marks)

(Hint: Compressor unit changes only the pressure of water vapor without altering the
mass of water vapor)
Com pressor

Pure water vapor, A

Pure fresh
chilled water,
W

1000 kg/h
Chilled sea water feed
3.45% NaCi

Chilled brine
6.9% NaCI
Figure 1 Production of fresh water from sea water

QUESTION 4
In a gas production plant, 80 kg of C0 2 at 25C is filled into a 7 m3 tank. Using the SoaveRedlich-Kwong (SRK) equation of state, calculate the gas pressure in the tank. Also
compare and comment your results if you use the ideal equation of state for your
calculations.
SRK equation of state:

P=

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RT

a a

V-b

V(V + b)
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EH/OCT 2008/CHE450/471/481

where P, R and V are the system pressure, gas constant and specific volume
respectively.The parameters a, b, and a are empirical functions of the critical temperature
(Tc), pressure (Pc), the Pitzer acentric factor () and the system temperature (T). The
parameters can be estimated from the following correlations where Tr is the reduced
temperature:

,(RTCcJ

a = 0.42747 x
b ~ 0.08664

'

RTc
Pc

= [\ + m(l-jTr)

Tr = T/T c
m = 0.48508+1.55171co -0.1561a)2
Molecular weight of C0 2 = 44, critical temperature, Tc= 304.2 K, Pc = 72.9 atm and co =
0.225.
(10 marks)

QUESTION 5
Ethylene oxide is produced by the catalytic oxidation of ethylene:
2C2H4 + 0 2 -> 2 C2H40
An undesired competing reaction is the combustion of ethylene:
C2H4 + 30 2 - > 2 C 0 2 +2H 2 0
The feed to the reactor contains 2.5 moles ethylene per mole of oxygen. The single pass
conversion of ethylene is 2 1 % and for every 100 moles of ethylene consumed in the
reactor, 90 moles of ethylene oxide emerges in the reactor products. A multiple unit
process is used to separate the products: ethylene and oxygen are recycled to the reactor,
ethylene oxide is sold as product and carbon dioxide and water are discarded. Draw and
label the flowchart of the reaction and by using extent of reaction method, calculate:
a)

the molar flow rates of ethylene and oxygen in the fresh feed.
(8 marks)

b)

the production rate of ethylene oxide

c)

The overall conversion of ethylene .

(6 marks)
(6 marks)

END OF QUESTION PAPER

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EH/OCT 2008/CHE450/471/481

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