CHEMICAL PROCESS DESIGN

NAME: ......................................

Final Exam. February 2010. 150 minutes to solve

Part A: 10 Questions = 70 points; Part B: 4 Questions= 30 points
Total: 14 Questions = 100 points.
1.- Answer the following questions with a brief explanation (5 p)
a) List almost two methodologies and their main characteristics, to evaluate and exam among alternatives in
process synthesis. (1 p)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b) List the main characteristic of the Product Design in contrast to the Processes Design (1 p)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c) How is the percentage of the investment capital need to the preliminary design and what is the final cost
percentage fixed in this step? (1 p)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

d) Define the Flexibility as evaluation criteria in process design (1 p)

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

e) Definition and kinds of superstructures? (1 p)

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2.- In relation to the chemical process design, answer the following questions with a brief
explanation (5 p):
a) What is the effect on the multicomponent distillation when the pressure increases maintaining the split
fractions? (1 p)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b) What variable would you change to reduce the vaporization of too much solvent in the gas stream of an
absorption unit? (1 p)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c) List the decision criteria to use partial instead total condenser in a distillation column (1 p)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

d) In order to increase the production in a process with a pressurized gas recycle, you choose change the:
a) gas recycle; b) the rest of the system, c) both of them. Why? (1 p)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

e) What are the main decision criteria to use complex distillation columns? (1 p)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

3.- Mark as Correct "C" or Incorrect "I" the following sentences: (5 p)

- The new complex distillation column is expensive than the replaced simple columns.
- The splits fractions used in processes analysis are always based on the target gas phase separation.
- In a general chemical process, the vapour recovery step is expensive than the liquid separation step.
- The phase splits Systems are the cheaper way to separate components.
- In a linear mass balance used to link the distillation process output and input steams is necessary to take
into account the relationships equipment dependent (design equations).
2

4.- What main aspects (tasks, Tools, objectives, stops, etc.) do you include in a Sustainable
Process Design? Show these aspects together the application step. (5 p)

5.- Answer the following questions with a brief explanation (10 p)

a) How and why do you select the component of a multicomponent stream to apply the bubble point equation?
(2 p)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b) Why it is necessary to check the critical point of a mixture when you use short cut calculations base don
linear mass balances? (2 p)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

c) What aspects are Known and what are Wanted in a i) Process Design problem; ii) Process performance
problem (2 p)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

d) In the process synthesis context, what are rules of thumbs? (2 p)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

e) List almost two characteristics of the Chemicals Industry together it associated Process Design
characteristic. (2 p)
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6.- Mark as Correct "C" or Incorrect "I" the following sentences and answer with a brief
explanation: (10 p)
6.1 In a refrigeration cycle the Tevap must be higher than the refrigerant Tebull.

6.2 Once the volume is know, it is possible to size a reactor as a heat exchange? Why?

6.3 The heat exchanger loops reduction are govern by the rule N

exchangers

= Nstreams-1

6.4 To design an absorber it is correct suppose that the height is 4 times the diameter.

6.5 In a HENS, when you change the Tmin in an exchanger, always it is necessary to reduce the heat
load in this heat exchanger.

6.6 The two steps approach HENS is better than the global optimization in one step.

6.7 The order of magnitude cost estimation has errors Powers than 30%

6.8

It is possible more than two pinch point in a heat exchange network.

6.9

In a batch process, when is useful to use parallel units?

6.10 If you have different design distillation diameters (top and bottom), what and why is your diameter
design?
4

7.- Show by a block diagram, the general algorithm to use in the process analysis of a general
chemical process based on linear mass and heat balances. Show the information input and
outputs in each step (10 p.)

8.- Show by a flowsheet the global strategy to the HEN design with minima annualized costs.
Show the particular algorithms and decision criteria used in each step (10 p)

9.- Mark the information that you can obtain from the following diagram (5 p)

10.- List the main decision levels and the corresponding contents in the design and scheduling of
batch processes. (5 p)

CHEMICAL PROCESS DESIGN

NAME:...................................

Final Exam. February. 2010. Part B: 4 Questions = 30 Points

11.- In the oil refinery process technology, the production of high octane gasoline Could be obtained
by isobutane alkylation processes using butane from LPG dehydrogenation units. The butane alkylation
to obtain isooctane takes place together a competitive reaction that forms C12 at the same P, T and
phase conditions. The feed butane and isobutane streams contain small quantities of n-butane and
propane inert components. (5 p)
a) Show the levels 2, 3 and 4 of the Douglas hierarchy flowsheets.
b) Destination of all the output streams.
c) What process variables would you choose to optimize the process?

12.- Build a superstructure to the heat exchange of a process hot stream (H1) and three process cold
streams (C1, C2, C3) (5 p).

13.- Calculate the flowrates of Air, Acetone and Water, as well as their molar fractions, in
each output stream from a absorption system where you choose the acetone recovery from the
Air stream (10 mol/s air + 1 mol/s acetone) at r=0.95 with an absorption factor AE = 1.4. The
unit use water as solvent and operates at 300 K y 10 bar. (10 p)
ln P0aceotone (mm Hg) = 16,6513 - 2940,46 / (T (K) - 35,93)
P0water (mm Hg) = 10 exp [A (B / (C+ T (C) ))]; A= 8,11; B= 1750,29; C= 235

14.- A gas stream of 1 kgmol/s consisting of 50% mol H2, 50% mol CH4 is available at 100 kPa,
300 K. The stream is compressed up to a pressure of 3000 kPa and delivered at 350 K. The
process is two compression stages with intercooling and a final cooler. Determine: (10 p)
14.1.- In and Out P and T values at each compression and exchange step
14.2.- The required investment and annual operating cost.

Data Investment cost: bare module cost updated to January 1994 prices (Guthrie's method)
Service Factor: 0.904
Driver: electric motor
Cost electricity: 3/kwh
Cooling water: inlet 303 K ; outlet 325 K
Cost cooling water: 5.5/1000 gal.
Minimum temperature approach: 10 K