CURTIN UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING

Process Plant Engineering 322

Test 1
Date: 28th August, 2014
Duration: 1 hr 30 min
Total marks: 100
Answer all questions

Student ID:_______________________________________

Full name:________________________________________

Question 1 (20 marks)

a) Fill in the blanks for the following letters or symbols? (10 marks)

b) Fill in the blanks for the following letters or symbols? (10 marks)

i.
Pressure
Recording
Controller
Remote Location (board mounted)
Control Loop

ii.

______Globe valve_____________

iii.

______Ball valve____________

iv.

_______Needle valve___________
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v.

vi.

_____Furnace______

_____ Tower with packing _____

c) Explain the code descriptions given in the following Table? (3 marks)

A______Acceptable, can be used successfully______________________

C______Caution, resistance varies widely depending on conditions; used when some
corrosion permissible
X____Unsuitable________

d) Explain dezincification of brass (3 marks)

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Dezincification of brass is a form of selective corrosion that happens when zinc is

leached out of the alloy leaving a weakened porous copper.
_____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
e) Explain briefly the plan for studying the materials of construction for any process.
(4 marks)
i.
ii.
iii.

iv.

Preliminary selection experience, manufacturers data, special literature,

availability, safety aspects, preliminary laboratory tests
Laboratory testing re-evaluation of apparently suitable materials under process
conditions
Interpretation of lab results and other data effect of possible impurities, excess
temperature and pressure, agitation, and presence of air in equipment; avoidance
of electrolysis; fabrication method
Economic comparison of apparently suitable materials material; and
maintenance cost, probable life, cost of product degradation, and liability to
special hazards

Question 2 (26 marks)

Include all operating conditions 6 marks
Blocks for all units with labels with clear connectivity 20 marks

Based on the description given below for the semi-regenerative reforming (SRR)
process, prepare a block diagram covering all the units and conditions (wherever
possible).
SRR units consist of three adiabatic fixed-bed reactors in series with intermediate
heating. Early SRR units (~1950) were operated at relatively high pressure (25-35
bar) in order to maximize the run time. The development of improved catalysts that
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had a lower tendency for coke formation enabled operation at lower pressure (15-20
bar), while maintaining the same catalyst life (typically 1 year).
The naphtha feed is preheated and sent to the first reactor. In this reactor the
kinetically fastest reactions occur. These are dehydrogenation reactions of
napthenes to aromatics. To maintain high reaction rates, the product gases are
reheated before sending being sent to a second heater, etc. The indicative
temperatures in the reactors (from 1 to 3) are 720, 760 and 780 K respectively. The
effluent from the last reactor is cooled by heat exchange with the feed. Then
hydrogen is separated from the liquid product and partly recycled to the process.
The net hydrogen production is used in other parts of the refinery, for instance in
the naphtha hydrotreater. The liquid product is fed to a stabilizer in which the light
hydrocarbons are separated from high-octane liquid reformate.

Question 3 (24 marks)

Question 1 (24 marks) (Correct pick 3 marks and reasoning 3 marks)
As a design engineer what is your brief rationale for selecting the materials for
several of the following cases? What is your final pick based on the design and
material information provided in tabulated forms? You may also use the following
information provided in the materials selection chart.

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Case 1: Large pottery kiln

Materials available for your pick:

1. Brick Also can be another pick but thin wall requirements may not be met.
2. Concrete
3. Woods
4. Solid elastomers and solid polymers
5. Polymer foam like ceramics - Low density, porous or foam-like ceramics are
the best choice.
Answer: The energy cost of one firing cycle of a large pottery kiln is considerable.
Part is the cost of the energy that is lost by conduction through the kiln walls; it is
reduced by choosing a wall material with a low conductivity, and by making the wall
thick. The rest is the cost of the energy used to raise the kiln to its operating
temperature; it is reduced by choosing a wall material with a low heat capacity, and
by making the wall thin.

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Case 2: A heat exchanger

Materials available for your pick:

1. Brasses Liable to dezincification and it is not suitable
2. Phosphor bronzes Cheap, but not as corrosion resistant as aluminium-bronzes
3. Aluminium-bronzes An economical and practical choice
4. Nickel-iron-aluminium-bronzes More corrosion resistant, but more expensive
Heat exchangers take heat from one fluid and pass it to a second. The fire-tube
array of a steam engine is a heat exchanger, taking heat from the hot combustion
gases of the firebox and transmitting it to the water in the boiler. The network of
finned tubes in an air conditioner is a heat exchanger, taking heat from the air of
the room and dumping it into the working fluid of the conditioner. A key element in
all heat exchangers is the tube wall or membrane that separates the two fluids. It is
required to transmit heat, and there is frequently a pressure difference across it,
which can be large.
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Case 3: Passive solar heating

Materials available for your pick including costs shown in bracket:

1. Brick ($1400/m3) Less good than concrete
2. Stone ($1400/m3) - Better performance than concrete because specific heat is
greater, but more expensive.
3. Concrete ($200/m3) The best choice with good performance at minimum
cost.
4. Glass ($10,000/m3) Useful with part of the wall could be glass
5. Titanium ($200,000/m3)
There are a number of schemes for capturing solar energy for home heating: solar
cells, liquid filled heat exchangers, and solid heat reservoirs. The simplest of these
is the heat-storing wall: a thick wall, the outer surface of which is heated by
exposure to direct sunshine during the day, and from which heat is
Extracted at night by blowing air over its inner surface.
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Case 4: Short-term Isothermal containers

The design specification for the egg-shaped package containing the electronics (see
above Figure) requires that, when the temperature of the outer surface is changed
by 30C, the temperature of the inner surface should not change significantly for an
hour. To keep the device small, the wall thickness is limited to a thickness w of 20
mm. What is the best material for the package?

Materials available for your pick:

1. Elastomers (Butyl rubber, neoprene and isoprene are examples) Best choice for
short-term insulation
2. Commodity polymers: polyethylenes and polypropylenes Cheaper than
elastomers, but somewhat less good for short-term insulation
3. Polymer foams Not a good one. Only suitable for long-term insulation at steady
state

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Question 4 (30 marks)

In the following figure, the temperature of stream is controlled by a control valve
that receives a signal from a temperature measuring element placed on the third
plate of a distillation column. The details of all the instrumentation are given in the
figure, which adequately describes the essential process control functions being
performed for controlling the temperature. Describe the sequence of
instrumentation to explain the control methodologies separately covering the
definition of all symbols in dashed loop portions.

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Loop 1 - Temperature

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A level sensing element (LE) is located on the third plate of distillation tower. A level transmitter
(LT) also located on the same line sends an electrical signal (designated by a dashed line) to a
temperature recording controller (TRC). This TRC is located in the control room on the control
panel or console (as indicated by the horizontal line under TRC) and can be observed by the
operators.
From the TRC, an electrical signal is sent to an instrument (TY) that computes the correct valve
position and in turn sends a pneumatic signal (designated by a solid line with cross hatching) to
activate the temperature control valve (TCV). In order to warn operators of potential problems,
two alarms are placed in the control room. These are a high-level alarm (TAH) and a low-level
alarm (TAL), and they receive the same signal from the temperature transmitter as does the
controller. Along the return lines going into exchanger 106, temperature, flow and pressure
indicators placed for knowing the operating conditions of the temperature controlled stream.

Loop2 Flow
A flow sensing element (FE) is located at the top of the tower. A flow transmitter (FT) also
located at the column top sends an electrical signal (designated by a dashed line) to a flow
recording controller (FRC). This FRC is located in the control room on the control panel or
console (as indicated by the horizontal line under FRC) and can be observed by the operators.
From the FRC, an electrical signal is sent to an instrument (FY) that computes the correct valve
position and in turn sends a pneumatic signal (designated by a solid line with cross hatching) to
activate the flow control valve (FCV). In order to warn operators of potential problems, two
alarms are placed in the control room. These are a high-level alarm (FAH) and a low-level alarm
(FAL), and they receive the same signal from the level transmitter as does the controller.

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