Chemical Engineering Calculations

Choose the best option.

1. The Reaumur temperature scale reads 0 °Reaumur at the freezing point of water and
80°Reamur at its boiling point. The temperature on this scale corresponding to absolute
zero is close to
A. -273 °Reaumur
B. -293 °Reaumur
C. -253 °Reaumur
D. -218 °Reaumur
E. -100 °Reaumur
2. A dryer is designed to evaporate a constant amount of water every hour. When the dryer
runs using 5 tons of feed per hour, a product weighing 3.4 tons and containing 11.6% water
was produced. If the product must not contain more than 4% water, calculate the amount
of feed required per hour.
A. 4.27 lb
B. 6.23 lb
C. 3.33 lb
D. 5.88 ln
E. none of these
Situation for questions 3 to 6
The feed to a distillation column consists of 10,000 lb/h of a liquid containing 45% benzene
and 55% toluene by mole, at 80°F. This is separated into a distillate of 99% by mole benzene
and a bottoms of 1.5% by mole benzene. The distillate is condensed at 179°F in the condenser.
After condensation, the liquid is cooled in the condenser to 170°F. The ΔH of condensation is
13,180 Btu/lbmole. The bottoms leave at 230°F. The ΔH of vaporization of the bottoms is
13,750 Btu/lbmole. The ratio of reflux returned to the column to the distillate removed is 8.1:1.
Heat is furnished by steam condensing at 270°F. Heat is removed by cooling water which rises
in temperature from 70 to 120°F. In the reboiler the vapor returned to the column is 3.64% by
mole benzene. The heat capacity of all the liquid streams may be assumed to be 38 Btu/lbmole-
°F.
3. Calculate the amount of distillate produced per hour.
A. 52.1 lbmol
B. 43.6 lbmol
C. 70.5 lbmol
D. 11.7 lbmol
E. None of these
4. The amount of top vapor entering the condenser per hour is
A. 422 lbmol

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Chemical Engineering Calculations
B. 474 lbmol
C. 485 lbmol
D. 350 lbmol
E. None of these
5. Determine the mass of the steam required per hour. ΔHvap = 931.8 Btu/lb.
A. 4,000 lb
B. 5,155 lb
C. 1,388 lb
D. 7,480 lb
E. None of these
6. The amount in pounds of cooling water (Cp = 1 BTU/lb-°F) required per hour is close to
A. 75,000 lb
B. 128,200 lb
C. 100,000 lb
D. 250,000 lb
7. A solution containing 23% by mass Na3PO4 is cooled from 313 K to 298 K in a Swenson-
Walker crystallizer to form Na3PO4.12H2O. The solubility of Na3PO4 at 298 K is 15.5
kg/100 kg water, and the required flow of crystals is 0.063 kg/s. The mean heat capacity of
the solution is 3.2 kJ/kg-K and the heat of crystallization is 146.5 kJ/kg. If cooling water
enters and leaves at 288 and 293 K, respectively, and the overall coefficient of heat transfer
is 0.14 kW/m2-K, what length of crystallizer a required. Typical area available is 1 m2/m.
A. 9.2 m
B. 7.1 m
C. 11.0 m
D. 11.3 m
E. 10.0 m
8. A sample of gas from a boiler stack has been found to have the following composition:
75.66% N2, 10.24% CO2, 8.27% H2O, 5.75% O2, and 0.0825% SO2. Oil is used as fuel in
the plant. Deduce the most probable classification of the fuel oil.
A. No. 1
B. No. 2
C. No. 4
D. Low sulfur No. 6
E. High sulfur No. 6
Situation for questions 9 to 11
In a process for concentrating 1000 kg fresh orange juice containing 12.5 solids, the juice
is strained, yielding 800 g of strained juice and 200 kg pulpy juice. The strained juice is
concentrated in a vacuum evaporator to give an evaporated juice of 58% solids. The 200
kg pulpy juice is bypassed around the evaporator and mixed with the evaporated juice in
a mixer to improve the flavor. This final concentrated juice contains 42% solids.

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Chemical Engineering Calculations
9. The amount of final concentrated juice in kilograms is closest to
A. 200 kg
B. 300 kg
C. 400 kg
D. 500 kg
E. 550 kg
10. Calculate the concentration of solids in the strained juice.
A. 5.0%
B. 6.5%
C. 7.1%
D. 10.0%
E. 10.8%
11. What is the concentration of solids in the bypass?
A. 25%
B. 34%
C. 27%
D. 38%
E. 40%
12. Formaldehyde (CH2O) is produced industrially by the catalytic oxidation of methanol
(CH3OH) by the following reaction:
CH3OH + 1/2O2 → CH2O + H2O
Unfortunately, under the conditions used to produce formaldehyde at a profitable rate, a
significant portion of the formaldehyde can react with oxygen to produce CO and H2O:
CH2O + 1/2O2 → CO + H2O
Assume that methanol and twice the stoichiometric amount of air needed for complete
oxidation of the CH3OH are fed to the reactor, that 90% conversion of the methanol results,
and that a 75% yield of formaldehyde occurs (based on the theoretical production of CH2O
by the first reaction). Determine the percentage of formaldehyde in the product gas.
A. 10.5%
B. 11.9%
C. 8.58%
D. 19.2%
E. None of these
13. One hundred moles of fuel with molar composition shown undergoes combustion with air.
H2S 6%
H2 5%
C3H8 57%
CO2 2%
C4H10 30%

Calculate the amount of required air in moles.

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Chemical Engineering Calculations
A. 2,340 moles
B. 1,890 moles
C. 4,440 moles
D. 4,120 moles
Situation for questions 14 to 15
When a hydrocarbon-based fuel is burned in air, the Orsat analysis of the flue gas is 10.2% CO2,
1.0% CO, 8.4% O2, and 80.4% N2.
14. What is the hydrogen-to-carbon ratio in the fuel?
A. 0.20
B. 0.40
C. 0.60
D. 0.80
E. 1.00
15. Calculate the percent excess air.
A. 20%
B. 30%
C. 40%
D. 50%
E. 60%
Situation for questions 16 to 17
The table below shows coal analysis and needs to be completed. The analyses were all made on
the same coal, which has been air-dried.
Ultimate Proximate Modified Ultimate
C 78% wt FC 65% wt C
H 6 Moisture 4 Moisture
O VCM Combined H2O
N 3 Ash Net H
S 2 N+S
Ash 4 Ash

16. Calculate the % volatile combustible matter in the coal.

A. 18%
B. 27%
C. 31%
D. 35%
E. 40%
17. The percentage of combined water in the coal is close to
A. 0.56%

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Chemical Engineering Calculations
B. 2.11%
C. 3.88%
D. 1.50%
E. 9.77%
18. Two hundred and fifty pounds per hour of 98% wt H2SO4 enters an absorption tower of a
contact sulfuric acid plant. If 20% oleum is produced in this tower, how many pounds per
hour of SO3 are absorbed?
A. 60 lb
B. 70 lb
C. 80 lb
D. 90 lb
E. 105 lb
Situation for questions 19 to 22
One hundred pounds per hour of pyrites containing 90% FeS2 and 10% gangue is charged to a
burner. Twenty percent excess air is to be used. The cinder contained gangue and Fe2O3 and no
sulfur, while the burner gas contains only SO2, N2, and O2. Ninety-eight percent of the SO2 is then
converted to SO3, and all the SO3 in the converter gas is absorbed by 80% H2SO4 solution. It is
desired to produce 100% H2SO4.
19. What is the percentage of SO2 in the burner gas?
A. 9.7%
B. 10.3%
C. 11.2%
D. 13.1%
E. None of these
20. What is the percentage of SO3 in the converter gas?
A. 6.8%
B. 9.9%
C. 7.2%
D. 1.3%
21. What is the percentage of SO2 in the absorber gas?
A. 0.01%
B. 0.11%
C. 0.22%
D. 0.28%
E. None of these
22. How many pounds of sulfuric acid is produced per 24-hour day?
A. 2,000 lb
B. 4,000 lb
C. 6,000 lb

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Chemical Engineering Calculations
D. 7,500 lb
E. 8,000 lb

Prepared by: Engr. Heherson Cabrera