CHEMSOL @ ALCHEMY’11

You can make required set of appropriate assumptions and gather the required data
from standard references. Mention the page number along with location for references.
1. No clumsy assumptions will be accepted. Every step has to be clear and solutions must
be coherent. Any falsification of information will lead to unacceptability of solutions.
2. Only complete answers must be submitted.
3. This is the first round; the participants will be selected for final round based on their
performance at online round.
4. You will be judged based on your accuracy, your basics implementation skills and
design abilities collectively.
5. Submit the answers in different sheets (Choose one from first and second problems,
third problem is compulsory)

Email your answers, along with graph sheets and coherent solution at
sumit.admissions@gmail.com
Problem Statement 1:
Flue gas releasing from of Mathura refinery is composed of carbon di-oxide (0.5 mole
fraction) and sulfur di-oxide (0.215 mole fraction). This gas when released forms acidic
products which cause acid rain. Due to harsh chemical reaction with the building materials,
it makes them look awkward and old. Taj Mahal has been found being affected because of
the reaction of white stone and water of acid rain. So the Government of Uttar Pradesh
instructed IOCL to treat the flue gases chemically. This flue gas is being released at the rate
of 10, 00,000 kg/day. What are the preferable chemicals to be used for it? These chemicals
are mixed in proper proportion and send in counter-currently in an absorption tower
(Note that there is reaction and mass transfer simultaneously) and the flue gas being
released should have CO2< 0.2 PPM and SO2< 0.04 ppm. The absorbent introduced is
recycled and added with proper amount of make-up absorbent. Give the complete design
details for the absorption tower if
(1) It is being contacted counter-currently in a Tray tower having bubble cap trays
(2) It is being introduced to packed tower have berl saddle packing with a packing fraction
of 0.45.

Solubility Data with water(If you want to use any other and better absorbent, then take the
corresponding data at 25 C from literature, give reasons for why it should be preferred.
Highlight and compare the cost factors involved in it):
x(mole fraction CO2): .05 .1 .15 .2 .25 .3 .35 .4 .45 .5 .55 .6
y(mole fraction CO2): .11 .16 .25 .33 .39 .43 .5 .54 .59 .67 .71 .79 .85
x(mole fraction SO2): .005 .01 .015 .02 .025 .03 .035 .04 .045 .05 .055 .06
y(mole fraction SO2): .11 .16 .25 .33 .39 .43 .5 .54 .59 .67 .71 .79 .85
or
use
for CO2: y = 0.2 x
and SO2 y= .045 x
any missing data can be taken from Perry’s handbook(Recycle ratio for absorbent=2, if you
recommend to increase the recycle ratio, use the recommended value of it with clear
explanation. whole operation is being conducted at isothermal conditions at 25 C, missing
data can be taken from research papers. Your assumptions if found correct and appropriate
will add up your score.)
Problem statement 2:

NTPC has to install equipment setting up a side magnetic field with strength 2, 00,000
times the earth's magnetic field (horizontal component). The equipment consists of a
dynamo and a connected shaft which has to be rotated. The shaft is pivoted at one conical
end and the bearing friction coefficient is 0.3. Can you guess the speed with which the shaft
must rotate? Can you find out the power requirement for this operation? The power is
being transferred from high pressure steam being generated in a boiler. The boiler is
designed based on the need and to supply steam at 20 atm. The 20 % steam is lost in
transmission to turbine. Design the boiler. (Take the required data from literature and
mention references).
a. Can you find out per day coal consumption? (Use anthracite with no moisture content,
get the composition and calorific value from the literature)
b. Design the turbine (the turbine used is the one being used now a days in all power plants
in India as well as British Power Corporations, dimensions must be as small as possible).
Conversion of thermal energy to mechanical energy is 80%. Other losses could be
accounted as 10% of steam transmission and bearing losses, the heights of equipment
should not exceed 4 meters and width should not exceed 3 meters. Take appropriate
dimensions and give the proper grounds for supporting the question “why”.
Problem statement 3:

ExxonMobil’s Houston refinery has a capacity of 14 MMTPA. It utilizes the crude from
Atlantic seashores and Middle East. The crude from Middle East has 50% aromatics while
the one from Atlantic seashore has 67% paraffin. ExxonMobil decided to use the mixture
(40% and 60%) of these as a feed to its new plant which is the extension of old refinery.
This made their products to beat all other petroleum companies. Competitive environment
forced Shell Global, Saudi Aramaco, Sinopec, British Petroleum and China Petrochemical to
install a bigger plant with 20% shares of each company in it. This plant with introduce a
mixture of the crude having 50% aromatics (say xylene) and 30% aliphatic (say hexane)
and 20% naphthenic (say cyclohexane) fractions it. The feed rate to distillation column is
5, 00, 00, 000 tons/ month.

a. Design the distillation column (Alpha=3.7), consider constant fluid flow rates inside
the column and the heat capacities do not change with temperature. The distillation
column is being operated at atmospheric conditions and feed is being introduced
with 35% vapour. Give complete design detail for each part of it. It would be great if
you could find out the cost of installation in USD. How much British Petroleum has
to invest if it wants to have 50% equity?

b. The naphtha cut is at 90-120 F. The Naphtha being produced consists of 20% of
aromatics, 30% aliphatic and 50% naphthenic compounds of the original feed. This
Naphtha is dehexanized and sent to a chemical reactor having platinum as a catalyst
(stacked in a efficient pattern). The reactor works at 1000 psi at 450 F. If the
reactions taking place in it are a combination of isomerization, dehydrogenation and
cyclization. Design the reactor (Take the needed data from literature). The objective
is to produce Gasoline with a composition of 90% Aromatics, 7 % naphthenic
compounds and 3 % aliphatic components.

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