Student number:……………………Surname:………………………………………First name:………………………..

UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN

DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
CHE1004W Engineering I 2012

CLASS TEST 3

Total marks: 35
Time available: 75 minutes

Show all workings clearly. Answer in the spaces given on the test paper. If you need
extra space use the extra space at the end of the paper and label the question(s) clearly.
Please also make a note against the question that is answered at the end of the script.

All answers are to be reported to the appropriate number of significant figures.

Molar masses: H=1, C=12, N=14, O=16

Unit conversions: 1 ton = 1000 kg; 1 kWh = 3.6 MJ
At STP, 1 gmol of a gas can be assumed to occupy 22.4 dm 3

Thermodynamic properties:
Specific heat capacities:
Water: 33 J/mol.K (s); 75 J/mol.K (liq.)
Ammonia at 12.2 atm: 82 J/mol.K (liq.); 8 J/mol.K (gas)
Latent heats:
Water: 6.0 kJ/mol (fusion); 41 kJ/mol (vaporisation)
Ammonia at 12.2 atm: 19.3 kJ/mol (vaporisation)

Heating value of methane: 50 MJ/kg

Question 1 (17 marks)

Consider an ammonia synthesis loop, consisting of a mixer combining fresh feed with recycle,
reactor, condenser (which perfectly removes produced ammonia) and a recycle loop with a
purge. The feed rate is 101 mol/s, of which 1.0 mol/s of Ar, and N 2 and H2 in the correct
stoichiometric ratio. The concentration of Ar in the recycle stream is limited to 10 mol%.

a) Draw a block flow diagram (BFD) of this process, labelling the components in each
stream, labelling all units, and numbering the streams.

(3)

b) Calculate the flow rate of the purge stream and the ammonia product stream as well as
the overall conversion (X0).

(7)
c) It is further known that the ratio of the recycle stream flow rate to the fresh feed flow
rate is 10:1. Calculate the conversion per pass in the reactor (X).

(7)
Question 2 (13 marks)

The melter (which is a type of heat exchanger) in a sea-water desalinator receives a stream
consisting of 99% ice and 1% liquid water, at a flow rate of 0.877 kg/s. Heat is provided by
condensing ammonia vapour, at a flowrate of 0.283 kg/s. The ammonia enters at 32 ˚C and
12.2 atm and leaves as a liquid at the same temperature and pressure.

a. Determine the rate of heat exchange (also known as the “thermal duty” of the exchanger).
Give this in kJ/s (= kW)

(3)

b. Determine the temperature of the exiting water.

(6)
 c. Assume that a counter-current operation of this heat exchanger were possible. Make a
sketch of the temperature profiles (y-axis) of the two streams over the length of the heat
exchanger (x-axis).

(4)

Question 3 (5 marks)

The 4th year class has just completed its design of a CO 2 capture plant for a 420 MW gas-fired
power station. Their design removes 80% of the CO 2 from the flue gas for geological storage.
Unfortunately, the capture plant needs a fair bit of energy: the electrical output of the power plant
decreases by 35 MW.

The power plant burns natural gas, achieving a 60% conversion of chemical to electrical energy.

Calculate the carbon footprint of the produced electricity, as g CO 2/kWh:

a) Before implementation of the CO2 capture plant

(3)

b) After implementation of the CO2 capture plant

(2)
Extra space: