DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CALICUT

Name:

Reg.
No.

.
MONSOON SEMESTER 2015
Test I

CH3002 - MASS TRANSFER - I

Date: 02.09.2015

Duration: 1 hour

Maximum Marks: [20]

Answer all the questions

(Any missing data may be suitably assumed)
1. How does the liquid-phase diffusivity of a solute depend upon the temperature and viscosity
of the medium?
[1]
2. An ethanol (A)-water (B) solution in the form of a stagnant film 2.0 mm thick at 293 K is in
contact at one surface with an organic solvent in which ethanol is soluble and water is
insoluble. Hence NB = 0. At point 1, the concentration of ethanol is 16.8 wt% and the solution
density is 972.8 kg/m3. At point 2, the concentration of ethanol is 6.8 wt% and density is
988.1 kg/m3.The diffusivity of ethanol is 0.740 10-9 m 2/s. Calculate the steady state flux
NA.
[3]
3. A sphere of naphthalene having a radius of 2 mm is suspended in a large volume of shell air
at 318 K and 1 atm. The surface pressure of the naphthalene can be assumed to be at 318 K
is 0.555 mm Hg. The D AB of naphthalene in air at 318 K is 6.92 10 6 m 2/sec. Calculate the
rate of evaporation of naphthalene from the surface.
[3]
4. Explain the terms Knudsen diffusion and Eddy diffusion with examples.

[2]

dy

5. Prove that Ni yi N i CDim i in the case of multi component diffusion

dz

[3]

6. Oxygen (A) is diffusing through non diffusing gas which is a mixture of methane (B) and
hydrogen (C) in the volume ratio 2:1 under steady-state conditions. The total pressure is
1l05 N/m2, and the temperature is 0C. The partial pressure of oxygen at two planes 2.0 mm
apart is 13,000 and 6,500 N /m2 respectively. Calculate the rate of diffusion of oxygen in
5
2
5
2
kmol/m2s if the diffusivities are estimated to be D0 H 6.99 10 m / s , D0 CH 1.86 10 m / s .
[3]
2

7. Ammonia is being cracked on a solid catalyst according to the reaction

2 NH 3 N 2 3H 2

At one place in the apparatus, where the pressure is 1 std atm abs and the temperature 200C,
the analysis of the bulk gas is 33.33% NH 3 (A), 16.67% N2 (B), and 50.00% H2 (C) by
volume. The circumstances are such that NH3 diffuses from the bulk-gas stream to the
catalyst surface, and the products of the reaction diffuse back, as if by molecular diffusion
through a gas film in laminar flow 1 mm thick. Estimate the local rate of cracking. kg NH)/
(m2 catalyst surface .s), which might be considered to occur if the reaction is diffusioncontrolled (chemical reaction rate very rapid) with the concentration of NH 3 at the catalyst
surface equal to zero.
[3]
8. In an attempt to measure the diffusivity of ammonia in nitrogen by the twin-bulb method, a
student filled the two bulbs (each of volume 5 litre and connected by a tube 8 cm long and 3
cm in diameter) with mixtures of the gases. The initial partial pressures of NH 3 in the bulb

CH3002 - MASS TRANSFER I

Test I Examination

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were 0.725 and 0.275 atm. At the end of 5.7 hours, he took samples of the gases from the
bulbs. The analysis of the samples showed that the mole fractions of ammonia in the bulbs
were maintained at 1 atm and the temperature was30C. Calculate the diffusivity of NH3 in
the mixture from these data.
[3]
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CH3002 - MASS TRANSFER I

Test I Examination

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