NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ROURKELA

Department of Chemical Engineering

Mid-Semester Examination, Session: 2019-2020 (Spring)
(B.Tech, 4th Semester)

Subject Name: Mass Transfer Operations-I Subject Code: CH-2112

Duration: 02 hrs Full Marks: 30
There are 5 questions. All questions are compulsory. Make necessary rational assumptions
wherever required. All symbols have their usual meaning. Figures at the right hand
margin indicate marks. All parts of a question should be answered at one place.

Q. Particulars Marks
No.
(1) A mixture of 50% CO2 and 50% N2 is bubbling through water in a laboratory column at 30oC 6
and 1 atm. The depth of water in the column is 30 cm. A single nozzle gas distributor is used.
The gas flow rate is 15 cm3/min and the bubbles are of 1 cm diameter on the average. The
bubble rise velocity is 20 cm/sec. The diffusivity of CO2 in water is 2.19×10-5 cm2/sec. The
solubility of CO2 in water at the given temperature as calculated fro Henry’s law is 1.493×10-5
gmol/cm3. Calculate the rate of absorption of CO2.

(2) A drop of ethanol, 2 mm in diameter, suspended at the end of a thin wire, vaporizes in the 6
ambient air. The temperature of the drop undergoing vaporization is estimated to be 18oC.
The thickness of the stagnant air-film surrounding the drop is estimated to be 1.5 mm under
the prevailing condition. Assuming that the thickness of the film remains unchanged,
calculate the time required (in seconds) for the drop size to reduce to 1 mm. Also,
calculate the time required (in seconds) for disappearance of the drop if the ambient
air is totally stagnant. Vapor pressure of ethanol at 18oC is 0.0516 bar; liquid density is 789
kg/m3. The diffusivity of ethanol in air is 0.102 cm2/sec at 0oC.

(3) An absorption column is operated at a pressure of 314 kPa. The equilibrium compositions of 5
the gaseous and liquid phases are characterized by the Henry’s Law equation:
p=10.666×106 x, Pascal. If the individual mass transfer coefficients are: ky=1.075 kmol/m2.h
and kx=22 kmol/m2.h, determine: (a) the overall mass transfer coefficients (b) the ratio

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 of local resistances in the liquid to gas phase both on the gas-phase and liquid-phase
basis.

(4) During a certain experiment involving the flow of dry air at 25oC and 1 atm pressure at a free 6
stream velocity of 2 m/sec over a body covered with a layer of naphthalene, it was observed
that 12 g of naphthalene had sublimated in 15 min. The surface area of the body was 0.3 m2.
Both the body and the air were kept at 25oC during the study. The vapor pressure of
naphthalene at 25oC is 11 Pascal and the mass diffusivity of naphthalene in air at 25oC is
DAB=0.61×10-5 m2/sec. Determine the mass transfer coefficient. Using Chilton-Colburn
analogy, determine the heat transfer coefficient under the same flow conditions over
the same geometry. The dry air properties at 25oC and 1 atm are: density=1.184 kg/m3,
specific heat=1007 J/Kg.K and kinematic viscosity=2.141×10-5 m2/sec.

(5) (a) Define dimensionless Sherwood number in mass transfer. Derive expressions for 2
Sherwood number w.r.t gas and liquid phases.

(b) For flow past a single sphere and for very low Reynolds number, show that Nsh=2. 2

(c) What are the critical assumptions of surface renewal theory and how mass transfer and 3
diffusion coefficients related according to the theory? What is the model parameter of surface
renewal theory and what is its unit?

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