CHE CALCULATIONS
A
HIMMELBLAU SUPPLEMENTARY PROBLEMS
Problem 1.7 A Gypsum (plaster of Paris :
CaSO4 . 2H2O) is produced by the reaction
of calcium carbonate and sulfuric acid. A
certain lime stone analyzes: CaCO3 96.89 %;
MgCO3 1.41 %; inerts 1.70 %. For 5 metric
tons of limestone reacted completely,
determine: a. kg of anhydrous gypsum
(CaSO4) produced. b. kg of sulfuric acid
solution (98 wt%) required. c. kg of carbon
dioxide produced. (MW : CaCO3 100.1; MgCO3
84.32; H2SO4 98; CaSO4 136; MgSO4 120; H2O
18; CO2 44)
Problem 1.7 B The synthesis of ammonia
proceeds according to the following
reaction N2 + 3 H2 -----> 2 NH3 In a given
plant, 4202 lb of nitrogen and 1046 lb of
hydrogen are fed to the synthesis reactor
per hour. Production of pure ammonia from
this reactor is 3060 lb per hour. a. What
is the limiting reactant. b. What is the
percent excess reactant. c. What is the
percent conversion obtained (based on the
limiting reactant).
Problem 1.7 C Five pounds of bismuth (MW =
209) is heated along with one pound of
sulfur to form Bi2S3 (MW = 514). At the end
of the reaction, the mass is extracted and
the free sulfur recovered is 5 % of the
reaction mass. Determine a. the limiting
reactant. b. the percent excess reactant. 2
Bi + 3 S -----> Bi2S3 c. the percent
conversion of sulfur to Bi2S3.
Problem 3.2B A continuous still is to be
used to separate acetic acid, water, and
benzene from each other. On a trial run,
the calculated data were as shown in the
figure. Data recording the benzene
composition of the feed were not taken
because of an instrument defect. The
problem is to calculate the benzene flow in
the feed per hour. How many independent
material balance equations can be
formulated for this problem? How many
variables whose values are unknown exist in
the problem?
Problem 3.6 B A contact sulfuric acid plant
produces 98.0 % sulfuric acid, by absorbing
SO3 into a 97.3 % sulfuric acid solution.
gas containing 8.00 % SO3 (remainder
inerts) enters the SO3 absorption tower at
the rate of 28 lb mol per hour. 98.5 % of
the SO3 is absorbed in this tower. 97.3 %
sulfuric acid is introduced into the top of
the tower and 95.9 % sulfuric acid from
another part of the process is used as make
- up acid. The flow sheet is given in the
figure with all of the known data on it.
Calculate the a. Tons/day of 95.9 % H2SO4
make-up acid solution required. b. Tons/day
of 97.3 % H2SO4 solution introduced into
the top of the tower. c. Tons/day of 98 %
H2SO4 solution produced.
Problem 3.6 C TiCl4 can be formed by
reacting titanium dioxide (TiO2) with
hydrochloric acid. TiO2 is available as an
ore containing 78 % TiO2 and 22 % inerts.
The HCl is available as 45 wt% solution
(the balance is water). The per pass
conversion of TiO2 is 75 %. The HCl is fed
into the reactor in 20 % excess based on
the reaction. Pure unreacted TiO2 is
recycled back to mix with the TiO2 feed.
TiO2 + 4 HCl -----> TiCl4 + 2H2O For 1 kg
of TiCl4 produced, determine: a. the kg of
TiO2 ore fed. b. the kg of 45 wt % HCl
solution fed. c. the ratio of recycle
stream to fresh TiO2 ore (in kg). (MW :
TiO2 79.9; HCl 36.47; TiCl4 189.7)
Problem 3.6 E Perchloric acid (HClO4) can
be prepared as shown in the diagram below
from Ba(ClO4)2 and HClO4. Sulfuric acid is
supplied in 20% excess to react with
Ba(ClO4)2. If 17,400 lb HClO4 leave the
separator and the recycle is 6125 lb
Ba(ClO4)2 over the time period, calculate :
a. The overall conversion of Ba(ClO4)2. b.
The lb of HClO4 leaving the separator per
lb of feed. c. The lb of H2SO4 entering the
reactor. d. The per pass conversion of
Ba(ClO4)2. Note : 20 % H2SO4 is based on
the total Ba(ClO4)2 entering the reactor.
Ba(ClO4)2 + H2SO4 ------> BaSO4 + 2HClO4
MW: Ba(ClO4)2 336; BaSO4 233; H2SO4 98;
HClO4 100.5
Problem 4.6A A gas mixture contains 0.0083
g mol of water vapor per g mol of dry CH4
at a temperature of 27˚C and a total
pressure of 200 kPa. Calculate the: a.
percent relative saturation of the mixture.
b. percent saturation of the mixture c.
temperature to which the mixture must be
heated at 200 kPa in order that the
relative saturation will be 0.20.
Problem 4.6B A gas at 200˚F and 30 in Hg
abs. has a molal humidity of 0.10.
Calculate: a. the percentage humidity b.
the relative humidity c. the dew point of
the gas (˚F)
Problem 4.7A Air saturated with water vapor
at 80˚F and 745.0 mm Hg abs. is passed
through an air compressor and then stored
in a tank at 25.0 psig and 80˚F. What
percentage of the water originally in the
air was removed during the processing?
Problem 4.7B Toluene is evaporated into dry
air. The resulting mixture at 40˚C and a
pressure of 101.3 kPa has a percentage
saturation of 50%. It is desired to
condense 80% of the toluene in the mixture
by a process of cooling and compressing. If
the temperature is reduced to 5˚C,
determine the pressure to which gas must be
compressed.
HIMMELBLAU
FELDER
Example 4.2-2 Material Balances on a
Continuous Distillation Process One
thousand kilograms per hour of a mixture of
benzene (B) and toluene (T) containing 50%
benzene by mass is separated by
distillation into two fractions. The mass
flow rate of benzene in the top stream is
450 kg B/h and that of toluene in the
bottom stream is 475 kg T/h. The operation
is at steady state. Write balances on
benzene and toluene to calculate the
unknown component flow rates in the output
streams.
EXAMPLE 4.2-4 Air is bubbled through a tank
of liquid hexane at a rate of 0.100
kmol/min. The gas stream leaving the tank
contains 10.0 mole% hexane vapor. Air may
be considered insoluble in liquid hexane.
Use an integral balance to estimate the
time required to vaporize 10:0 m3 of the
liquid.
EXAMPLE 4.3-1 An experiment on the growth
rate of certain organisms (e.g., yeasts,
bacteria, or viruses) requires an
environment of humid air enriched in
oxygen. Three input streams are fed into an
evaporation chamber to produce an output
stream with the desired composition. A:
Liquid water, fed at a rate of 20:0 cm3
/min B: Air (21 mole% O2, the balance N2)
C: Pure oxygen, with a molar flow rate one-
fifth of the molar flow rate of stream B
The output gas is analyzed and is found to
contain 1.5 mole% water. Draw and label a
flowchart of the process, and calculate all
unknown stream variables.
EXAMPLE 4.3-3 An aqueous solution of sodium
hydroxide contains 20.0% NaOH by mass. It
is desired to produce an 8.0% NaOH solution
by diluting a stream of the 20% solution
with a stream of pure water. Calculate the
ratios (liters H2O/kg feed solution) and
(kg product solution/kg feed solution).
EXAMPLE 4.3-5 A liquid mixture containing
45.0% benzene (B) and 55.0% toluene (T) by
mass is fed to a distillation column. A
product stream leaving the top of the
column (the overhead product) contains 95.0
mole% B, and a bottom product stream
contains 8.0% of the benzene fed to the
column (meaning that 92% of the benzene
leaves with the overhead product). The
volumetric flow rate of the feed stream is
2000 L/h and the specific gravity of the
feed mixture is 0.872. Determine the mass
flow rate of the overhead product stream
and the mass flow rate and composition
(mass fractions) of the bottom product
stream (a) solving the equations manually, SEPARATION PROCESS
and (b) using an equation-solving program
Leaching
EXAMPLE 4.5-1 Fresh air containing 4.00
mole% water vapor is to be cooled and PROBLEM 10.4
dehumidified to a water content of 1.70
mole% H2O. A stream of fresh air is Soda ash is mixed with lime and the liquor
combined with a recycle stream of from the second of three thickeners and
previously dehumidified air and passed passed to the first thickener where
through the cooler. The blended stream separation is effected. The quantity of
entering the unit contains 2.30 mole% H2O. this caustic solution leaving the first
In the air conditioner, some of the water thickener is such as to yield 10 Mg of
in the feed stream is condensed and removed caustic soda per day of 24 hours. The
as liquid. A fraction of the dehumidified solution contains 95 kg of caustic
air leaving the cooler is recycled and the soda/1000 kg of water, whilst the sludge
remainder is delivered to a room. Taking leaving each of the thickeners consists of
100 mol of dehumidified air delivered to one part of solids to one of liquid.
the room as a basis of calculation,
calculate the moles of fresh feed, moles of Determine:
water condensed, and moles of dehumidified
(a) the mass of solids in the sludge,
air recycled (a) manually, and (b) using
Excel’s Solver. (b) the mass of water admitted to the third
thickener and
EXAMPLE 4-6.1 Acrylonitrile is an
intermediate used in the production of a (c) the percentages of caustic soda in the
number of polymers, including nylon (after sludges leaving the respective thickeners.
conversion to hexamethylenediamine),
acrylic fibers, and elastomers. It is used ANSWER: a) 13.7 Mg/day
in the manufacture of many polymers
including acrylonitrile butadiene styrene b) 129 Mg/day
(ABS), a polymer used to make toys, pipes,
musical instruments, and auto parts. The c) thickener 1 = 4.34%
primary means of synthesizing acrylonitrile
is ammoxidation of propylene: C3H6 ‡ NH3 ‡ thickener 2 = 0.47%
3 2 O2 ! C3H3N ‡ 3H2O The feed to a
propylene ammoxidation process contains thickener 3 = 0.05%
10.0 mole% propylene, 12.0% ammonia, and
78.0% air. A fractional conversion of 30.0% DISTILLATION
of the limiting reactant is achieved.
Taking 100 mol of feed as a basis, PROBLEM 11.3
determine which reactant is limiting, the
A mixture of water and ethyl alcohol
percentage by which each of the other
containing 0.16 mole fraction alcohol is
reactants is in excess, and the molar
continuously distilled in a plate
amounts of all product gas constituents for
fractionating column to give a product
a 30% conversion of the limiting reactant.
containing 0.77 mole fraction alcohol and a
EXAMPLE 4.8 2 One hundred mol/h of butane waste of 0.02 mole fraction alcohol. It is
(C4H10) and 5000 mol/h of air are fed to a proposed to withdraw 25 per cent of the
combustion reactor. Calculate the percent alcohol in the entering stream as a side
excess air. stream containing 0.50 mole fraction of
alcohol. Determine the number of
EXAMPLE 4. 8.3 One hundred mol/h of butane theoretical plates required and the plate
(C4H10) and 5000 mol/h of air are fed to a from which the side stream should be
combustion reactor. Calculate the percent withdrawn if the feed is liquor at its
excess air. boiling point and a reflux ratio of 2 is
used.
EXAMPLE 4.8.4 A hydrocarbon gas is burned
with air. The dry-basis product gas ANSWER: 8 plates
composition is 1.5 mole% CO, 6.0% CO2, 8.2%
O2, and 84.3% N2. There is no atomic oxygen fourth plate from the top
in the fuel. Calculate the ratio of
PROBLEM 11.18
hydrogen to carbon in the fuel gas and
speculate on what the fuel might be. Then It is desired to separate 1 kg/s of an
calculate the percent excess air fed to the ammonia solution containing 30 per cent NH3
reactor by mass into 99.5 per cent liquid NH3 and a
residual weak solution containing 10 per Determine the overall transfer coefficient
cent NH3. Assuming the feed to be at its and the height of the transfer unit.
boiling point, a column pressure of 1013
kN/m2, a plate efficiency of 60 per cent ANSWER: Kba= 7.66 × 10−4 kmol/sm3 (kmol/m3)
and that an 8 per cent excess over the
minimum reflux requirements is used, how HOB = 1.618 m
many plates must be used in the column and
how much heat is removed in the condenser
and added in the boiler?

ANSWER: The heat input to boiler = 617 kW

The condenser duty = 372 kW

LIQUID-LIQUID EXTRACTION

PROBLEM 13.3

Propionic acid is extracted with water from

a dilute solution in benzene, by bubbling
the benzene phase into the bottom of a
tower to which water is fed at the top. The
tower is 1.2 m high and 0.14 m2 in area,
the drop volume is 0.12 cm3, and the
velocity of rise is 12 cm/s. From
laboratory tests the value of Kw during the
formation of drops is 7.6 × 10−5 kmol/sm2
(kmol/m3) and for rising drops Kw = 4.2 ×
10−5 kmol/sm2 (kmol/m3). What is the value
of Kwa for the tower in kmol/sm3 (kmol/m3)?

ANSWER: Kwa= 2.47Q kmol/sm3(kmol/m3)

PROBLEM 13.5

A solution of 5 per cent acetaldehyde in

toluene is to be extracted with water in a
five stage co-current unit. If 25 kg
water/100 kg feed is used, what is the mass
of acetaldehyde extracted and the final
concentration? The equilibrium relation is
given by:

(kg acetaldehyde/kg water) = 2.20 (kg

acetaldehyde/kg toluene)

ANSWER: concentration= 0.536 per cent

mass of acetaldehyde extracted =

4.489 kg/100 kg feed

PROBLEM 13.7

In the extraction of acetic acid from an

aqueous solution with benzene a packed
column of height 1.4 m and cross-sectional
area 0.0045 m2, the concentrations measured
at the inlet and the outlet of the column
are: acid concentration in the inlet water
phase, CW2 = 0.69 kmol/m3. acid
concentration in the outlet water phase,
CW1 = 0.684 kmol/m3. flowrate of benzene
phase = 5.6 × 10−6 m3/s = 1.24 × 10−3
m3/m2s. inlet benzene phase concentration,
CB1 = 0.0040 kmol/m3. outlet benzene phase
concentration, CB2 = 0.0115 kmol/m3.