ASSIGNMENT 2 SEPT 2014 CHEMICAL PROCESS PRINCIPLES (CLB 10904)

CHEMICAL PROCESS PRINCIPLES (CLB 10904)

ASSIGNMENT 2
(DATELINE: Monday, 27th October 2014 before 5PM)

Question 1
30.0 cm3 of oxygen gas (MW 32.00, SG 1.141) is reacted with 30.0 cm3 of ammonia (MW 17.03, SG 0.682) to
produce nitric oxide (MW 30.01, SG 1.340) and water (MW 18.02, SG 1.00). The yield of nitric oxide is found
to be 35%.
i. Write the balanced stoichiometric equation of the reaction.
(1 mark)
ii. Determine the limiting reactant.
(5 marks)
iii. Calculate the percentage of the excess reactant
(4 marks)
iv. Calculate the mass (in gram) of nitric oxide and water produced from the reaction
(10 marks)

Question 2
A triple effect evaporator in a plant is used to evaporate water from an incoming salt solution (NaCl + H2O)
stream from 50 mol% to 1 mol% as shown in the diagram 1 below. The evaporator unit is designed to produce
5000.0 metric ton of the salt solution yearly. Assume the plant is operating 350 days yearly and 10 hours daily
and the average molecular weight of that salt solution is 58.04.

H2O H2O H2O

NaCl & H2O

1 65 mol% NaCl 2 90 mol% NaCl
3

NaCl & H2O

i. Redraw and label the diagram completely with the known and unknown variables.
(3 marks)
ii. Calculate the production rate (in mol/s) of the salt solution exiting the triple effect evaporator
(3 marks)
iii. Determine the amount of water (mol/s) removed from the salt solution in EACH evaporator
(12 marks)
1 DR. KELLY 2014
ASSIGNMENT 2 SEPT 2014 CHEMICAL PROCESS PRINCIPLES (CLB 10904)
Question 3
The production of formaldehyde is achieved through methane oxidation (reaction with oxygen gas) while
avoiding another parallel oxidation that forms carbon dioxide. Both parallel reactions also produce water as its
side product. These reactions take place in a continuous reactor at steady state and contain an inlet feed stream
mixture of 10.0 mol% methane and air (air consists of 21 mole% O2 and the balance N2). It is determined that
the outlet flow rate for nitrogen gas as 1500.0 kmol/hr. The percent conversion of the limiting reactant, methane
is 65.0%. Selectivity of the desired product, formaldehyde relative to the undesired product, carbon dioxide is
0.75.
i. Write the balanced stoichiometric equations of the reaction (Hint: There is 2 chemical equations).
(3 marks)
ii. Draw and fully label a process flowchart (Hint: Air is supplied as the feed but only oxygen gas will react
with methane in the chemical reaction).
(4 marks)
i. Using extent of reaction method, determine the total inlet molar flow rate (kmol/hr). Subsequently
determine the molar composition (in mol%) of the reactor outlet stream.
(30 marks)

Note to students:
1. This is individual assignment.
2. Submission must be handwritten with complete solution.

2 DR. KELLY 2014