Questions and Answers of Chemical Engineering Design

The production of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) is described in Appendix F, problem F.3. A preliminary design has been made for a plant to produce 10,000 metric tons per year. The major equipment items
In the manufacture of aniline by the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene, the off gases from the reactor are cooled and the products and unreacted nitrobenzene condensed in a shell and tube exchanger. A
In a process for the manufacture of acetone, acetone is separated from acetic acid by distillation. The feed to the column is 60 mol per cent acetone, the balance acetic acid. The column is to
A condenser is required to condense n-propanol vapour leaving the top of a distillation column. The n-propanol is essentially pure,and is a saturated vapour at a pressure of 2.1 bara. The condensate
Acrolein (H2C=CHCHO) is made by selective oxidation of propylene at 2 bar, 350°C using a molybdenum, iron and bismuth catalyst on a silica support. The reactor yields based on propylene are 85%
Styrene can be made by catalytic dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene. The reaction is usually carried out in the presence of steam, which acts as a heat carrier and reduces coking on the catalyst. If a
A 100-litre fed-batch fermenter was successfully operated for 200 h using an aeration rate of 14 l/s and a 5 W agitator. It is proposed to scale the fermentation up to 10,000 litres. What agitator
Isophthalic acid (IPA, formula HOOC-C6H4-COOH) is made by oxidation of m-xylene with air. The reaction is carried out in acetic acid solvent at about 200 °C using a cobalt-manganese catalyst
Acetylene is formed as a byproduct in the manufacture of ethylene. It is removed by selective hydrogenation using noble metal catalysts (see, for example, US 7,453,017). A particular catalyst
The adipic acid plant described in Examples 6.11 and 6.12 is to be built in China, with a location factor of 0.85. Up to 45% of the total investment can be secured as a low-cost loan at an interest
It is proposed to sterilize the growth medium fed to a continuous bioreactor either by holding it at 120 °C for 15 minutes or at 140 °C for 3 minutes. The feed must contain 12 mg/l of vitamin C and
A tanker carrying toluene is unloaded, using the ship’s pumps, to an on-shore storage tank. The pipeline is 225 mm internal diameter and 900 m long. Miscellaneous losses due to fittings, valves,
A pipeline connecting two tanks contains four standard elbows, a globe valve that is fully open and a gate valve that is half open. The line is commercial steel pipe, 25 mm internal diameter, length
A stream containing 4 metric tons/h of a 20 wt% mixture of benzene in toluene is heated from 20 °C to the bubble point at 4 atm pressure. The mixture is separated in a distillation column to give
Optimize the heat exchanger design of Example 4.5 to minimize the total surface area required.Data from example 4.5A mixture of 100 kmol/h of 80 mol% benzene and 20 mol% ethylene at 40 °C and 100
Example 4.1 examined the equilibrium distribution of hydrocarbon compounds within a single carbon number (C5). In reality, cracking reactions to ethylene, propylene and other light alkenes and
A gas produced as a by-product from the carbonization of coal has the following composition, mole per cent: carbon dioxide 4, carbon monoxide 15, hydrogen 50, methane 12, ethane 2, ethylene 4,
At what value of the minimum approach temperature does the problem in Example 3.16 become a threshold problem? Design a heat-exchanger network for the resulting threshold problem. What insights does
In the batch preparation of an aqueous solution, the water is first heated to 80°C in a jacketed, agitated vessel; 1000 Imp. gal. (4545 kg) is heated from 15°C. If the jacket area is 300 ft2 (27.9
The typical vent-gas analysis from the recycle stream in an oxhydrochlorination process for the production of dichloroethane (DCE) (British patent BP 1,524,449) is given below, percentages on volume
Water and ethanol form a low boiling point azeotrope; hence, water cannot be completely separated from ethanol by conventional distillation. To produce absolute (100%) ethanol, it is necessary to add
A mixture of 100 kmol/h of 80 mol% benzene and 20 mol% ethylene at 40°C and 100 kPa is fed to a feed-effluent exchanger, where it is heated to 300 °C and fed to a reactor. The reaction of ethylene
A gas turbine engine is fuelled with 3000 kg/hr of methane at 15°C and 1000 kPa, and supplied with ambient air at 15 °C. The air and fuel are compressed to 2900 kPa and fed to a combustor. The air
In the problem of Example 4.1, the feed was specified as pentane (C5H12) with a hydrogen to carbon ratio of 2.4:1. If the feed to the process were a heavy oil, the hydrogen to carbon ratio would be
A process liquid is pumped from a storage tank to a distillation column, using a centrifugal pump. The pipeline is 80 mm internal diameter commercial steel pipe, 100 m long. Miscellaneous losses are
Revisiting Problem 5.4, suppose the flow was controlled using a plug-disk globe valve and the initial design in the example assumed that the valve is fully open. What range of flow rates can be
Liquid chlorine is unloaded from rail tankers into a storage vessel. To provide the necessary NPSH, the transfer pump is placed in a pit below ground level. Given the following information, calculate
Estimate the safe working pressure for a 4 in. (100 mm) dia., schedule 40 pipe, SA53 carbon steel, butt welded, working temperature 100°C. The maximum allowable stress for butt welded steel pipe up
Estimate the shaft work required to pump 65 gal/min of sugar solution in water (specific gravity = 1.05) if the pump inlet pressure is 25 psig and the outlet pressure required is 155 psig.
Estimate the optimum pipe diameter for a water flow rate of 10 kg/s, at 20°C. Carbon steel pipe will be used. Density of water 1000 kg/m3.
In a detergent making process, 1400 gal/hr of water flows through a 2-inch pipe system as follows:Exit from pump, 2 ft vertical, open gate valve, 14 ft vertical, 90° bend, 12 ft horizontal, ¼ open
Devise a control system for the distillation column described in Chapter 11, Example 11.2 The flow to the column comes from a storage tank. The product, acetone, is sent to storage and the waste to
A polymer is produced by the emulsion polymerization of acrylonitrile and methyl methacrylate in a stirred vessel. The monomers and an aqueous solution of catalyst are fed to the polymerization
The process for making cyclohexane by saturation of benzene consists of a feed-effluent heat exchanger, a saturation reactor and a product stabilizer column. Estimate the cost of a plant that
The process used in the manufacture of aniline from nitrobenzene is described in Appendix F, design problem F.8. The process involves six significant stages:Vaporization of the
A plant modification has been proposed that will allow recovery of a by-product. The modification consists of adding the following equipment: Distillation column, height 30m, diameter 3m, 50 sieve
A reactor vessel cost $365,000 in June 1998; estimate the cost in January 2010.
The purchased cost of a shell and tube heat exchanger, carbon shell, 316 stainless steel tubes, heat transfer area 500 m2 , was $64,000 in January 2003; estimate the cost in January 2018. Use the
The cost of a distillation column was €225,000 in early 1998; estimate the cost in January 2011.
The cost of constructing a 30,000 metric tons per year (30 kMTA) acrolein plant was estimated as $80 million ($80 MM) on a 2006 U.S. Gulf Coast basis. What would be the cost in Euros and in U.S.
Estimate the cost of a waste heat boiler designed to produce 4,000 lb/h of steam. The exchanger area has been estimated as 1300 ft2.
A site has steam levels at 40 bar, 20 bar and 6 bar. The price of fuel is £4/GJ and electricity costs £0.05/kWh. If the boiler efficiency is 0.8 and the steam turbine efficiency is 0.85, suggest
Estimate the power required to compress 5000 kmol/h of HCl at 5 bar, 15°C, to 15 bar.
Estimate the power required to compress 1000 m3 /h air from ambient conditions to 700 kN/m2 gauge, using a two-stage reciprocating compressor with an intercooler.
Ethanol can be produced by fermentation of sugars and is used as a gasoline blending component. Because the sugars can be derived from biomass, ethanol is potentially a renewable fuel. In the
Estimate the optimum pipe diameter for a flow of HCl of 7000 kg/h at 5 bar, 15°C, stainless steel pipe. Molar volume 22.4 m3 /kmol, at 1 bar, 0°C.
Calculate the line size and specify the pump required for the line shown in Figure 5.20; material ortho-dichlorobenzene (ODCB), flow-rate 10,000 kg/h, temperature 20°C, pipe material carbon
Balance with no chemical reaction. Estimate the steam and the cooling water required for the distillation column shown in the figure. Steam is available at 25 psig (274 kN/m2 abs), dry saturated. The
Calculate the specific enthalpy of water at a pressure of 1 bar and temperature of 200°C. Check your value using steam tables. The specific heat capacity of water can be calculated from the
The ideal state heat capacity of ethylene is given by the equation: Estimate the value at 10 bar and 300 K. C = 3.95 +15.6 x 10-2T-8.3 × 10-5T² +17.6 x 10-T³ J/mol K
Aniline is produced by the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene. The reaction takes place in a fluidized bed reactor operating at 270°C and 20 bar. The excess heat of reaction is removed by a heat transfer
A solution of NaOH in water is prepared by diluting a concentrated solution in an agitated, jacketed, vessel. The strength of the concentrated solution is 50 per cent w/w and 2500 kg of 5 per cent
Calculate the maximum temperature reached when liquid ammonia at 40°C is dissolved in water at 20°C to form a 10 percent solution.
Hydrogen chloride is produced by burning chlorine with an excess of hydrogen. The reaction is highly exothermic and reaches equilibrium very rapidly. The equilibrium mixture contains approximately 4
Calculate the standard heat of the following reaction, given the enthalpies of formation: Standard enthalpies of formation kJ/mol 4NH3(g) +50₂(g) →4NO(g) + 6H₂O(g)
Hydrogen chloride gas, produced by burning chlorine with hydrogen, is required at a supply pressure of 600 kN/m2, gauge. The pressure can be achieved by either operating the burner under pressure or
Estimate the work required to compress ethylene from 32 MPa to 250 MPa in a two-stage reciprocating compressor where the gas is initially at 30°C and leaves the intercooler at 30°C.
The diagram shows the main steps in a process for producing a polymer. From the following data, calculate the stream flows for a production rate of 10,000 kg/h. Filter wash water approx. 1 kg/1 kg
If nitration acid is made up using oleum in place of the 98% sulphuric acid, there will be four distinct chemical species: sulphuric acid, sulphur trioxide, nitric acid and water. The sulphur
11-[N-ethoxycarbonyl-4-piperidylidene]-8-chloro-6,11-dihydro-5H-benzo-[5,6]-cyclohepta-[1,2- b]-pyridine (C22H23ClN2O2) is a non-sedative antihistamine, known as Loratadine and marketed as
In a test on a furnace fired with natural gas (composition 95% methane, 5% nitrogen), the following flue gas analysis was obtained: carbon dioxide 9.1%, carbon monoxide 0.2%, oxygen 4.6%, nitrogen
The block diagram shows the main steps in the balanced process for the production of vinyl chloride from ethylene. Each block represents a reactor and several other processing units. The main
In the chlorination of ethylene to produce dichloroethane (DCE), the conversion of ethylene is reported as 99.0%. If 94 mol of DCE are produced per 100 mol of ethylene reacted, calculate the
In the production of ethanol by the hydrolysis of ethylene, diethyl ether is produced as a by-product. A typical feed stream composition is: 55% ethylene, 5% inerts, 40% water; and product stream:
In the manufacture of vinyl chloride (VC) by the pyrolysis of dichloroethane (DCE), the reactor conversion is limited to 55% to reduce carbon formation, which fouls the reactor tubes. Calculate the
Optimize the design of a distillation column to separate 225 metric tons per hour of an equimolar mixture of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, paraxylene and orthoxylene with minimum total annualized
Estimate the optimum thickness of insulation for the roof of a house given the following information. The insulation will be installed flat on the attic floor. Overall heat transfer coefficient for
A catalytic process was designed to make 150,000 metric tons per year of product with a net profit of $0.25/lb of product. The catalyst for the process costs $10/lb and it takes two months to shut
A vaporizer is required to evaporate 10,000 kg/h of a process fluid, at 6 bar. The liquid is fed to the vaporizer at 20°C.The plant has a spare kettle reboiler available with the following
A horizontal, cylindrical tank, with hemispherical ends, is used to store liquid chlorine at 10 bar. The vessel is 4 m internal diameter and 20 m long. Estimate the minimum wall thickness required to
A fixed-bed reactor is to be designed for a hydrocracking process. The reactor will treat 320,000 lb/h of vacuum gas oil (specific gravity 0.85) in the presence of hydrogen at 650°F, 2000 psig, 1.0
A jacketed vessel is to be used as a reactor. The vessel has an internal diameter of 2 m and is fitted with a jacket over a straight section 1.5 m long. Both the vessel and jacket walls are 25 mm
A storage tank for concentrated nitric acid will be constructed from aluminum to resist corrosion. The tank is to have an inside diameter of 6 m and a height of 17 m. The maximum liquid level in the
Determine the pinch temperature and the minimum utility requirements for the process set out here. Take the minimum approach temperature as 15°C. Devise a heat exchanger network to achieve maximum
A toluene surge drum has capacity 500 gal and is normally operated 60% full at 100°F under 300 psig of hydrogen in the head space using a level controlled outflow. The normal flow rate into the
Determine the pinch temperature and the minimum utility requirements for the process set out here. Take the minimum approach temperature as 15°C. Devise a heat exchanger network to achieve maximum
Monochlorobenzene is produced by the reaction of benzene with chlorine. A mixture of monochlorobenzene and dichlorobenzene is produced, with a small amount of trichlorobenzene. Hydrogen chloride is
Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is used as an antiknock additive in gasoline. It is manufactured by the reaction of isobutene with methanol. The reaction is highly selective and practically any
A plant is required to produce 10,000 metric tons per year of anhydrous hydrogen chloride from chlorine and hydrogen. The hydrogen source is impure: 90 mol% hydrogen, balance nitrogen.The chlorine is
Ammonia is synthesized from hydrogen and nitrogen. The synthesis gas is usually produced from hydrocarbons. The most common raw materials are oil or natural gas, though coal and even peat can be
Select suitable valve types for the following applications: 1. Isolating a heat exchanger; 2. Manual control of the water flow into a tank used for making up batches of sodium hydroxide
Crude dichlorobenzene is pumped from a storage tank to a distillation column. The tank is blanketed with nitrogen and the pressure above the liquid surface is held constant at 0.1 bar gauge
A process fluid is pumped from the bottom of one distillation column to another, using a centrifugal pump. The line is standard commercial steel pipe 75 mm internal diameter. From the column to the
A liquid is contained in a reactor vessel at 115 bar absolute pressure. It is transferred to a storage vessel through a 50 mm internal diameter commercial steel pipe. The storage vessel is nitrogen
A shell and tube cooler in an aromatics complex cools 26,200 lb/h of naphtha (specific gravity 0.78, viscosity 0.007 cP). The cooler has 347 tubes, 16 ft long, 3/4 inch diameter. If the naphtha is on
Estimate the capital cost of a plant that produces 80,000 metric tons per year of caprolactam.
A reactor vessel cost $365,000 in June 1998; estimate the cost in January 2008.
The cost of a distillation column was $225,000 in early 1998; estimate the cost in January 2009.
Using the data on equipment costs given in this chapter or commercial cost-estimating software, estimate the cost of the following equipment:1. A shell and tube heat exchanger, heat transfer area 50
Compare the cost the following types of heat exchangers, each with a heat transfer area of 10 m2 . Take the construction material as carbon steel: 1. Shell and tube, fixed head; 2. Double-pipe.
Estimate the cost of the following items of equipment: 1. A packaged boiler to produce 20,000 kg/h of steam at 40 bar; 2. A centrifugal compressor, driver power 75 kW; 3. A plate and frame filter
A storage tank is purged continuously with a stream of nitrogen. The purge stream leaving the tank is saturated with the product stored in the tank. A major part of the product lost in the purge
A process heat recovery study identifies five potential modifications, none of which are mutually exclusive, with the costs and energy savings as follows: If fuel costs $6/MMBtu and the plant
An electronics company wants to fit a solvent recovery system on the vent gas from its circuit board manufacturing line. The solvent recovery system consists of a chiller, a knockout drum, and an
Make a rough estimate of the cost of steam per ton, produced from a packaged boiler. At 15 bar, 10,000 kg per hour of steam are required. Natural gas will be used as the fuel, calorific value 39
A plant is proposing to install a combined heat and power system to supply electrical power and process steam. Power is currently taken from a utility company, and steam is generated using onsite
A pipeline constructed of carbon steel failed after 3 years of operation. On examination it was found that the wall thickness had been reduced by corrosion to about half the original value. The
Choose a suitable material of construction for the following duties: 1. 98% w/w sulfuric acid at 708C; 2. 5% w/w sulfuric acid at 308C; 3. 30% w/w hydrochloric acid at 508C; 4. 5% aqueous sodium
Suggest suitable materials of construction for the following applications: 1. A 10,000 m3 storage tank for toluene; 2. A 5:0 m3 tank for storing a 30% w/w aqueous solution of sodium chloride; 3. A
Aniline is manufactured by the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene in a fluidized bed reactor. The reactor operates at 250°C and 20 bar. The reactor vessel is approximately 3 m diameter and 9 m high.

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