Appendix B

Previous Exams
CHE31301

MASS TRANSFER
QUIZ #1

Spring 2012

Note: Your answers must be correct to 3 significant figures and have the appropriate units.

I. It is desired to dry 20 kg/min of soap continuously in a countercurrent stream of hot air. The air
enters the dryer at the rate of 50.0 m3/min at 350 K, 101.3 kPa, and an initial water partial
pressure of 3 kPa. The dryer operates at constant temperature and pressure. Gas constant = 8.314
kPam3/kmolK. Molecular weight of air = 29. Water vapor pressure at 350 K is 41.9 kPa.
1) If the inlet soap contains 25 wt% moisture and the outlet soap contains 5 wt% moisture,
determine the rate of water evaporated into the air
____________
4.2105 kg/min
2) Calculate the mass flow rate of the water in the entering air

____________

0.92787 kg/min
3) If the rate of water evaporated into the air is 3.0 kg/min, the mass flow rate of dry air is 50
kg/min, and the moisture content of the inlet air, in kg of water/kg of dry air, is 0.015, calculate
the mole fraction of water vapor in the outlet air.
____________
Mole fraction = 0.10781
4) If the mole fraction of water vapor in the outlet air is 0.09, determine the relative humidity of
the outlet air
____________
RH out = 21.76%
II. The cooling water flow rate to the condensers of a big coalfired power plant is 8,300 kg/s. The water enters the condensers at
29 C and leaves at 45 C. From the condensers, the water flows to a
cooling tower, where it is cooled down back to 29 C by
countercurrent contact with air. The air enters the cooling tower at
the rate of 5,700 kg/s of dry air, at a dry-bulb temperature of 30 C
and a humidity of 0.014 kg of water/of dry air. It leaves the cooling
tower saturated with water vapor at 6.624 kPa.
5) Calculate the water losses by evaporation in the cooling tower.
The pressure in the tower is assumed to be constant at 101.3 kPa.
Water losses = 167.73 kg/s

6) To account for water losses in the cooling tower, makeup water is supplied at a rate of 250
kg/s. The makeup water contains 520 mg/L of dissolved solids. To avoid fouling of the condenser
heat-transfer surfaces, the circulating water is to contain no more than1,640 mg/L of dissolved
solids. Therefore, a small amount of the circulating water must be deliberately discarded
(blowdown). Windage losses from the tower are estimated at 50 kg/s. Calculate the blowdown
rate. (29.268 kg/s)
III. In a hot combustion chamber, oxygen diffuses through a stagnant film of air with thickness L
to the carbon surface where it reacts to make CO and CO2. The mole fraction of oxygen just
outside the stagnant film (z = 0) is 0.21. The reaction may be assumed to be instantaneous. No
reaction occurs in the gas film. The chamber is at 1 atm, 1000 K, and L = 10 cm. The diffusivity
of oxygen at these conditions is 0.42 cm2/sec. Gas constant is 82.057 cm3atm/molK. The
reaction (4C + 3O2 2CO + 2CO2) occurs at the carbon surface:
7) Let A = O2 and B = CO, the relationship between NA,z and NB,z is
a) NA,z = (2/3)NB,z

b) NA,z = (3/2)NB,z

__________

c) ans NA,z = (3/2)NB,z d) NA,z = (2/3)NB,z

dy A
8) If NA,z = cDAB dz yA NA,z/3
Determine the molar flux of oxygen in mol/scm2 (1.038910-7 mol/cm2s)
___________
9) The mole fraction of oxygen, yA, at z = 4 cm can be determine from the following relation

1 yA / 3
= 1 0.21/ 3 (ans)

b) 1 0.21/ 3

0.6

1 yA / 3
= 1 0.21/ 3

d) None of the above

a) 1 0.21/ 3

c) 1 0.21/ 3

0.4

0.4

1 yA / 3
= 1 0.21/ 3

IV. A solute diffuses through a membrane that separates two compartments A and B that have
different initial concentrations. The solute concentrations in the two compartments as a function
of time, CA and CB are shown. The volumes of the two compartments are VA and VB.
10

10) The relationship between volume of compartment A, VA, and volume of compartment B, VB
is
a) VA = (3/5)VB

b) VA = (5/3)VB(A)

c) VA = (3/8)VB
2

d) None of the above

CHE313

MASS TRANSFER
QUIZ #2

Spring 2012

Note: Your answers must be correct to 3 significant figures and have the appropriate units.

I. A gas mixture at a total pressure of 124 kPa and 313 K contains 65% H 2 and 35% O2 by
volume. The absolute velocity of each species are -2 and 10 m/s, respectively, all in the direction
of the z-axis. Gas constant = 8.314 m3kPa/kmolK. Determine:
1) the mass diffusion flux of O2

__________

0.666 kg/m2s
2) the molar diffusion flux of O2

__________

0.1302 kmol/m2s
II. If the concentration CA(r) depends on r only in spherical coordinate system:
A) CA is symmetrical with respect to r = 0.
B) CA is a minimum at r = 0.
a. A and B are true.

b. Only A is true (A)

c. Only B is true

d. A and B are false

III. Species A diffuses into a cylindrical pore where it reacts at the cylindrical surface to produce
B according to a first order reaction rA(mol/cm2s) = k1CA where k1 = 0.012 cm/s. There is no
reaction at the end of the pore and the end is impermeable to A. The inside diameter of the pore,
D, is 0.1 cm and its length L = 1.0 cm. You can assume CA(z) is a function of z where z is the
distance along the pore with z = 0 at the entrance to the pore. The diffusivity of A in the pore is
DAB = 0.06 cm2/s and CA(z = 0) = CA0 = 2.510-3 mol/cm3.
4) Specify the control volume used for the mole balance required to obtain a differential equation
needed to solve for CA(z).
___________
2
(D /4)dz
5) The concentration of A inside the pore is give by CA(z) = B1sinh(mz) + B2cosh(mz), the
numerical value of m is
___________
m = 2.8284 cm-1
For questions (6) and (7) use m = 3 cm-1, determine the numerical values with units for
6) B2 = ____________

7) B1 = ____________

B2 = 2.510-3 mol/cm3
B1 = 2.487610-3 mole/cm3

For the next question use CA = 0.0025

cosh 2.8( L z )
cosh 2.8 L

where z is in cm and cA is in mole/cm3

8) Determine the molar flux of A at z = 0.5 cm

__________

NA,z = 9.691410-5 mol/cm2s

9) Determine the consumption rate of A inside the pore

__________

3.274410-6 mol/s

IV. Pulverized coal, which may be approximated as carbon spheres of radius R = 1 mm, is
burned in a pure oxygen atmosphere at conditions such that carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide
are produced. Oxygen is transferred to the particle surface by diffusion, where it is consumed in
the reaction
3
2C + 2 O2 CO + CO2
Let NA be the molar flux of O2 and NB be the molar flux of CO, we have
a) NA = (2/3)NB

b) NA = (3/2)NB

c) NA = (2/3)NB

d) None of the above

CHE313

MASS TRANSFER
QUIZ #3

Spring 2012

Note: Your answers must be correct to 3 significant figures and have the appropriate units.

I. A gas mixture at a total pressure of 124 kPa and 313 K contains 35 wt% H2 and 65 w% O2. The
absolute velocity of each species are -2 and 10 m/s, respectively, all in the direction of the z-axis.
Gas constant = 8.314 m3kPa/kmolK. Determine:
1) the mass diffusion flux of O2 (0.666 kg/m2s)

__________

2) the molar diffusion flux of O2 (0.0533 kmol/m2s)

__________

II. Water is evaporating into initially dry air in the closed vessel. The vessel is isothermal at
25oC, so the waters vapor pressure is 23.8 mmHg. This vessel has 0.8 liter of water with 180
cm2 of surface area in a total volume of 19.2 liters. After 60 minutes, the air is seventy percent
saturated. What is the mass transfer coefficient? (2.05 cm/minute.)
__________

III I. Consider the transport of glucose from capillary blood to exercising muscle tissue. As a
basis consider 1 gram of tissue. The glucose consumption of the tissue is 0.02 mol/gs. Blood
flow to the region is 0.01 cm3/gs. The arterial glucose concentration is 5 mol/cm3. The value of
PmS based on capillary recruitment for 1 g of tissue during exercise is 0.04 cm3/ s. Using the
CSTR model calculate:
4) the glucose concentration in the exit blood.

3.0 mol/cm3

5) the glucose concentration in the tissue space

2.5 mol/cm3

IV. Consider a spherical organism of radius R within which respiration occurs at a uniform
volumetric rate of rA = k1CA. That is, oxygen (species A) consumption is governed by a firstorder, homogeneous chemical reaction. A molar concentration of CA(R) = CA,0 is maintained at
the surface of the organism, and an expression for the radial distribution of oxygen, CA(r), within
the organism is given by
R sinh( r )
CA(r) = CA,0 r sinh( R)
Data: R = 0.15 mm, diffusion coefficient for oxygen transfer DAB = 10-8 m2/s, CA,0 = 610-5
kmol/m3.
6)If=4104m1,theconcentrationofoxygenatthecenteroftheorganismis
kmol/m3
5

1.8510-6

7) If = 4.0104 m-1, the consumption of A within the particle is

5.6510-15 kmol/s

8) If the reaction is zero order with rate constant = 0.15 kmol/sm3, the consumption of A within
the particle is
2.1210-12 kmol/s

V. Consider a radial flow fixed bed reactor where the reaction rate per unit
volume rA = k1CA occurs between the radial locations R3 and R4 (the
shaded area). The length of the bed is L, the diffusivity of A in the bed is
DA. If the concentration of A depends on r only, specify the control
volume required for the material balance to derive the differential equation
describing CA(r)
9)

__2rLdr___

10) CA(r) can be obtained from the following differential equation

________
k1
1 d dCA
r

dr + DA CA = 0
A) r dr

k1
1 d dCA
r

dr DA CA = 0 (Ans.)
B) r dr

k1
d 2 CA
2
C) dr + DA CA = 0

k1
d 2 CA
2
D) dr DA CA = 0

E) None of the above.

CHE31301

MASS TRANSFER
QUIZ #4

Spring 2012

Note: Your answers must be correct to 3 significant figures and have the appropriate units.

I.) ConsideradistillationcolumnwiththeMcCabeThielediagramgiveninFigureQ4I.The
columnhasatotalcondenserandapartialreboiler.Note:thepointsA,C,E,a,c,andeareon
theequilibriumcurveandthepointsB,D,F,b,d,andfareontheoperatinglines.Putin0ifthe
answerisnotoneofthesepoints.

Figure Q4-I McCabe-Thiele diagram for binary distillation.

1a) The x coordinate of point ___ (or 0 for none) provides the mole fraction of liquid stream
entering equilibrium stage N-2.
1b) The y coordinate of point ___ (or 0 for none) provides the mole fraction of vapor stream
entering equilibrium stage N-2.
2a) The x coordinate of point ___ (or 0 for none) provides the mole fraction of liquid stream
entering equilibrium 3.
2b) The y coordinate of point ___ (or 0 for none) provides the mole fraction of vapor stream
entering equilibrium stage 3.

II. Amixturecontains55mole%isobutaneand45mole%isopentaneisat30psia.TheK
valuesforthesecompoundscanbeobtainedfrom
lnK=A/T2+B+ClnPwhereTisinoRandPisinpsia
Compound
A
B
Isobutane
1,166,846
7.72668
Isopentane
1,481,583
7.58071

C
.92213
.93159

3)Thevapormolefractionofisobutaneatthebubblepointof527.58oRis

0.819

4)Theliquidmolefractionofisobutaneatthedewpointof549.74oRis

0.2652

This mixture (55 mole % isobutane and 45 mole % isopentane) is charged into a container at 30
psia and 525oR.
5) The mole fraction of isobutane in the vapor phase is

6) The mole fraction of isopentane in the liquid phase is

0.55

III. A gas mixture at a total pressure of 124 kPa and 313 K contains 65 wt% H2 and 35 w% O2.
The absolute velocity of each species are -2 and 10 m/s, respectively, all in the direction of the zaxis. Gas constant = 8.314 m3kPa/kmolK. Determine:
7) the mass diffusion flux of O2

0.387 kg/m2s

8) the molar diffusion flux of O2

0.01801 kmol/m2s

IV. In an experimental study of the absorption of ammonia by water in a wetted-wall column, the
value of KG was found to be 3.510-6 kmol/m2skPa. At one point in the column, the composition
of the gas and liquid phases were 8.0 and 0.14 mole % NH3, respectively. The temperature was
300 K and the total pressure was 1 atm. Sixty percent of the total resistance to mass transfer was
found to be in the gas phase. At 300 K, ammonia-water solution follow Henrys law up to 5 mole
1
K
% ammonia in the liquid, with m = 1.64 when the total pressure is 1 atm or 101.3 kPa. Note: y
1
m
k
= y + kx
9) Determine ky

5.9110-4 kmol/m2s

10) Determine the ammonia absorption rate in kmol/m2s

2.75510-5 kmol/m2s

CHE31301

MASS TRANSFER
QUIZ #5

Spring 2012

Note: Your answers must be correct to 3 significant figures and have the appropriate units.

I)Adistillationcolumnwith100kmol/hfeedof55%Aand45%Bproducesadistillateproduct
withxD=0.95andabottomstreamwithxbot=0.04ofthemorevolatilespeciesA.CMOisvalid
2.5 x
andtheequilibriumdataisgivenbyy= 1 1.5 x
1)Ifthefeedissaturatedliquid,determinetheminimumrefluxratio

0.96633

2)Ifthefeedissaturatedvapor,determinetheminimumrefluxratio

1.8047

Forquestions3,4,and5therefluxratiois1.5andthefeedisasaturatedmixturewithq=0.4,
determine:
3) V = 80.1 kmol/h

4) L = 124.06 kmol/h

5) The mole fraction of A in the vapor stream entering the top equilibrium stage

0.91023

6)Determinetheminimumnumberofequilibriumstages(fractionofastagerequired).Note:
xD 1 xB
log

1 xD xB
log
Nmin=
6.68
II) Component A in a water stream is to be stripped out using an air stream in a counter current
staged stripper. Inlet air is pure and flow rate is 600 lbmol/hr. Inlet liquid stream has 20 mol % A
and a flow rate of pure water of 500 lbmol/hr. The desired outlet mole fraction of A is x = 0.05.
Assume that water is nonvolatile and air is insoluble. Equilibrium data can be represented by y =
1.4x.
7) If the mole fraction of A in the liquid stream entering an equilibrium stage is 0.15, determine
the mole fraction of A in the liquid stream leaving this stage:
0.066818
8) If the mole fraction of A in the vapor stream entering an equilibrium stage is 0.05, determine
the mole fraction of A in the vapor stream leaving this stage:
0.14528
9) Determine the minimum air flow rate for the stripper

253.76 kmol/h

III. The following Matlab codes correctly determine the bubble point temperature:
A) for n=1:20;
f=xi*exp(A(1)-B(1)/(T+C(1)))+(1-xi)*exp(A(2)-B(2)/(T+C(2)))-P;
T1=T+dT;f1=xi*exp(A(1)-B(1)/(T1+C(1)))+(1-xi)*exp(A(2)-B(2)/(T1+C(2)))-P;
fp=(f1-f)/dT;eT=f/fp;T=T1+eT;
if abs(eT)<0.001,break, end
end

B) for n=1:20;
f=xi*exp(A(1)-B(1)/(T+C(1)))+(1-xi)*exp(A(2)-B(2)/(T+C(2)))-P;
T1=T+dT;f1=xi*exp(A(1)-B(1)/(T1+C(1)))+(1-xi)*exp(A(2)-B(2)/(T1+C(2)))-P;
fp=(f1-f)/dT;eT=f/fp;T=T1-eT;
if abs(eT)<0.001,break, end
end

C) for n=1:20;
f=xi*exp(A(1)-B(1)/(T+C(1)))+(1-xi)*exp(A(2)-B(2)/(T+C(2)))-P;
T1=T+dT;f1=xi*exp(A(1)-B(1)/(T1+C(1)))+(1-xi)*exp(A(2)-B(2)/(T1+C(2)))-P;
fp=(f1-f)/dT;eT=f/fp;T=T+eT;
if abs(eT)<0.001,break, end
end

D) for n=1:20;
f=xi*exp(A(1)-B(1)/(T+C(1)))+(1-xi)*exp(A(2)-B(2)/(T+C(2)))-P;
T1=T+dT;f1=xi*exp(A(1)-B(1)/(T1+C(1)))+(1-xi)*exp(A(2)-B(2)/(T1+C(2)))-P;
fp=(f1-f)/dT;eT=fp/f;T=T-eT;
if abs(eT)<0.001,break, end
end

E) for n=1:20;
f=xi*exp(A(1)-B(1)/(T+C(1)))+(1-xi)*exp(A(2)-B(2)/(T+C(2)))-P;
T1=T+dT;f1=xi*exp(A(1)-B(1)/(T1+C(1)))+(1-xi)*exp(A(2)-B(2)/(T1+C(2)))-P;
fp=(f1-f)/dT;eT=f/fp;T=T-eT;
if abs(eT)<0.001,break, end
end
Ans

10

______