VAAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

ADVANCED FLUID MECHANICS – EHFLM4A

TUTORIAL 3
Lecturer: Ms L Lerotholi Date: 29 April 2024

Question 1 (make use of the Ergun Equation)

A packed bed is composed of catalyst particles in the form of cylinders having a diameter of
0.02 m and length equal to the diameter. The density of the catalyst is 1600 kg/m 3 and the
porosity is 0.399

a) Calculate the sphericity of the catalyst particles

b) Calculate the effective diameter of the catalyst particles (deff = фdsph)

c) If the gas flow rate through the catalyst bed is 0.70 kg/m2s, calculate the pressure drop
across the bed assuming that the gas enters at atmospheric pressure

Viscosity of the gas = 0.04 Ns/m2

Average temperature of the gas 650 K
The composition of the fluid is given in Table 1

mol % MM
Component Inlet Outlet g/mol
A 20 9 27
B 52 63 42
C 28 28 61
Table 1: Gas composition of inlet and outlet gas

Question 2
In a contact sulphuric acid plant, the secondary converter is a tray type converter 2.3m in
diameter with the catalyst arranged in three layers, each 0.45m thick. The catalyst is in the
form of cylindrical pellets 9.5mm in diameter and 9.5mm long. The voidage fraction is 0.35.
The gas enters the converter at 675 K and leaves at 720K. Its inlet composition is

SO3 6.6% ; SO2 1.7% ; O2 10.0% ; N2 81.7%

Its exit composition is

SO3 8.2% ; SO2 0.2% ; O2 9.3% ; N2 82.3%

If the gas flow rate is 0.68 kg/m2s, calculate the pressure drop through the converter.

Question 3

On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens on the West Coast of the United States erupted
catastrophically, spewing an ash plume to an altitude of 20km. The winds then carried these
millions of tons of particles consisting mainly of silica (~ 70%) across the U.S., depositing a
2cm layer on my campsite high (2 km) in the Rockies and 1000 km away. It started raining ash
just 50 hrs after the eruption, and although I left for home soon after, I had to breath this
contaminated air.

I am worried because I read on page 19 of the June 1980 issue of the Chemical Engineering
News that silica particles smaller than 10 µm are respirable and can cause silicosis. No one
told me this, I’ve since developed a cough, and being a normal American, I am ready to sue
the government for gross negligence in not warning me of this danger. But, of course, I will
only do this if the particles are in the dangerous size range.

Please estimate the size of the particles which settled on me at the start of the ash rain.

Data: Assume that the ash particles consist of pure silica for which the density is 2650 kg/m 3
and the sphericity 0.6

The average atmospheric conditions from 2 to 20 km are

 T = -30oC
 P = 40 kPa
 µair = 1.5 kg/m·s

Refer to FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2: Plot of 1/2CDRe2 vs Re

Question 4

Example 4.7a) in McCabe and Smith

Question 5
Example 8.1 in McCabe and Smith

Question 6

Example 8.4 in McCabe and Smith

Question 7

Example 7.2 in Coulson and Richardson’s Vol 1

Question 8

If a scale-up of the tank in Question 7 was conducted (Geometric similarity, kinematic

similarity and dynamic similarity hold), and the scaled up tank impeller was 3 times the size
of the pilot impeller (Assume both tank have 6 baffles),

a) Calculate the power required.

b) If time taken for mixing in the pilot scale was 1 minute, what would the time be in the
scaled-up tank?

Refer to FIGURE 7.7 in Coulson and Richardson’s (page 289)