21CH54

USN

RV COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
(Autonomous Institution Affiliated to VTU)
V Semester B.E. APRIL -2024 Examinations
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
MODEL QUESTION PAPER
Mass Transfer I
(2021 SCHEME)

Time: 03 Hours Maximum Marks: 100

Instructions to candidates:
1. Answer all questions from Part A. Part A questions should be answered in first
three pages of the answer book only.
2. Answer FIVE full questions from Part B. In Part B question number 2 is
compulsory. Answer any one full question from 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8, and 9
and 10.

PART – A
1 1.1 Define Fick’s law of diffusion. 02
1.2 In the context of mass transfer, what does 'N' represent in N-type 02
fluxes?
1.3 02
What is diffusivity?
1.4 What factors govern the relationship between the individual and 02
overall mass transfer coefficients?

1.5 What causes the secondary nucleation in crystallization? 02

1.6 In a system with absolute humidity of 0.02 kg/kg, how much water 02
vapor is present in 10 kg of dry air?
1.7 What happens to the absolute humidity If the temperature of a system 02
increases while the amount of water vapor remains constant?
1.8 What is the primary driving force for drying in most industrial drying 02
operations?
1.9 List the stages involved in the drying process. 02
1.1 What type of adsorption does the Langmuir isotherm describe? 02
0

PART – B

UNIT I
2 a Explain the three theories of mass transfer. 8
b A large volume of pure O2 gas at atmospheric pressure is flowing over a 8
pool of liquid ethanol, which is evaporating. O2 is assumed to be insoluble
 in the liquid. The gas phase mass transfer coefficient of ethanol is
−5 2
k g=3 ×10 kmol / m ∙ s ∙ kPa . Assume vapour pressure of ethanol at 300 K is
12 kPa.

(i) Calculate k y , k c and k Y

(ii) If the diffusivity of ethanol at 300 K is 3 ×10−5 m2 / s, calculate the
thickness of the gas film.

UNIT – II
3 a Derive the relation for overall liquid phase mass transfer coefficient. 8
b FeS O4 .7 H 2 O crystals are produced in a Swenson Walker crystallizer by 8
cooling a saturated solution at 323 K to 303 K . Solubility at 323 K is 48.6 parts
FeS O4 per 100 parts of water and at 303 K is 32.9 parts FeS O4 per 100 parts of
water. The feed solution has an average specific heat of 2.93 kJ / kg . K . Heat of
solution/crystallization of FeS O4 .7 H 2 O at 303 K is 18.4 kJ / mol. How much
heat is evolved during the process per kg of FeS O4 .7 H 2 O crystals produced.
If the cooling water enters and leaves at 288 K∧293 K respectively, and overall
heat transfer coefficient is 140 W / m2 . K , How many crystallizers of 4m length
are required? Molecular weight of FeS O4 is 151.85 kg / kmol .
OR
4 a What is the yield of sodium acetate crystals C H 3 COONa ∙ 3 H 2 O obtainable 8

from a vacuum crystallizer operating at 1.33 kN / m2 when it is supplied with

0.56 kg / s of 40 % aqueous solution of the salt at 353K? The boiling point
elevation is 11.5K. Also, calculate the mass of the single product crystal if the
size of the crystal is 75 microns and the density is 1500 kg / m3.
Data: QC =144 kJ / kg trihydrate, C P=2.5 kJ / kg . K , λ=2.46 MJ / kg ,Boiling point
of waterat 1.33 kN / m2=290.7 K , H V =2.46 ×103 kJ / kg ,solubility of sodium
acetate at290.7 K=0.539 kg / kg water , ϕ v =0.5. Mol. wt of sodium acetate is
82 kg / kmol . Due to boiling point elevation,
( λ v )bpe =λ v ( kJ / kg ) +1.9 ×boiling point elevation( K ).
b Derive the relation for overall gas phase mass transfer coefficient. 8
 UNIT - III
5 a Define molal saturation humidity, absolute humidity at saturation, relative 10
saturation, specific enthalpy, and adiabatic saturation temperature.
b Air contains 0.015kg water vapor per cubic meter of the mixture at 303K and 6
101.3kPa. Determine:
a. The partial pressure of water vapor
b. The relative saturation
c. The absolute humidity of the air
d. The percent saturation
e. The temperature to which the mixture be heated so that its percent
saturation becomes 10%. The vapor pressure of water (in kPa) and
temperature in K is approximated by the Antoine equation as
v 3799.887
ln P =16.26205−
T −46.854
OR
6 a Air at 101.3 kPa and 328 K has a volume of 100 m3 and is 10% saturated with 8

water vapor. The vapor pressure of water at 328 K is 15.7 kPa and
λ 0=2502.3 kJ / kg .

Determine:

a. The humid volume of the sample

b. The humid heat

c. The amount of heat to be supplied to heat the given quantity of air to

370K
Specific enthalpy of air
b The vapor pressure of A varies with temperature as 8

v 2788.51
ln P =13.8858−
T −52.36
Specific heat of A (vapor) is 1.2 kJ / kg . K and that of dry air is 1.005 kJ / kgK .
The latent heat of vaporization of A at 300 K is 433 kJ /kg. Calculate and plot,

a. The saturation curve for the component A - air system at 101.3kPa, for
the temperature range of 280K to 320K with temperature increments of
10K.
The adiabatic cooling line for the adiabatic saturation temperature of 310K
 UNIT - IV
7 a Explain the different stages of a drying rate curve with the help of a plot. 8
b A wet solid is dried from 35% to 10% moisture under constant drying 8
conditions in 5 hours. The equilibrium moisture content is 4% and critical
moisture content is 14%. How long will it take to dry to 6% moisture under
the same drying conditions?
OR
8 a A solid is dried from 40% to 7% moisture. The critical moisture content is 10
15%. The equilibrium moisture content is 3%. All moistures are on wet basis.
Calculate the drying time. Initial height of the solid is 160kg. Drying surface
is 61m2/140kg dry solid. Rate of drying during constant rate period is
0.3 ×10 kg / m s .
−3 2

b Explain drying equilibria. 6

Unit - V
9 a Derive an expression for the amount of adsorbate adsorbed per gram of 8

adsorbent, according to Langmuir Isotherm.

b The data in the following table was collected on equilibrium adsorption of 8

nitrogen on an oxidation catalyst at 77.4 K , the normal boiling point of

nitrogen.
Partial
pressure
10 20 40 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 500
of N2 (mm
Hg)
Volume of
N2
adsorbed 71.3 142.2 287.7 679.4 1025 1053 1175 1316 1996 3451 5283
(cm3) per
100g solid
Determine the specific surface area of the catalyst by BET technique. For
nitrogen, pv =760 mm Hg @77.4 K ∧ρ=0.9 g / cc .
OR
1 a Acetone – air mixture, 2 m3 in volume measured at 300 K ,101.3 kPa is 8
0
brought into contact with 3.5kg activated carbon to adsorb acetone in a
single stage operation. The initial partial pressure of acetone in the gas is
 15 kPa. The equilibrium adsorption data is given in the following table.
kg acetone / kg carbon 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.35
Partial Pressure, Pa 0 267 1600 5600 12300
Determine the final partial pressure of the acetone in the gas and the
concentration of acetone on the adsorbent.
b Explain any two adsorption isotherms. 8

Q.P. Code: UG
Course Code: 21CH54
PART-A
Q. No 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10
BT 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 2
 COs 2 3 1 4 2 2 1 1 3 4

Q No 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20

BT
COs

PART-B
Question BT Cos Question BT Cos
No Levels addressed No Levels addressed
a 2 2 a 3 1
b 3 3 b 4 4
2 3
c c
d d
a 4 2 a 2 1
b 3 3 b 3 4
4 5
c c
d d
a 3 2 a 2 1
b 3 3 b 3 4
6 7
c c
d d
a 3 4 a 3 3
b 2 1 b 4 2
8 9
c c
d d
a 3 4 a
b 2 3 b
10 11
c c
d d

Signature of Scrutinizer: Signature of Chairman

Name: Name: