Tutorial 2

Chapter 4

1. A factory worker is monitored for exposure to methanol. The data are:

Concentration (ppm) Duration (hours)

250 1.5
175 3.5
75 2

Calculate the 8-hour TWA exposure for this worker. Determine whether the worker has been
overexposed to the chemical given that the TLV-TWA value for methanol is 200 ppm.

2. Air contains 4 ppm of carbon tetrachloride and 25 ppm of 1,l-dichloroethane. Compute the mixture
TLV, and determine whether this value has been exceeded. The TLV for carbon tetrachloride and 1,l-
dichloroethane are 5 and 100 ppm respectively.

3. A worker is exposed to 86 dB noise level for six hours and 92 dB noise level for three hours.
Determine whether the permissible noise level has been exceeded.

4. A substance has a TLV-TWA of 200 ppm, a TLV-STEL of 250 ppm, and a TLV-C of 300 ppm. The
data in the following table were taken in a work area:

Concentration
Time (ppm)
8:01 A.M. 185
9:17 A.M. 240
10:05 A.M. 270
11:22 A.M. 230
12:08 P.M. 190
1:06 P.M. 150
2:05 P.M. 170
3:09 P.M. 165
4:00 P.M. 160
5:05 P.M. 130

A worker on an 8-hour shift is exposed to this toxic vapor. Is the exposure within compliance? If not,
what are the violations? Assume that the worker is at lunch between the hours of 12 noon to 1 P.M. and
is not exposed to the chemical during that time.

5. Given the following data for benzene and toluene:

Benzene Toluene
Molecular weight 78.11 92.13
Specific gravity 0.8794 0.866
TLV (ppm) 10 50

Saturation vapor pressures:

𝐵
ln 𝑃 𝑠𝑎𝑡 = 𝐴 −
𝐶+𝑇

where Psat is the saturation vapor pressure in mmHg, and T is the temperature in K. The constants A, B,
and C are given by the following:
 A B C
Benzene 15.9008 2788.51 -52.36
Toluene 16.0137 3096.52 -53.67

(a) Compute the concentrations (in ppm) of the saturated vapor with air above a solution of pure
toluene. The temperature is 80 °F and total pressure is 1 atm.

(b) Determine the TLV of a benzene-toluene liquid mixture composed of 50 mol% benzene at the
same temperature and pressure condition.

Chapter 5

6. At 1 P.M. the plant operator notices an unexplained drop in pressure in a pipeline transporting benzene.
The pressure is immediately restored to 8 bara. At 2:30 P.M. a 1/5-in-diameter leak is found in the
pipeline and immediately repaired. Estimate the total amount of benzene spilled. The specific gravity
of benzene is 0.8794. Assume that the leak can be approximated by sharp-edged orifice.

7. A tank 100 ft in diameter and 20 ft tall is filled with crude oil to within 2 ft of the top of the tank. One
accident scenario is that a 6-in-diameter line connected to the bottom of the tank might break loose
from the tank, allowing crude oil to drain out. If a 30-min emergency response time is required to stop
the leak, estimate the maximum amount of crude oil (in gallons) leaked. The tank is vented to the
atmosphere, and the specific gravity of crude oil is 0.9. Use discharge coefficient for well-rounded
nozzle in your calculation.

8. The morning inspection of the tank farm finds a leak in the toluene tank. The leak is repaired. An
investigation finds that the leak was 0.23 cm in diameter and 2.05 m above the tank bottom. Records
show that the toluene level in the tank was 5 m before the leak occurred and 3.9 m after the leak was
repaired. The tank diameter is 4.5 m. Determine

(a) The total amount of toluene spilled in kg,

(b) The maximum spill rate, and

(c) The total time the leak was active.

The density of toluene at these conditions is 867 kg/m3 and the gauge pressure of the tank is 2 atmg
that was achieved by nitrogen padding. Use discharge coefficient of 0.61 in your calculation.

9. A cylinder in the laboratory contains nitrogen at 2200 psia. If the cylinder falls and the valve is sheared
off, estimate the initial mass flow rate of nitrogen from the tank. Assume a hole diameter of 0.5 in.
Assume room temperature in your analysis. Use discharge coefficient of 1.0 in your calculation.

10. H2S is stored in a tank at 100 psig and 80 °F and the tank is stored in a room with a local ventilation
rate of 2000 ft3/min. The TLV-C of H2S is 10 ppm.

(a) If leak occurs on the H2S tank, estimate the maximum release rate of H2S from the tank where the
local ventilation system can still maintain the concentration of H2S below TLV-C. Use the
following formula in your calculation:
𝑄𝑚 𝑅𝑔 𝑇
𝐶𝑝𝑝𝑚 = × 106
𝑄𝑣 𝑃𝑀
where
Cppm is the concentration of volatile species in ppm
Qv is the ventilation rate (volume/time)
Qm is the release rate of volatile material (mass/time)
Rg is the ideal gas constant
T is absolute temperature of the room
P is absolute pressure of the room
M is the molecular weight of the volatile species
(b) Determine the maximum diameter of the hole on the tank where the release rate of H2S will not
pose dangerous situation to the workers in the room.