Department of Chemical Engineering

CHE221: Introduction to Chemical Engineering II

(Section: Combustion Reactions)
Monday, June 28, 2021
Tutorial Questions
Instructions: Answer all questions and show all workings. You can work together in small
groups. Submit only questions 1, 2, 4, and 7.
Submission Due Date: 5th July, 2021 latest by 5 p.m.

1. A synthesis gas analyzing 6.4% CO2, 0.2% O2, 40.0 % CO, and 50.8% H2 (the balance is N2) is burned with
40% dry excess air. What is the composition of the flue gas?

2. Aviation gasoline is isooctane, C8H18. If it is burned with 20% excess air, and 30% of the carbon forms
carbon monoxide, what is the Orsat analysis?

3. Pure carbon is burned in oxygen. The flue gas analysis:

CO2 75%

CO 14%

O2 11%

What was the percent excess oxygen used?

4. Toluene, C7H8 is burned with 30% excess air. A bad burner causes 15% of the carbon to form soot (pure
C) deposited on the walls of the furnace. What is the Orsat analysis of the gases leaving the furnace?

5. Ethane is burned with 50% excess air. The percentage conversion of the ethane is 90%; of the ethane
burned, 25% reacts to form CO and the balance reacts to form CO2. Calculate the molar composition of
the stack gas on a dry basis and the mole ratio of water to dry stack gas.

6. Butane is fed at a rate of 100 mols/s to a boiler with 50% excess air. 70% of the butane is consumed,
and the product gas contains 10 mols CO2/mol CO. Calculate the molar composition of the stack gas.

7. A synthetic fuel oil known to contain only H and C gives on combustion an Orsat analysis of CO2: 14.6%,
CO: 2.0%, O2: 2.8%, and N2: 80.6%. Calculate the composition of the fuel oil.

8. A natural gas consisting entirely of methane (CH4) is burned with an oxygen-enriched air of composition
40% O2 and 60% N2. The Orsat analysis of the product gas as reported by the laboratory is CO2: 20.2%, O2:
4.1%, N2: 75.7%. Can the reported analysis be correct? Show all calculations.

1
9. A liquid fuel containing 88 wt% C and 12% H is burned with air, comprising 21 vol% O2 and 79% N2, in a
combustor. The combustion product is called “flue gas”, and the flue gas leaving the combustor is then
passed through a desiccant column, to completely removed water from the flue gas. The resulting dry flue
gas is then passed through a gas analyzer, to analyze for the composition of the dry flue gas, and the
analytical results are as follows: CO2 13.4% by vol., O2 3.6%, and N2 83.0%.

If the amount of fuel fed into the combustor is 100 g, calculate the amount of the dry flue gas, in g, and
determine the percentage excess of O2 (note that N2 does not react with any other species).