FLUID MECHANICS

Coulson and Richardson Vol I P8.21

600 LITRES/S OF WATER AT 320 K IS PUMPED IN A 40 MM i.d.
pipe through a length of 150 m in a horizontal direction and
up through a vertical height of 10 m. In the pipe there is a
control valve which may be taken as equivalent to 200 pipe
diameters and other pipe fittings equivalent to 60 pipe
diameters. Also in the line there is a heat exchanger across
which there is a loss in head of 1.5 m of water. If the main pipe
has a roughness of 0.0002 m, what power must be delivered
to the pump if the unit is 60% efficient?

a. Power = 128 W
FLUID MECHANICS
Coulson and Richardson Vol I P4.3
HYDROGEN IS PUMPED FROM A RESERVOIR AT 2 MN/M2
pressure through a clean horizontal mild steel pipe 50 mm
diameter and 500 m long. The downstream pressure is also 2
MN/m2 and the pressure of this gas is raised to 2.6 MN/m2
by a pump at the upstream end of the pipe. The conditions of
flow are isothermal and the temperature of the gas is 293 K.
What is the flowrate and what is the effective rate of working
of the pump? Viscosity of hydrogen = 0.009 mN s/m2 at 293
K.

a. G = 0.213 kg/s
b. Power (60% efficient) = 113 kW
FLUID MECHANICS
Coulson and Richardson Vol I P3.19
WATER IS PUMPED AT 1.4 M3/S FROM A TANK AT A
TREATMENT PLANT to a tank at a local works through two
parallel pipes, 0.3 m and 0.6 m diameter respectively. What is
the velocity in each pipe and, if a single pipe is used, what
diameter will be needed if this flow of water is to be
transported, the pressure drop being the same? Assume
turbulent flow with the friction factor inversely proportional
to the one quarter power of the Reynolds number.
a. u1 (d = 0.3m) = 2.62 m/s
b. u2 (d = 0.6m) = 4.30 m/s
c. diameter = 0.63 m
EVAPORATION
Coulson and Richardson Vol IV P14.1
A SINGLE-EFFECT EVAPORATOR IS USED TO CONCENTRATE 7
KG/S of a solution from 10 to 50 per cent of solids. Steam is
available at 205 kN/m2 and evaporation takes place at 13.5
kN/m2. If the overall heat transfer coefficient is 3 kW/m2 K,
calculate the heating surface required and the amount of
steam used if the feed to the evaporator is at 294 K and the
condensate leaves the heating space at 352.7 K. The specific
heat capacity of a 10 per cent solution is 3.76 kJ/kg K, the
specific heat capacity of a 50 per cent solution is 3.14 kJ/kg K.

a. Steam used = 6.47 kg/s

b. Area = 68.6 m2
EVAPORATION
Coulson and Richardson Vol IV P14.10
A LIQUOR CONTAINING 15 PER CENT SOLIDS is concentrated
to 55 per cent solids in a doubleeffect evaporator operating at
a pressure of 18 kN/m2 in the second effect. No crystals are
formed. The feedrate is 2.5 kg/s at a temperature of 375 K
with a specific heat capacity of 3.75 kJ/kg K. The boiling-point
rise of the concentrated liquor is 6 degK and the pressure of
the steam fed to the first effect is 240 kN/m2. The overall heat
transfer coefficients in 190 the first and second effects are 1.8
and 0.63 kW/m2 K, respectively. If the heat transfer area is to
be the same in each effect, what areas should be specified?
a. Area1 = 66.1 m2
b. Area2 = 68.8 m2
c. If Area1 = Area2, then Area = 67.5m2
EVAPORATION
Coulson and Richardson Vol IV P14.4
A SINGLE EFFECT EVAPORATOR OPERATES AT 13 KN/M2.
What will be the heating surface necessary to concentrate
1.25 kg/s of 10 per cent caustic soda to 41 per cent, assuming
a value of U of 1.25 kW/m2 K, using steam at 390 K? The
heating surface is 1.2 m below the liquid level.
The boiling-point rise of the solution is 30 deg K, the feed
temperature is 291 K, the specific heat capacity of the feed is
4.0 kJ/kg deg K, the specific heat capacity of the product is
3.26 kJ/kg degK and the density of the boiling liquid is 1390
kg/m3.
a. Area = 106.6 m2
DRYING
Coulson and Richardson Vol I P13.6
MATERIAL IS FED TO A DRYER AT THE RATE OF 0.3 KG/S and
the moisture removed is 35% of the wet charge. The stock
enters and leaves the dryer at 324 K. The air temperature falls
from 341 K to 310 K, its humidity rising from 0.01 to 0.02
kg/kg. Calculate the heat loss to the surroundings. Latent heat
of water at 324 K = 2430 kJ/kg. Specific heat capacity of dry
air = 0.99 kJ/kg K. Specific heat capacity of water vapour =
2.01 kJ/kg K.

a. Heat loss = 76.6 kW

Note: Constants in problem are grossly different compared to in Perry’s 8th Ed

AGITATION AND MIXING
Coulson and Richardson Vol I P7.7
TESTS ON A SMALL SCALE TANK 0.3 M diameter (Rushton
impeller, diameter 0.1 m) have shown that a blending process
between two miscible liquids (aqueous solutions, properties
approximately the same as water, i.e. viscosity 1 mN s/m2,
density 1000 kg/m3) is satisfactorily completed after 1
minute using an impeller speed of 250 rev/min. It is decided
to scale up the process to a tank of 2.5 m diameter using the
criterion of constant tip-speed. (a) What speed should be
chosen for the larger impeller? (b) What power will be
required? (c) What will be the blend time in the large tank?
a. Speed = 20.8 rev/min
b. Power = 9.8 W
c. Blend Time = 1.15 min
CYCLONE
Coulson and Richardson Vol IV P1.11
A CYCLONE SEPARATOR 0.3 M IN DIAMETER and 1.2 m long,
has a circular inlet 75 mm in diameter and an outlet of the
same size. If the gas enters at a velocity of 1.5 m/s, at what
particle size will the theoretical cut occur? The viscosity of air
is 0.018 mNs/m2, the density of air is 1.3 kg/m3 and the
density of the particles is 2700 kg/m3.

a. Diameter = 2.7 microns

TERMINAL SETTLING
Coulson and Richardson Vol IV P6.14
GLASS SPHERES ARE FLUIDISED BY WATER AT A VELOCITY
equal to one half of their terminal falling velocities. Calculate
(a) the density of the fluidised bed, (b) the pressure gradient
in the bed attributable to the presence of the particles. The
particles are 2 mm in diameter and have a density of 2500
kg/m3. The density and viscosity of water are 1000 kg/m3
and 1 mNs/m2 respectively.

a. Density = 1367 kg/m3

b. Pressure gradient = 3605 Pa/m
LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION
Coulson and Richardson Vol II Ex.13.5
IN ORDER TO EXTRACT ACETIC ACID FROM DILUTE AQUEOUS
SOLUTION with isopropyl ether, the two immiscible phases are
passed counter-currently through a packed column 3 m in length
and 75 mm in diameter. It is found that, if 0.5 kg/m2s of the pure
ether is used to extract 0.25 kg/m2s of 4.0 per cent acid by mass,
then the ether phase leaves the column with a concentration of
1.0 per cent acid by mass. Calculate: (a) the number of overall
transfer units based on the raffinate phase, and (b) the overall
extraction coefficient based on the raffinate phase. The
equilibrium relationship is given by: (kg acid/kg isopropyl ether)
= 0.3 (kg acid/kg water).

a. KRa = 0.461 kg/m3s

b. NTU = 5.53
LEACHING
Coulson and Richardson Vol IV P.10.4
SODA ASH IS MIXED WITH LIME AND THE LIQUOR FROM THE
SECOND OF THREE THICKENERS and passed to the first
thickener where separation is effected. The quantity of this
caustic solution leaving the first thickener is such as to yield
10 Mg of caustic soda per day of 24 hours. The solution
contains 95 kg of caustic soda/1000 kg of water, whilst the
sludge leaving each of the thickeners consists of one part of
solids to one of liquid.
a. Mass of solids in sludge = 13.7 Mg/day
b. Mass of water into third effect = 129 Mg/day
c. %Caustic soda per effect =4.34%, 0.47%, 0.05%
Filtration
Coulson and Richardson Vol IV P.7.2
A SLURRY CONTAINING 100 KG OF WHITING/M3 OF WATER,
is filtered in a plate and frame press, which takes 900 s to
dismantle, clean and re-assemble. If the filter cake is
incompressible and has a voidage of 0.4, what is the optimum
thickness of cake for a filtration pressure of 1000 kN/m2?
The density of the whiting is 3000 kg/m3. If the cake is
washed at 500 kN/m2 and the total volume of wash water
employed is 25 per cent of that of the filtrate, how is the
optimum thickness of cake affected? The resistance of the
filter medium may be neglected and the viscosity of water is 1
mN s/m2. In an experiment, a pressure of 165 kN/m2
produced a flow of water of 0.02 cm3/s though a centimetre
cube of filter cake.
a. Resistance of filter cake = 8.25 x 10^-2 m2
b. Optimum frame thickness = 70 mm
c. Frame thickness = 60 mm
ABSORBTION
Apr 2014, Nov 2016
A CONTACT PROCESS PLANT PRODUCES 98% H2SO4 by
absorbing SO3 in 97.3%H2SO4. A gas contains 8%SO3 (92%
inert) enters the absorption tower at a rate of 28lbmol/hr
and 98.5% of SO3 is absorbed in the process. A 95.9%H2SO4
was used as a make-up acid in the process. Reaction: H2O +
SO3 H2SO4
a. Amount of 95.9% H2SO4 used = 2060 lbs/day
b. 97.3% H2SO4 used = 6470 lbs/day
c. Amount of 98% H2SO4 produced= 2240 lbs/day
MEMBRANE SEPARATION
McCabe, Smith, Harriot 5ed Ex. 26.4
A HOLLOW-FIBER PERMEATOR WITH DO = 300 MICRONS
and di = 200 microns gives a water flux of 10 gal/day-ft2 with
0.1 M NaCl solution at 20degC, and the salt rejection is 97
percent. Feed solution flows normal to the fibers at an
average superficial velocity of 0.5 cm/s. (a.) What is the
concentration polarization factor? (b.) Estimate the exit
velocity and the pressure drop within the fibers if the fiber
length is 3 m. (c.) What is the pressure drop if the fibers are
open at both ends?

a. Polarization factor = 1.20

b. Velocity = 0.425 m/s, delta P = 5.03 atm
c. deltaP at open ends = 1.26 atm
FLUID MECHANICS
Coulson and Richardson Vol I P8.20
CALCULATE THE POWER REQUIRED TO PUMP OIL of density
850 kg/m3 and viscosity 3 mN s/m2 at 4000 cm3/s through a
50 mm pipeline 100 m long, the outlet of which is 15 m higher
than the inlet. The efficiency of the pump is 50%. What effect
does the nature of the surface of the pipe have on the
resistance?

a. Power = 1.7 kW
b. Effect of rougher surface: increase in friction loss and
power required
FLUID MECHANICS
Coulson and Richardson Vol I P8.22
A PUMP DEVELOPING A PRESSURE OF 800 KN/M2 IS USED to
pump water through a 150 mm pipe 300 m long to a reservoir
60 m higher. With the valves fully open, the flowrate obtained
is 0.05 m3/s. As a result of corrosion and scaling the effective
absolute roughness of the pipe surface increases by a factor of
10. By what percentage is the flowrate reduced? Viscosity of
water = 1 mN s/m2.

a. Percent reduction = 30.1%

FLOW OF HEAT
Coulson and Richardson Vol I P9.56
WATER FLOWS AT 2 M/S THROUGH A 2.5 M LENGTH of a 25
mm diameter tube. If the tube is at 320 K and the water
enters and leaves at 293 and 295 K respectively, what is the
value of the heat transfer coefficient? How would the outlet
temperature change if the velocity was increased by 50%?

a. U = 1.612 kW/m2-K
b. T = 294.5K
FLOW OF HEAT
Coulson and Richardson Vol I P9.35
A 50 MM DIAMETER PIPE OF CIRCULAR CROSS-SECTION and
with walls 3 mm thick is covered with two concentric layers
of lagging, the inner layer having a thickness of 25 mm and a
thermal conductivity of 0.08 W/m K, and the outer layer a
thickness of 40 mm and a thermal conductivity of 0.04 W/m
K. What is the rate of heat loss per metre length of pipe if the
temperature inside the pipe is 550 K and the outside surface
temperature is 330 K?
a. Q = 62.7 W/m
FLOW OF HEAT
Coulson and Richardson Vol I P9.36
THE TEMPERATURE OF OIL LEAVING A CO-CURRENT FLOW
COOLER is to be reduced from 370 to 350 K by lengthening
the cooler. The oil and water flowrates, the inlet temperatures
and the other dimensions of the cooler will remain constant.
The water enters at 285 K and oil at 420 K. The water leaves
the original cooler at 310 K. If the original length is 1 m, what
must be the new length?

a. L = 1.86 m
DIFFUSION
Coulson and Richardson Vol I P10.11
AN OPEN BOWL, 0.3 M IN DIAMETER, CONTAINS WATER at
350 K evaporating into the atmosphere. If the air currents are
sufficiently strong to remove the water vapour as it is formed
and if the resistance to its mass transfer in air is equivalent to
that of a 1 mm layer for conditions of molecular diffusion,
what will be the rate of cooling due to evaporation? The water
can be considered as well mixed and the water equivalent of
the system is equal to 10 kg. The diffusivity of water vapour in
air may be taken as 0.20 cm2/s and the kilogram molecular
volume at NTP as 22.4 m3.
a. dT/dt = 0.026 K per second
FLUID MECHANICS
McCabe, Smith, Harriot 5ed Ex. 4.4
A PUMP DRAWS A SOLUTION OF SPECIFIC GRAVITY 1.84 from
a storage tank through a 3-in Sch 40 steel pipe. The efficiency
of the pump is 60 percent. The velocity in the suction line is 3
ft/s. The pump discharges through a 2-in Sch 40 pipe to an
overhead tank. The end of the discharge pipe is 50 ft above
the level of the solution in the feed tank. Friction losses in the
entire piping system are 10 ft-lbf/lb. What pressure must the
pump develop? What is the power of the pump?
a. P1-P2 = 47.9 lbf/in2 or 330 kN/m2
b. Power = 3.25 hp or 2.42 kW
FLUID MECHANICS
McCabe, Smith, Harriot 5ed Ex. 7.2
PARTICLES OF SPHALERITE (SPECIFIC GRAVITY 4.00) ARE
SETTLING under the force of gravity in carbon tetrachloride
(CCl4) at 20degC (specific gravity of 1.594). The diameter of
the sphalerite particles is 0.004 in. The volume fraction of
sphalerite in CCl4 is 0.20. What is the settling velocity of the
sphalerite?
a. Free settling v = 0.043 ft/s
b. Hindered settling v = 0.017 ft/s
DISTILLATION
McCabe, Smith, Harriot 5ed Ex. 18.8
A BATCH OF CRUDE PENTANE CONTAINS 15 MOL PERCENT N-
BUTANE and 85 percent n-pentane. If a simple batch
distillation at atmospheric pressure is used to remove 90
percent of the butane, how much pentane would be removed?
What would be the composition of the remaining liquid?

a. Pentane removed (basis 1 mol feed) = 0.41

b. Composition of remaining liquid x_C6H6 = 0.033