Assignment Sheet I Date of Submission: 21/02/2021

Q1. Oxygen is diffusing through a staganant layer of methane 5 mm thick. The temperature is 0 oC and the
pressure of 1 atmosphere. Calculate the rate of diffusion of oxygen in kilograms per hour through 1 m 2
of methane film when the concentration change across the film is 15% to 5% oxygen by volume. The
value of diffusivity may be taken as 0.184 cm2/s. R = 82.06 cm3 atm/ g mol K.
Q2. A mixture of alcohol and water vapour is rectified by contact with alcohol-water liquid solution.
Alcohol is transferred from gas phase to liquid phase and water from liquid to gas phase. The model
flow rates are maintained equal but in opposite directions. The temperature 80 oC and pressure of 1
atmosphere are maintained constant. Both components diffuse through a gas film of 0.15 mm thick.
The molal concentration of alcohol on outer and inner sides of the film is 85% and 10% respectively.
Calculate (i) the rate of diffusion of alcohol, (ii) rate of diffusion of water in kg per hour through a film
area of one cm2. The diffusivity is 0.184 cm2/s.
Q3. A graduated cylinder (cross-sectional diameter of 0.01128 m) containing chloropicrin (CCl3NO2) is
placed in a hood. The hood has a blower system that continually circulates dry air at a constant
temperature (25°C) and pressure (atmospheric). Originally, the liquid surface is 0.0388 m from the top
of the cylinder. After one day the liquid level is 0.0412 m below the top.
If the vapor pressure and density, respectively, of chloropicrin are 3178.3 N/m2 and 1650 kg/m3,
estimate the substances diffusivity in air. Molecular weight of chloropicrin is 164.39.
Q4. A porous solid slab (50 percent void space) is soaked in ethanol. The slab is placed in a well-mixed
container of water at 25°C. The effective diffusivity of ethanol in water can be taken as 1 x 10-6
cm2/sec. Assume that the water and ethanol densities are essentially the same. If the concentration of
ethanol in the water is initially zero, find how long it will take the ethanol mass fraction at the slab
center to decrease to 0.009.
Q5. Water in the bottom of a narrow metal tube is held at constant temperature of 293 K. The total
pressure of air (assumed dry) is 1.01325 x 105 Pa (1.0 atm) and the temperature is 293 K. Water
evaporates and diffuses through the air in the tube and diffusion path z2 – z1 is 0.1524 m long shown
in figure. Calculate the rate of evaporation at steady state in kg mol/s m2. The diffusivity of water
vapor at 293 K and 1 atm pressure is 0.250 x 10-4 m2/s. Assume that the system is isothermal.

Q6. Find the mass transfer coefficient for absorption of carbon dioxide from air in a wetted wall column
(liquid is water). The gas stream moves at a velocity of 1 m/sec in the 0.05-m-diameter column.
Temperature and pressure for the system are, respectively, 25°C and 1.013 x 106 N/m2. At a certain
location in the column the carbon dioxide mole fraction in the gas is 0.1. The carbon dioxide has a
mole fraction of 0.005 in the water.
The Henry’s Law constant for the system carbon dioxide-water is 1.66 x 108 (N/m2) /mol fraction of
CO2.
Diffusivity for the gas system is 1.64 x 10-5 m2/sec at 25°C and 1.013 x105 pressures.
Q7. The absorption of solute A from a mixture is done in a wetted wall column by a solvent at 1 atm and 25 oC. The
 value of mass transfer coefficient is 9.0 x 10-4 m/s. At a point, the mole fraction of A in the liquid gas interface is
2.0 x 10-5 in the liquid phase. Partial pressure of A in the gas phase is 0.08 atm. Henry’s law relation is
pA = (600) xA in atm
Calculate the rate of absorption of A.
Q8. In an apparatus for the absorption of SO2 in water at one point in the column the concentration of SO2
in gas phase was 10% SO2 by volume and was in contact with a liquid containing 0.4% SO2 by weight.
Pressure and temperature are 1 atm and 323 K respectively. The overall gas phase mass transfer
coefficient is 7.36 x 10-10 kmol/m2 s (N/m2). Of the total resistance 45% lies in gas phase and 55% in
the liquid phase.
Equilibrium data:
Kg SO2/100 kg water 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.7
Partial pressure of SO2, mm Hg 29 46 83 119
(i) Estimate the film coefficients and overall mass transfer coefficient based on liquid phase.
(ii) Estimate the molar flux based on film coefficients and overall transfer coefficients.
Q9. Calculate the value of the mass transfer coefficient and the flux for mass transfer from a sphere of
naphthalene to air at 45oC and 1 atm abs flowing at a velocity of 0.305 m/s. The diameter of the
sphere is 25.4 mm. the diffusivity of naphthalene in air at 45 oC is 6.92 x 10-6 m2/s and the vapor
pressure of solid naphthalene is 0.555 mm Hg. The physical properties of air will be used since the
concentration of naphthalene is low. μair = 1.93 x 10-5 Pa s and ρair = 1.113 kg/m3.
Q10. The equilibrium solubility of SO2 in water at 30oC is given by Sherwood

PSO2, mm Hg 0.6 1.7 4.7 8.1 11.8 19.7 36 52 79

g SO2 per 100 g H2O 0.02 0.05 0.10 0.15 2.0 0.3 0.5 0.7 1.0
At a point in absorption column operating at a total pressure of 4.5 bar, the bulk concentrations in the
gas and the liquid phases are x = 0.0014 and y = 0.02. The individual gas phase and liquid phase mass
transfer coefficients are kx = 80 kmol/(h)(m2)(∆x) and ky = 15 kmol/(h)(m2)(∆y).
Calculate (a) the interfacial concentration at the particular location, (b) the overall mass transfer
coefficient and the rate of absorption, (c) the mass transfer coefficient k’x and k’y and (d) the individual
and overall driving forces at the location in terms of ∆x and ∆C.
What fraction of the total resistance is offered by the gas film? What should have been the value of
the coefficient ky, if the gas phase offered 60% of the total resistance to mass transfer (for the given
liquid phase coefficient)?