Question

A service attendant accidently spills 50 litres of gasoline, which quickly spreads over a level surface of area 8 m2.
Estimate the time required for the gasoline to evaporate into the stagnant air above the surface of the liquid. The
di usivity of gasoline in air is 0.65 m2h-1.The air temperature is 298 K. Evaporation may be assumed to take place
through a film of air of 2 m thickness. Vapour pressure of gasoline at 298 K is 76 mm Hg. The density of gasoline is
720 kg m-3 and the molecular weight of gasoline is 200. The operation takes place at 1 atm pressure.

Expert Solution

 Step 1

For di usion of a substance through a non di using substance the flux can be determined as

NA = DRTzAB P ln( P−P−ppA0A )

Where, NA = Flux, DAB = Mass Diffusivity of A through B
P = total pressure, R = gas constant, T = temperature, z = thickness
pA = partial pressure of A
pA0 = vapour pressure of A at that temperature
 

 Step 2

In the given problem

Volume of gasoline= 50L=50 ×10−3  m3

Density of gasoline =720  mkg3
So mass of gasoline = 50 × 10−3 × 720 = 36000 × 10−3 = 36 kg

Di usivity of gasoline is 0.65 m 2 /h

thickness of the film = 2 m

vapour pressure of gasoline =76 mm Hg=0.1 atm.

Operating temperature=298 K, Total pressure= 1 atm.

Therefore the mass flux of gasoline is calculated as,

P−pg
Ng = DRTzg P ln( P−p g0 )
Where, Ng = flux of gasoline, P = total pressure
Dg = diffusivity of gasoline, R = gas constant = 0.082 l − atmm/mol.K
z = thickness, pg = partial pressure of gasoline, pg0 = vapour pressure of
 gasoline
T = temperature
Ng = 0.082×298×2
0.65×1 ln 1−0   since the gasoline concentration in air is
( 1−0.1 ) (
 negligible, so pg = 0)
or, Ng = 1.40 × 10−3  kmol/m2 .h
Molecular weight of gasoline is 200

So rate of mass transfer = (1.40 × 10−3  kmol/m2 .h) × (200 kg/kmol) = 0.28 kg/m2 .h

Amount of gasoline to be evaporated 36 kg

therefore, amount of gasoline evaporated per m2 of the floor area = 368 = 4.5 kg/m2
Time required for complete evaporation of gasoline=
4.5 kg/m2 = 16.07 h
0.28 kg/m2 .h
Answer: Time required to complete evaporation of gasoline is 16.07 h 

WA S TH IS H EL P FU L ?