Department of Biochemical Engineering

Mathematical Modelling and Analysis I

Dimensional Analysis and Fermi Problems.
Biochemical Engineering IEP Mathematics.

Dimensions and Units

1) Assume the force F opposing the fall of a raindrop through the air is a product of the

viscosity

, velocity v and the diameter r of the drop. Assume the density is negligible.
F k a v b r c
Find an expression for this force such that:
, k is dimensionless.
2) Shear stress is defined as

du
dy

where is the shear stress (force per unit area),

du/dy is the velocity gradient along the dimension y and is the dynamic viscosity.
Deduce the basic dimensions (M,L,T) of dynamic viscosity.
3) The drag F on a high-velocity projectile depends upon the speed V of the projectile,
density of fluid , acoustic velocity c, diameter of the projectile D, and dynamic viscosity
. Develop an expression for the drag. Do not try to find the exponents here, just develop
the expression.
4) The pressure drop per unit length of pipe (p/l) due to friction depends on the pipe
diameter d, mean flow velocity v, density , and the dynamic viscosity .
a) Find the equation which relates p/l with the remaining variables (in basic units).
b) Isolate the dimensionless Reynolds number (Re) in this equation.
c) Compare the equation obtained in a) with the HagenPoiseuille equation for P/L in a
p 32 lv
=
fluid flowing through a pipe: l
.
d2
5) Assuming that the periodic time, T of a pendulum is dependent of the mass of the bob, m,
its length l and the acceleration due to gravity g, use dimensional analysis to determine a
formula for the periodic time.
6) Assuming that the wind force F on a van whilst driving along a highway is dependent on
the density of the air, the velocity, V of the vehicle and the cross sectional area, A
exposed to the wind. Use dimensional analysis to determine a formula force exerted on
the car.
7) Repeat questions (3), (5) and (6) using Buckinghams Pi theorem.
8) Are the following formulae dimensionally correct?

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a)
b)
c)
d)

E mc3
KE 2mv 2
PE mgh
v u a/t

s ut 3 gt

e)
P

F2
A02 A12

f)
F kl 2
g)
, k is a dimensionless constant, l is a length
Where c and k are dimensionless, x=length, E=energy, KE=kinetic energy, m=mass,
c=speed of light, v=velocity, h=height, g=acceleration due to gravity, a=acceleration,
A0 A1

t=time, =density, u=initial velocity, v=final velocity, F=force,

,
are areas,
P=pressure.
9) What do you notice as a weakness of the method of dimensional analysis, hint: consider
your answer to 8(b) and 8(e) above.
10) Various constants in Science often have physical dimensions because their values depend
on the system in which they are expressed. Newtons law of gravity as a formula can be
written as:
GMm
F
r2
,
where G is Newtons constant. Find the dimensions of G and hence give its unit.
11) The Stefan-Boltzmann law concerns the power irradiated from a black body. It states that
the total energy radiated per unit surface area of a black body across all wavelengths per
j*
unit time
, is directly proportional to the fourth power of the absolute temperature T,
j* T 4

thus:
, where is Stefans constant. What would the units of be?
Fermi problems
1. How many piano tuners are there in New York city?
2. How many jelly beans fill a one litre bottle?

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3. How many photons/sec are emitted by a 100 watt light bulb?

4. How many litres of beer are consumed in London in one year?
5. If the land area of the earth were divided up equally for each person on the planet, about
how much would you get?
6. How many pencils would it take to draw a straight line along the entire Prime Meridian
of the earth?

Part 2: Answer the following two questions

Question 1 (Based on a microbial fermentation Re and Np)
1) An important class of biopharmaceuticals, the monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), are
produced from mammalian cell cultures in, typically, stirred tank reactors (STRs). STRs
have a basic configuration including a gas supply system, a stirrer and heating and
cooling systems.
a) The power P0 that is transmitted by the impeller to stir the tank depends on the density
of the fluid , the impeller rotational speed N and the impeller blades diameter d.
Determine the relationship between P0 and the remaining variables.
b) The relationship in a) forms the dimensionless Power Number (Np) and it is related
N d2
=
with the Reynolds Number,
, as shown in the plot below for different

impeller configurations:

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Figure 1 Correlations of the Power number with the Reynolds number for different impellers, taken from Aeration
and Agitation, Chapter 9 in Fermentation and Enzyme Technology, Wiley, New York, pp. 157-193.

Determine the relationship between Np and Re for a four blade paddle impeller when
Re<10 (laminar flow region).
Question 2 (Based on Cellular Therapies)
The use of whole human cells as therapeutic agents forms the basis of the growing field of
Cell Therapy (CT). A significant part of the cells used in CT need to be grown attached to a
physical support and the cellular growth is often improved if the supporting surface has been
treated to present one or more proteins to the cells. One example of such a surface treatment
(usually called coating) is the hydrogel Matrigel, which contains several growth factors that
enhance cell growth. Matrigel is extracted from EHS tumours grown in mice and the tumours
are propagated by transplantation from mouse to mouse.
Consider a cellular therapy for type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (DM). This therapy will consist of an
intradermal injection of 50 million cells per patient per month. The production of these cells
is performed in a 1000L reactor where cells are grown adherent to the surface of
microcarriers (200 m spheres); these microcarriers need to be previously coated with
Matrigel (100 mL of a 50-fold diluted solution per Litre of bioreactor broth) and the cultures
last for 1 month until the final cell concentration of 10 million cells per mL.
a) What is the worldwide number of DM type 1 patients?
b) How many reactor runs would you need to supply the whole market, per year?
c) How many mice would you need to sacrifice to supply the whole market, per year?