BEN/CEN 212 SPRING 2017

EXPERIMENTAL METHODS IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING

COVER SHEET
FINAL EXAM (Take Home) Assigned: May 1nd, 2017 at 9:00:00 AM
Due: Before or by May 5th, 2017 by 10:00.00 AM
Submit to Professor Hosein in Link 339 or Professor Hoseins mailbox
Instructions:
1. Complete any 5 out of 6 questions on the exam. Partial attempts on a 6th question will not be graded. If all questions
are attempted, make it clear the questions you want to be graded. Lack of indication will default to grading Questions
1-5.
2. Use of textbook, personal class notes, and other class materials are permitted.
3. Questions for which Excel is permitted are indicated by the icon: .
4. Answers obtained from Excel must be clearly communicated. Printed outputs and spreadsheets by themselves DO NOT
constitute a complete answer.
5. Questions for which Excel is NOT indicated must be written with work shown.
Rules:
1. Late submissions (submitted after 9:59.59 AM of 5/5/17) receive an automatic grade of zero.
2. Late submissions may be accepted if a student provides a university documented exception for sickness, health issue,
death of a family member, or accidental injury that precludes submitting on time.
3. Submissions not accompanied by THIS SIGNED cover sheet stapled as the front page of the submitted test will NOT
be accepted.
4. Submissions will ONLY be accepted as an ORIGINAL HARD COPY. NO emails.
5. Submissions can only be submitted to Prof. Hosein, in his office (while he is present, no slipping under the door) or
(earlier) in his mailbox (329 Link).
6. Students are not allowed to have other students submit their test on their behalf.
7. Submissions without a name and signature on THIS COVER SHEET will NOT be accepted.
8. Submissions that are not stapled will NOT be accepted.
9. Collaboration, interaction, communication, and/or group work of any kind and/or in any form with present students of
the course or past students of the course over the duration of the exam is prohibited.
10. This test is a confidential university document and cannot be saved, distributed, or changed without the written consent
of Prof. Hosein.

_____________________________________________________________________________
DECLARATION OF OWN WORK:
I certify that the answers submitted are completely of my own work. I have neither contacted, nor discussed the
exam with anyone whatsoever between the times it was assigned and when the exam was due. I accept rules 1-9
stated above for this final exam.

Name: ____________________________________ Circle: BEN or CEN

Signature: _________________________________
1) Course Knowledge
Identify whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE

a) The variance of a standard normal distribution changes with the z statistic.

b) A cumulative distribution (F(x)) may not necessarily tend to 1 with increasing x.

c) An addition operation always leads to a less precise value.

d) A t-distribution is always necessary in hypothesis testing when the population variance is unknown.

e) A hypothesis can never be proven to be true.

f) All nonlinear functions can be linearized.

g) The number of replicates (n) in a factorial experiment must be greater than or equal to 2k.

h) The expected value of X2 is equal to E(X)2.

i) The laboratory repeatability variance is always greater than the laboratory reproducibility variance.

j) The average height of 300,000,000 Americans can be accurately estimated from 10,000 people.

k) The average height of 300,000,000 Americans can be precisely estimated from 10,000 people.

l) There are instances in which precision and accuracy are the same.

m) Interactions between two factors (A and B) only occur when the calculated interaction AB > 0.

n) Monitoring a 600 C baking process requires a K-type thermocouple.

o) Positive displacement meters are required for high pressure gases.

p) Readings made from an analog gauge can never be more precise than its graduation.

q) The conversion factor from feet to inches has 2 significant figures.

r) Temperature and pressure are random variables.

s) Multiple and simple linear regression models can only be compared only if the total number of data
points (n) is the same.

t) The slope and intercept of a regression model can be random variables.

2) Probability Density Function
A probability density function of a random variable X is shown below, for 0 x 1. It takes the form of an
isosceles triangle centered on x = 0.5. For all x outside of this interval, f(x) = 0.

a) Calculate the expected value E(X). (5 Points)

b) Calculate the variance V(X). (5 Points)
c) Calculated the standard deviation of X. (3 Points)

d) Plot the cumulative distribution F(x) (7 Points)

3) Design of Experiments (Factorial)
The yield (Y) of a batch reactor depends on the initial reactant concentration (A) and the reactor temperature
(B). The table below shows the results of a 22 factorial experiment.

Yield (%)
A B Run 1 Run 2 Run 3 Run 4
(1) - - 0.57 0.56 0.52 0.53
A + - 0.97 0.91 0.88 0.92
B - + 0.95 0.88 0.84 0.90
ab + + 0.71 0.75 0.79 0.73

a) Calculate the estimates of the effects of A and B, and AB. Comment on their significance. (9 points)
b) Construct a two-factor interaction plot and comment on the interaction of the factors. (6 points)
c) Establish a regression model for the yield. (5 points)
4) Multiple Linear Regression
Powdered mixtures of coal and limestone were analyzed for their density. The errors in the density were
determined for mixtures with different dielectric constant and loss factor.
a) Estimate the regression coefficients and write the multiple regression equation. (10 points)
b) Comment on the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. (10 points)
Loss
Density Error Dielectric Constant Factor
0.749 2.05 0.016
0.798 2.15 0.020
0.849 2.25 0.022
0.877 2.30 0.023
0.929 2.40 0.026
0.963 2.47 0.028
0.997 2.54 0.031
1.046 2.64 0.034
1.133 2.85 0.039
1.17 2.94 0.042
1.215 3.05 0.045
5) Hypothesis Testing (20 points)
The Hosein lab synthesizes acrylic microfibers of 10 m diameter. The fibers were made in a new process
containing inhibitor molecules, which lowers the reaction rate of the synthesis. A sample of fibers had the
following measured diameters (m):

9.2, 6.0, 7.3, 8.4, 9.1, 6.2, 7.8, 5.5, 8.1, 6.9, 11.1, 11.2.

a) Perform a point-estimate hypothesis test (P=0.01) to determine whether the fiber diameter in this new
synthesis is less than 10 m. (10 points)
b) Perform a confidence interval hypothesis test (P=0.01) to determine whether the precision ( ) in
synthesizing the fibers is 1.4. (10 points)
6) Modelling
The Hosein lab also synthesizes solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) for lithium-ion batteries. The table below
shows ion conductivity ( ) measurements for a sample SPE at different temperatures (T in units of Kelvin). The
temperature dependence of an SPE follows a Vogel-Tamman-Fulcher (VTF) model:

= 0 (/( 0 ))

Where, 0 is the base conductivity, B is a constant associated to activation energy, and T0 is 250 K.
a) Determine the regression coefficients to fit the data to the VTF model. (10 points)
b) Calculate the conductivity at 37 C. (10 points)

T (K) S.cm-2)
298 0.00097943
303 0.00098153
308 0.00098319
313 0.00098482
318 0.00098603
323 0.00098674
328 0.00098739
333 0.00098816
338 0.00098966
343 0.00098935
348 0.00099006
353 0.00099119
358 0.00099154
363 0.00099140
368 0.00099242
373 0.00099282
378 0.00099228
383 0.00099279
388 0.00099370
393 0.00099381
398 0.00099377
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