ChE 101 LE 4 Practice Problems

1. Water enters a boiler at 18.33 oC and 137.9 kPa through a pipe at an average velocity of 1.52 m/s.
exit steam at a height of 15.2 m above the liquid inlet leaves at 137.9 kPa, 148.9 oC and 9.14 m/s in
the outlet line. How much heat must be added per kg mass of steam? [2.7 MJ/kg]

2. Water with a density of 998 kg/m3 is flowing at a steady mass flow rate through a uniform diameter
pipe. The entrance pressure of the fluid is 68.9 kN/m 2 in the pipe, which connects to a pump which
actually supplies 155.4 J/kg of fluid flowing in the pipe. The exit pipe from the pump is the same
diameter as the inlet pipe. The exit section of the pipe is 3.05 m higher than the entrance, and the
exit pressure is 137.8 kN/m2. Calculate the frictional loss in the pipe system. [56.5 J/kg]

3. A pump draws 69.1 gpm (gallon per minute) of a liquid solution ( = 114.8 lbm/ft3) from an open
storage feed tank of large cross-sectional area through a 3.068-in ID suction line. The pump
discharges its flow through a 2.067-in ID line to an open overhead tank. The end of the discharge
line is 50 ft above the level of the liquid in the feed tank. The friction losses in the piping system
are 10.0 ft-lbf/lbm. What is the horsepower of the pump if its efficiency is 65%? What pressure must
the pump develop? [48 psi]

4. A double-effect evaporator (two evaporators in series) is used to produce fresh water from seawater
(brine) containing 3.5wt% salts. Brine enters the first effect at 300K at a rate of 5000 kg/h, and
saturated steam at 4 bar is fed to heat the first effect. This steam condenses isobarically in coils
immersed in the brine, and is withdrawn at the saturation temperature. The heat provided by the
condensation evaporates water from the brine at the evaporator pressure of 0.6 bar.
The brine exiting the first effect, which contains 5.5 wt% salts, is fed to the second effect where the
pressure is 0.2 bar. The second effect is heated by the steam generated in the first effect which
condenses to a saturated liquid at constant pressure. The steam and condensate generated from
the second effect constitute the fresh water produced in the process.

Assume that the brine solutions have the same physical properties
as that of water, and that the operation is done adiabatically.
a. What is the steam economy (mass fresh water produced per mass
steam fed) of the process? [1.481]
b. What is the salt concentration (wt%) in the final brine solution?
[13.8%]
c. If a single evaporator operating at 0.2 bar is used, how much steam
should be fed to obtain the same amounts of products? [4426 kg/h]

5. Hundred kilograms per hour of a saturated steam at 1 bar is mixed with superheated steam
available at 400C and 1 bar to produce superheated steam at 300C and 1 bar. Calculate the
amount of superheated steam produced at 300C. [295 kg/h]

6. For healthy air quality, it is recommended that a 200-m 2 house have an air exchange rate of 60.0 ft 3
bone-dry air/min with the outside. It is also suggested that the relative humidity in the house be
65%. Suppose the outside air is at 30F and a relative humidity of 40%. If this air is brought into the
house and heated to 75F without addition of water, what is the relative humidity? If you desire to
maintain a relative humidity of 65%, how much water must be added to the air inside the house?
[24.3 g/min]

7. Benzene gas at 1 atm and 77 oF is burned with 95 percent theoretical air that enters the combustion
chamber at 77oF and 1 atm. All of the benzene is combusted but part of the carbon burns to CO.
Heat is lost to the surroundings at 77 oF, and the products leave the combustion chamber at 1 atm
and 1500oR. Determine (a) the composition of the flue gases, and (b) the heat transfer from the
combustion chamber. [9.84e5 Btu/lbmol]

8. Your chemist-turned-businessman friend wishes to build a plant for making activated carbon for
his/her new cosmetic product. Activation of carbon is achieved by contacting charcoal with steam at
1600oF. Since it is impractical to heat steam in a boiler to such a temperature, it is proposed to use a
steam-rich mixture of gases at 1600 oF instead. The flue gases are produced by combustion of fuel
oil with a higher heating value of 18,800 Btu/lb m at 75oF, and an empirical formula of CH1.6. A
theoretical amount of dry air is used and complete combustion is attained. The activating gases will
be formed by cooling the products of combustion from flame temperature to 1600 oF by addition of
superheated steam (1 atm, 600oF). Heat losses to the surroundings are relatively small. Air and fuel
are supplied at 75oF. What will be the composition of the activating gases? [4.3% CO2, 22.7% N2]