First Year

Mastery Subject Specification

A) Fluid Mechanics:
Fluid Mechanics is the study of fluid motion and of the forces that give rise to this motion. The
objectives of the Fluid Mechanics Mastery section are to be able to:
1. Describe fluid motion and distinguish between laminar and turbulent flow;
2. Choose a control volume for one dimensional flow; and be able to write down appropriate
conservation equations for mass, momentum and energy;
3. Write down Bernoullis equation and know the conditions under which it applies;
4. Solve one-dimensional flow problems involving the principles of conservation of mass
and momentum, and Bernoullis equation;
5. Know the relationship between pipe diameter D, flow rate Q and pressure drop p for
flow of an incompressible fluid in a straight pipe, and be able to solve for any one of D, Q
or p given the other two.
All of this represents material will be taught as part of the first-year Fluid Mechanics lecture
course. The purpose of this Mastery section is to ensure mastery of this material.
The Fluid Mechanics Mastery section will cover three main areas:
1. Description of fluid motion
2. Dynamics of steady fluid motion
3. Flow in pipes

B) Heat and Mass Transfer:

The Heat and Mass Transfer Mastery section will require knowledge of the following:
Conduction and diffusion (steady state only), which constitute the first two modules of the
lecture course.
Heat exchangers

C) Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics is the study of the interconversion of heat, work and other forms of energy.
The main objectives of the Thermodynamics Mastery section are to be able to:
1. Define the following fundamental quantities:
temperature T,
internal energy U,
heat Q,
enthalpy H,
work W,
entropy S;
2. Express each of the fundamental quantities in appropriate units;
3. Know when it is appropriate to use each of the fundamental quantities;
4. Know under what circumstances each of the fundamental quantities is constant and thus
be able to define the following processes:
isobaric,
adiabatic,
isochoric,
isenthalpic,
isothermal,
isentropic;
5. Define and hence distinguish:
closed (or batch) and steady-open (flow) systems,
reversible and irreversible processes;
6. Write down the first and second law of thermodynamics in terms of fundamental quantities;
7. Perform simple calculations involving each of the fundamental quantities making use of
mass, and energy balances.

D) Process Analysis:
The aims and objectives of Process Analysis Mastery section include the development of the
following skills:
1. To be able to quantitatively describe the behaviour of steady-state flow (single or multiphase) systems in terms of pressures, temperatures, flow rates and compositions;
2. To perform steady-state mass balances on an entire process or on subsets of that process
in order to calculate flow rates and compositions within that process system which may
include chemical reactions(s), simple separations(s), purge stream(s), recycle(s), and
similar complications;
3. To perform steady-state energy balances as in (2) above, given certain thermodynamic
simplifications.
Many aspects of the first half of the Process Analysis must be mastered before progressing to
more complex aspects of Chemical Engineering. Specifically:
1. Being able to perform total and component material balances on simple ideal, steadystate, flowing systems with one or several phases;
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2. Being confident with the use of units and not assume that, somehow, calculations will
always yield answers in consistent units;
3. Being able to carry out similar calculations which involve reaction, recycle and purge;
4. Being able to carry out the corresponding calculations involving energy balances;
5. Being able to apply these very simple concepts not only to chemical process plants, but
also to unfamiliar or exotic situations a space station, a sewage treatment works, a tree.
The mastery exercises in Process Analysis this year will consider:
1. Simple material balances and units;
2. More complex material balances;
3. Energy balances.

E) Separation Processes:
The Separation Processes Mastery section will require knowledge of the following:
1. McCabe-Thiele analysis of continuous binary distillation in plate columns including:
a. Ability to sketch the process flow diagram;
b. Derivation of the operating line equations;
c. Calculation of the minimum reflux ratio;
d. How to plot the feed line for different feed states;
e. Completion of the McCabe-Thiele diagram and graphical determination of the
number of theoretical stages.
2. Absorption/stripping of dilute solutions of a single solute in either plate or packed
columns including:
a. Ability to sketch the process flow diagrams for absorbers and strippers;
b. Derivation of the operating line equations;
c. Determination of the number of theoretical stages required by analytical means;
d. Calculation of the height of a gas-phase transfer unit in a packed column;
e. Calculation of the number of gas-phase transfer units in a packed column using the
log-mean mole fraction difference.

Chemical Engineering

First Year

Mastery Problem Sheet 5

Problem Description:
Zerg is a planet with a gravitational acceleration of 1 m/s2 aligned such that one half always
faces the nearest star and is thus always hot; the other half is always cold. There is a large natural
lake holding liquid ammonia at a temperature of 239 K on the cold side of Zerg. The lake is
situated in an environmentally sensitive area so that extraction of the ammonia has to be
undertaken by aerial tankers flying over the surface of the lake at a height of 40 m (see Fig. 1,
overleaf). In order to collect the ammonia, each tanker lowers a special tube into the lake, 1 m
below the free surface. The inside wall of the tube is coated with polyslipene, a polymer based
on boron chains which permits friction to be neglected.
Once the tube is in position, ammonia is drawn up the tube and into a well-insulated tank by the
forward motion of the tanker without any need for pumping (which might be unsafe). The tank is
initially full of atmospheric hydrogen at 5.0 bar and 239 K; this is displaced through a vent to the
atmosphere by the incoming liquid ammonia. The maximum depth of ammonia in the tank (the
base of which forms the bottom of the tanker) is 10 m.

Figure 1. Schematic of the ammonia extraction process

The tankers transport the liquid ammonia to a research station on the hot side of Zerg. Before
delivering their load, the pressure of the ammonia is reduced from the holding tank pressure of
5.0 bar to the station ambient pressure of 1.0 bar by passing the ammonia through an insulated
line to a choke valve. The ammonia is then evaporated to saturated gas by a steam heater using
saturated steam at 0.5 bar which is condensed to saturated water. The overall heat transfer
coefficient in the evaporator is 3 kW m2 K-1. The ammonia is finally mixed with dichlorodifluoro-methane to form an equimolar mixture for use as a refrigerant on space rockets which
are launched from the research station. There is a requirement for 2500 kg/day of refrigerant.

1. Estimate the minimum speed at which a tanker must fly over the ammonia lake to fill its
tank.
2. Estimate the mass flow rates of ammonia and dichloro-difluoro-methane required to form the
refrigerant for the space rockets.
3. Estimate the temperature of the ammonia downstream of the choke valve where it is
introduced from a tanker into the research station.
4. Estimate the boiling temperature of the ammonia downstream of the choke valve.
5. Estimate the mass flow rate of steam required to evaporate ammonia.
6. Estimate the area required for heat transfer in the steam-heated ammonia evaporator.