SVS COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

COIMBATORE – 642 109

DEPARTMENT OF PETROCHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Tutorial Classes:

Unit I:

1. An acetone-air mixture containing 0.015 mole fraction of acetone has the mole fraction
reduced to 1 percent of this value by countercurrent absorption with water in a packed tower.
The gas flow rate is 1 kg/m2s of air and the water enters at 1.6 kg/m2s. For this system,
Henry’s law holds good and ye = 1.75 x, where ye is the mole fraction of acetone in the vapor
in equilibrium with a mole fraction x, in the liquid. How many overall transfer units are
required?

2. An air-NH3 mixture containing 5% NH3 by volume is absorbed in water using a packed

tower at 20˚C and 1 atm pressure to recover 98% NH3. Gas flow rate is 1200 kg/hr m2.
Calculate (i) minimum mass flow rate of liquid, (ii) NTU using 1.25 times the minimum
liquid flow rate (iii) Height of packed column using KGa = 123 kmole / hr m2 atm. The
equilibrium relation is y = 1.154 x where, x,y are expressed in mole fraction units.

Unit II:

1. A mixture containing benzene and toluene with 40% benzene and 60% toluene is to be
separated in a fractionating column to give product containing 96% benzene and bottom
product containing 95% toluene. Feed is a mixture of two-third vapour and one-third liquid.
Find the number of theoretical stages required if the reflux ratio of 1.5 times the minimum is
used. Data: Relative volatility = 2.5.

2. A mixture of benzene and toluene containing 40 mole% benzene is to be separated to give

a product of 90 mole% of benzene from the top and a bottom product with not more than 10
mole% benzene. Using an average value of 2.4 for the volatility of benzene relative to
toluene, calculate the number of theoretical plates required at total reflux. Also calculate the
minimum reflux ratio, if the feed is a liquid at its bubble point.

3. A mixture of 35 mol% A and 65 mol% B is to be separated in distillation column. The

concentration of A in the distillate is 93 mol% and 96 mol% of all A is in distillate. The feed
is half vapour and the reflux ratio is 4:1. The relative volatility is 2.5. How many
equilibrium stages are required in each section of the column?

Unit III:

1. A solution of nicotine in water containing 1% nicotine is to be extracted with kerosene at

293 K. Water and kerosene are insoluble. Assume the equilibrium relationship to be:

Y = 0.9 X
Y = kg nicotine / kg kerosene

X = kg nicotine / kg water

(i) Determine the percentage extraction of nicotine if 100 kg of the feed solution is extracted
with 150 kg of solvent (kerosene).

(ii) Repeat for three theoretical extractions using 50 kg of solvent each time.

2. 100 kg/h of a nicotine-water containing 10% by weight nicotine is extracted with 150 kg/h
of kerosene containing 0.06 % by weight in a counter current stage column. The nicotine
content of the exit water stream is 0.10 weight percent. Determine the number of theoretical
stages required for this separation. Water and kerosene are immiscible. The equilibrium
data:

3. 1000 kg/h of a nicotine-water solution containing 1% nicotine is to be extracted with

kerosene to reduce the nicotine content to 0.1%. Water and kerosene are immiscible
solvents.

(i) What is the minimum solvent requirement, kg/h?

(ii) If 1150 kg/h of solvent is used, how many theoretical stages are required?

Unit IV:

1. Crushed oil seeds containing 55% oil (by weight) is to be extracted at the rate of 4000
kg/hr using 100 kg/min of n-hexane containing 5% oil (by weight) as the solvent. A
countercurrent two stage extraction is employed. The oil seeds will retain 1 kg of solution
per kg of oil-free cake. Estimate the percent recovery of oil (based on original feed) obtained
under the above conditions.

2. Seeds containing 25 wt% oil are to be extracted in a countercurrent plant and 95% of the
oil is recovered in a solution containing 50% by weight oil. If the seeds are contacted with
fresh solvent and 1 kg of solution is removed in the underflow in association with every 2 kg
of insoluble matter, determine the theoretical stages required?

Unit V:

1. Experiments on decolorization of oil yielded the following equilibrium relationship: y =

0.5 x 0.5. Where y = gram of color removed / gram of adsorbent, x = color in the oil, gram of
color / 1 kg of color free oil. 100 kg oil containing 1 part of color to 3 parts of oil agitated
with 5 kg of the adsorbent. Calculate the % color removed, if

(i) all 25 kg adsorbent is used in one step

(ii) 1.5 kg adsorbent is used initially, followed by another 2.5 kg of adsorbent.

2. The equilibrium adsorption of acetone vapor on an activated carbon at 303 K is given by

the following data:
gm adsorbed / gm carbon 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.35

Partial pressure of acetone, mm Hg 0 2.0 12 42 92

The vapor pressure of acetone at 303 K is 83 mmHg. A one litre flask contains air and
acetone vapor at 1 atm and 303 K with a relative saturation of vapor at 35%. After 2 gm of
fresh activated carbon has been introduced into the flask, the flask is sealed. Calculate the
final vapor concentration at 303 K and the final pressure neglecting the adsorption of air.

3. A solution of washed raw cane sugar is colored by the presence of impurities. It is to be

decolorized by treatment with an adsorptive carbon. The data for an equilibrium isotherm is
given below. The original solution has a color concentration of 9.6 measured on an arbitrary
scale and it is desired to reduce the colour to 0.96. Calculate the necessary dosage of fresh
carbon per 2000 kg of solution (i) for a single stage and (ii) for a three stage counter current
operation:

Kg carbon/ Kg solution 0 0.001 0.004 0.008 0.02 0.04

Eq. color 9.6 8.6 6.3 4.3 1.7 0.7