Student name: Vo Nhat Linh

ID number: 1652347
Dates modify:
Assignment 1

1. List common examples from everyday life for all of the following fundamental operations:
fluid mechanics, heat transfer, evaporation or drying, and filtration.

Answer
- Fluid mechanics: Fluid transport (home and water supply systems), energy generation
(steam turbine, hydropower plant).
- Heat transfer: Home appliance (oven, household heaters), energy ( solar panels, heat
exchangers).
- Evaporation or drying: sweat released from organism’s body, stream from hot tea.
- Filtration: Coffee filter to keep coffee separate from the grounds, oil filter in vehicles.

2. Classify the following as either batch or continuous processes and also indicate whether
each is steady-state or an unsteady-state process.
a) A “surge tank” is used when a liquid is coming from one part of a process at a variable rate,
and we want to provide a reservoir of that liquid to feed another part of the process. Thus, a
surge tank continuously receives liquid from an incoming stream and also loses that same
liquid continuously in an outgoing stream. Because the flow rates of the incoming and outgoing
streams are changing with time, the volume in the tank also changes with time.

Answer: Continuous process – Unsteady state.

b) We bake a cake by mixing together the ingredients in a cake pan, placing the pan and mixture
in an oven for a prescribed amount of time, and then removing the cake to cool down.4

Answer: Batch process – Steady state.

c) A company produces latex paint base by mixing together the ingredients for the paint. All flow
rates are held constant to maintain the proper ratio of ingredients. Working around the clock,
the company makes approximately 800 gallons of paints every 24 hours.

Answer: Continuous process – Steady state.

3. Draw an input-output diagram for an automobile engine. Identify raw materials and
products. Is this a batch, semi-batch or continuous flow process? Is this a steady-state or
transient process?
 Fuel tank Fuel filter
Mixer Compressor Ejector system
Air Air filter

Electric generator Internal combustion engine Exhaust gases pipe

Management systems/ sensors

Transmission

Battery
Figure 1: A flow diagram of an automobile engine

Answer

- Raw materials are fuel and air.

- This diagram is a continuous flow process because the flow and reaction of the
process don’t interrupt during performance. But the process is a unsteady-state
because some stages have changes of temperature, flow rate, etc. which are
depended on used conditions.

4. Based upon the written description which follows, prepare a block diagram. All unit
operations, including any splitters and mixers, should be labelled. Indicate the direction
of flow of all streams and number each stream. Indicate the species present in each of
the streams.
 Pure water
4

2nd distillation column

Mg(NO3)2 2

1st distillation column

An aqueous Mixer
HNO3
Fe(NO3)2 impurity HNO3 99%
5

6 Pure water

3rd distillation column

Mg(NO3)2
H2O 20%
Fe(NO3)2 remain
3 7 Fe(NO3)2
surged
Figure 2: A flow diagram of production of nitric acid

5. Draw a flow diagram of the following process

6. State the number of significant digits in each measurement

Significant Significant
Number Number
figures figures

a) 2804 m 4 g) 750 m 2
 b) 2.84 km 3 h) 75 m 2

c) 0.029 m 2 i) 75,000 m 2

d) 0.003068 m 4 j) 75,000. m 2

e) 4.6x10^5 m 2 k) 75,000.0 m 6

f) 4.06x10^-5 m 3 l) 10 cm 1

7. Solve the following problems and report answers with appropriate number of significant digits.

a) 6.201 cm + 7.4 cm + 0.68 cm + 12.0 cm = 26.281 cm = 26.3 (3 s.f)

b) 1.6 km + 1.62 m + 1200 cm = 1.61362 km = 1.6 km (2 s.f)

c) 8.264 g - 7.8 g = 0.464 g = 0.5 g (1 s.f)

d) 10.4168 m - 6.0 m = 4.4168 m = 4.4 m (2 s.f)

e) 12.00 m + 15.001 kg = (the units are different, cannot calculate)

f) 131 cm x 2.3 cm = 301.3 cm = 310 cm (2 s.f)

g) 5.7621 m x 6.201 m = 35.7307821 m = 35.73 m (4 s.f)

h) 20.2 cm divided by 7.41 s = 2.726045884 cm/s = 2.73 cm/s (3 s.f)

i) 40.002 g divided by 13.000005 ml = 3.07707574 g/ml = 3.0771 g/ml (5 s.f)