King Saud University

Chemical Engineering Department

CHE 411 Separation Processes II
2nd Semester 1427/1428 H

Date: March 7, 2007 /

14281 18

Tutorial # 1
Q.1 Gas from a petroleum distillation column has its concentration of H 2S reduced from
0.03 moles H 2S / mole of inert hydrocarbon gas to 1/10 th of this value, by scrubbing
with a triethanolamine-water solvent in a countercurrent plate column operating at
atmospheric pressure.
H 2S is soluble in such a solution and the equilibrium relation maybe taken as conforming to

Henry's law, p = Hc , where p is the partial pressure in atmospheres of H 2S in equilibrium

with a solution containing c grams of H 2S in 1000 grams of solvent , and H = 0.00143 .
The solvent enters the column free of H 2S and leaves containing 0.013 moles of H 2S per
mole of solvent. The mean molecular weight of the solvent is 25 .
If the flow of inert hydrocarbon gas is 100 lbmole / hr calculate:
a. The number of theoretical stages required for this duty.
b. The necessary solvent rate.
Q.2

Air containing 12.5% HCl by volume is to be prepared by blowing fresh air up

through a bubble cap tower fed with muriatic acid containing 37% HCl by weight. The
equilibrium data X ,Y for solutions of HCl in water is as follows:
0.35
0.40
0.45
0.50
0.525
0.55
0.575
0.600
X
0.003 0.012 0.027
0.065
0.105
0.165
0.243
0.375
Y
Y lb HCl / lb air
Where : X lb HCl / lb water ,
a. What would be the minimum permissible exit concentration of acid in %HCl by
weight?
b. Find the number of theoretical bubble cap plates required if the exit acid must be
32% HCl by weight.
Q.3 An air/ammonia mixture of y NH 3 = 0.009 enters a packed bed countercurrent scrubber
at a rate of 450 ft 3 / min . The tower is operating at 68o F and 1 atm . The packed bed has a
diameter of 0.5 ft . Pure water enters the top of the column at a rate of 29 lbm / min . The
3
overall gas phase mass transfer capacity coefficient is K y a = 4.5 lb.mol / min . ft .

The ammonia concentration in the outlet gas is

y NH3 = 0.00036 . The equilibrium

relationship for the NH 3 / H 2O system is of the form y = 1.25 x (x, y mole fractions). Find
the tower packed height.
Q.4 A packed column is used to scrub a soluble impurity from 100 kgmoles h 1m 2 of
gas by countercurrent absorption in a liquid at atmospheric pressure. The inlet and outlet
concentrations of the solute in the gas are to be 1% and 0.01% by volume respectively. If
1.5 times the minimum liquid flow rate is to be used, calculate the number of transfer units
N OG required.


King Saud University
Chemical Engineering Department

CHE 411

Separation Processes 2

Contents:
1. Topics covered (syllabus)
2. Textbook and reference books
3. Final examination paper + samples of students answers
4. Second mid-term exam (T#2) + samples of students answers
5. First mid-term exam (T#1) + samples of students answers
6. Tutorials and Homework
7. Samples from students answers of Tutorials and Homework