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Chemical Engineering
GATE 1990

Time Allowed: 3 Hours Maximum Marks: 200

SECTION A: 80 Marks. SECTION B: 120 Marks. There will be no nega ve marking

Q Marks Q Marks
Section A Section B
1(i) 2 11(I) 6
1(ii)(a) 2 11(iI) 6
1(ii)(b) 2 12(I) 6
2(i) 2 12(iI) 6
2(ii) 2 13(i) 6
2(iii) 2 13(ii) 6
2(iv) 2 14(i) 6
3(i) 2 14(ii) 6
3(ii) 2 15(i) 6
3(iii) 2 15(ii)(a) 2
3(iv) 2 15(ii)(b) 4
4(i) 2 16(a) 6
4(ii) 2 16(b) 6
4(iii) 2 17(i) 4
4(iv) 2 17(ii) 4
5(i) 2 17(iii) 4
5(ii) 2 18(i) 6
5(iii) 2 18(ii) 6
5(iv) 2 19(i)(a) 2
5(v) 2 19(i)(b) 4
5(vi) 2 19(ii) 6
6(i) 2 20(i) 4
6(ii) 2 20(ii) 4
6(iii) 2 20(iii) 4
6(iv) 2
7(i) 2
7(ii) 2
7(iii) 2
7(iv) 2
8(i) 2
8(ii) 2
8(iii) 2
9(i) 2
9(ii) 2
10(i) 2
10(ii) 2
10(iii) 2
10(iv) 2
Total 80 120

SECTION – ‘A’
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1)
(i). A mixture of ethylacetate vapor and air has a rela ve satura on of 50 percent at
30°C and a total pressure of 100 kN/m2. If the vapor pressure of ethylacetate at
30°C is 16 kN / m2,

(a). The percentage of air is ……………….

(b). The molal satura on is ………………..

(ii). The following data on heats of combus on at 25°C are given …

Compound Heat of combus on at 25°C
--------------- -----------------------------------
n-Heptane C7H16 (g) - 4850 kJ / mol
Ethyl Alcohol C2H5OH (g) - 1410 kJ / mol
Heats of forma on of CO2 (g) and H2O (l) are -380 kJ / mol and –280 kJ / mol
respec vely.

(a). The heat of forma on of gaseous n-Heptane at 25°C is …………

(b). The heat of forma on of gaseous Ethyl Alcohol at 25°C is ………
2.
(i). The viscosity of CO at 1 bar and 27°C is 0.000015 Ns/m2. Es mate the
viscosity of CO at 1 bar and 327°C.
(ii). The hydraulic mean diameter of the annular space between pipes of diameter
0.4 m and 0.6 m is ……
(iii). Bernoulli’s equa on for steady fric onless flow states that, along a streamline

(A)Total pressure is constant

(B)Total mechanical energy is constant
(C)Velocity head is constant
(D)None of the above

(iv). The pressure drop required for fluidizing a coal bed with a liquid petroleum
frac on of viscosity 0.015 Ns/m2 is 103 N/m2. The pressure drop is required for
fluidizing the same bed with an oil of viscosity 0.03 Ns/m2 is ………
3.
(i). In a gyratory crusher size reduc on is effected primarily by:
(A) Compression
 (B) Impact
(C) A ri on
(D) Cu ng ac on

(ii). In power correla ons for agitated vessels the effect of Froude number appears:

(A) For baffled vessels and when Reynolds number is less than 300
(B) For unbaffled vessels and Reynolds number is greater than 300
(C) When there is no vortex forma on
(D) When Reynolds number is less than 300

(iii). Two very small silica par cles are se ling at their respec ve terminal veloci es
through a highly viscous oil column. If one par cle is twice as large as the other, the
larger par cle will take ………the me taken by the smallest par cle to fall through
the same height.

(iv). To increase the capacity of a commercial packed bed absorber, the volumetric flow
rate of gas entering is increased by 20%. The ra o of pressure drops (new to old) is
…………

4.
(i). A water droplet at 25°C is suddenly introduced into an infinite gas medium at
100°C saturated with water vapor. At steady state,

(A) The drop a ains wet bulb temperature and vanishes.

(B) The dimensions of the drop remain unaltered and it a ains a temperature of
100°C throughout.
(C) The drop increases in size and it a ains a temperature of 100°C throughout.
(D) None of above.

(ii). In a finned tube heat exchanger:

(A) Only heat transfer area is augmented.
(B) Only film coefficient is augmented.
(C) Both heat transfer area and film coefficient are augmented.
(D) None of the above.

(iii). Grashof number is associated with,

(A) Buoyancy effects.
(B) Free convec on.
 (C) Forced convec on.
(D) High temperature difference.

(iv). A black body of finite dimension at 1000 K is inserted into an infinite medium at 300
K. Given Stefan Boltzman constant as 1.8x10-8 W/m2K4, the radia ve heat transfer
coefficient is ………

5.
(i). In the absorp on of solute gas from a mixture containing inert in a solvent, it has
been found that the overall gas transfer coefficient is nearly equal to the individual
gas film transfer coefficient. It may therefore be concluded that,

(A) The process is liquid film controlled.

(B) The gas is sparingly soluble in the solvent.
(C) The transfer rate can be increased substan ally by reducing the thickness of
the liquid film.
(D) The transfer rate can be increased substan ally by reducing the thickness of the
gas film.

(ii). At the bo om of a countercurrent cooling tower, where the water temperature is

below the dry bulb temperature of air, the sensible heat flows from ……..…… to
…………. and the latent heat flows from …….…… to ………… (fill in the blanks in the
right order among interface , water, air, water and air).

(iii). Minimum number of ideal stages is required in a frac ona ng column when the
reflux ra o is equal to,
(A) Minimum reflux ra o.
(B) Op mum reflex ra o.
(C) Zero
(D) Infinity

(iv). A batch of material is dried under constant drying condi ons. When drying is taking
place from all the surfaces, the rate of drying during the constant rate period is,

(A) Directly propor onal to the solid thickness.

(B) Independent of the solid thickness.
(C) Inversely propor onal to the solid thickness.
(D) Directly propor onal to the square of solid thickness.
(v). Lewis number = 1 signifies,
(A) Pr = Sc
(B) Pr = Re
(C) Sc = Re
(D) Nu = Sh

(vi). A binary hydrocarbon liquid mixture of A and B (K = 1.5) containing 60 mole percent
A is flash vaporized. If 40% of the feed is vaporized then mole frac on of A in the
liquid product is :

6.
(i). Isothermal mixing of pure gases always results in a decrease in the ……. Hence work
has to be done ………the system for separa ng a mixture of gases into its
components.

(ii). A system of unit mass at equilibrium consists of two phases, a and b of extent x and
(1-x) respec vely. Write down expressions for the pressure and the specific enthalpy
of the system as a whole in terms of the proper es Pa , Pb.,ha , hb.

(iii) The maximum work obtainable from a closed system under isothermal opera on is
given by ………; For one mole of an ideal gas expanding isothermally to twice its
volume , this is equal to ……………..

(iv) The minimum work required for steady isothermal compression of a real gas is
given by …….; For one mole of an ideal gas that is compressed isothermally from one
to two atmosphere , this is equal to ………

7.
(i) An exothermic gas phase reac on proceeds according to the equa on 3A+2B D2R. The
equilibrium conversion for this reac on

(a) increases with an increase in temperature

(b) decreases on dilu on with an inert gas
(c) decreases with an increase in pressure
(d) is unaffected by the presence of catalyst

(ii) What is the exit conversion of reactant A for a zero order reac on taking place in a
CSTR with the following data (rate constant= 1 mol/min.L); feed concentra on = 1
mol/L; feed flow rate = 0.5 L/min and reactor volume = 1L
 (A) 50% (B) 75% (c) 100% (d)
200%

(iii). In a homogeneous gas phase reac on A + 2Bà R+S what is the rela onship
between rA and rB,
(A) 2 rA = rB
(B) rA = 2 rB
(C) rA = rB
(D) none of the above

(iv). Fill in the blanks:

A 10 m3 CSTR is used to decompose a dilute solu on of A. the decomposi on is
irreversible with a first order rate constant of 3.45 hr-1 . If 95% decomposi on of A
is desired. The required feed rate is ……………
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8.
(i). Choose the most appropriate combina ons of words given below:
(A) Electrical.
(B) Mechanical.
(C) Chemical.
(D) Thermal.
(E) Magne c.
and fill in the following blanks…

(a) A thermocouple is a sensor that converts a change in ………..quan ty to a change

in ………… quan ty.

(b)A strain gauge pressure transducer is a sensor that converts a change in ………….
quan ty to a change in ….. quan ty.

(ii). The transfer func on of a reactor is given by . What is the transfer func on
of the system with two of these reactors if they are connected in,

(A) Series (B) Parallel

(iii). What is the steady state output of the transfer func on for a unit
slope ramp input?

9.
(i). For SO2/SO3 service at 400°C the recommended material of construc on is,
(A) Stainless steel.
(B) Carbon steel.
(C) Cast steel.
(D) Monel

(ii). For NH3 reactors the material of construc on is,

(A) Carbon steel.
(B) 5 Cr 1/8 Mo steel
(C) Cast steel.
(D) Stainless steel.

10. . Catalyst for pla orming of petroleum feedstock is,

(A) Pt + Re
(B) Pt + Rh
(C) Pt
(D) Pt + CO

SECTION – ‘B’
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11.
(i). Pure propane (C3H8) is burnt in an excess of air to give following analysis of
combus on products in volume percent:
CO2 = 5.0, CO = 3.5, H2 O = 11.4, O2 = 7.0 and N2 = 73.1
Calculate the percentage of excess air used.

(ii). For the reac on A à B, the process flow diagram is shown in figure.1.The fresh feed
of A contains 0.5 % of inert by volume. 60% conversion per pass of A fed to the reactor is
obtained. The concentra on of inert going into the reactor (a er mixing with the recycle
stream) must be held at 2% by volume. All streams are ideal gases and the process is at
steady state. How many moles need to be recycled per mole of total feed to the reactor at
(1).
12.
(i). Nikuradse developed a semitheore cal correla on for f vs. Re for steady turbulent
flow in smooth pipes (105 < Re < 107 ):

Toluene (r = 866 kg/m3 , m = 0.0008 Ns/m2 ) is to be conveyed through a 100m pipeline of

diameter 0.2m. What is the maximum flow rate of toluene in kg/sec that can be
maintained, if the fric onal pressure loss is not to exceed 10 kN/m2 ?

(ii). Water flowing at 1.5 L/s in a 0.05m diameter tube is metered by means of a simple
orifice of diameter 0.025m. If coefficient of discharge is 0.62, what will be the
reading on a mercury-under-water manometer connected to the meter? Density of
water = 1000 kg/m3; Viscosity of water = 0.001 Ns/m2; Density of mercury 13,600
kg/m3.

13.
(i). A mixture of coal and sand par cles having size smaller than 1x 10-4 m in diameter
is to be separated by screening and subsequent elutria on by water. Recommend a
screen aperture such that the oversize from the screen can be separated completely
into sand and coal par cles by elutria on. Calculate also the required water
velocity. Assume that Stokes law is applicable. Density of sand = 2650 kg/m3;
Density of coal = 1350 kg/m3; Density of water = 1000 kg/m3 ; Viscosity of water = 1
´ 10-3 kg/m.s; g = 9.81 m/s.

(ii). A filtra on is carried out for 10 min at a constant rate in a leaf filter and there a er it
is con nued at constant pressure which is a ained at the end of the constant rate
period. If one quarter of the total volume of the filtrate is collected during the
constant rate period. What is the total filtra on me? Assume that the cake is
incompressible and that the filter medium resistance is negligible.
14.
(i) In a 1–1 shell and tube heat exchanger, steam is condensing on the shell side at TS
°C, and the cold fluid is being heated on the tube side from t1 °C to t2 °C. The
following equa on relates t2 to the other variables.

Where ‘U’ is the overall heat transfer coefficient, ‘A’ is the heat transfer area, ‘W’ is the
mass flow rate and ‘Cp ’ is the heat capacity. The tube side coefficient is controlling and the
tube side fluid is in turbulent flow. TS = 130°C, t1 = 30°C, t2 = 80°C. If the mass flow rate of
the cold fluid is doubled while keeping all the other condi ons it, find the new value of t2
at steady state.

(ii). A hot fluid flows through a well-mixed s rred tank which is provided with a cooling
jacket. The fluid in the cooling jacket can also be assumed to be well mixed.
Calculate the heat transfer area of the jacket required given the following data,
Hot fluid: Flow rate, Wh = 50 kg/s;
Tin = 205°C;
Cph = 2 kJ/kg°C;
Cold fluid: Flow rate, WC = 100 kg/s;
tin = 25°C, tout = 45°C;
Cpc = 4 kJ/kg°C;

U = 2.5 kW/m2 °C;

15.
(i). A con nuous rec fica on column is used to separate a binary mixture of A and B.
Dis llate is produced at 100 kgmol/hr containing 98 mole% A. The mole frac ons of
A in the liquid and in the vapor, x and y respec vely, from two adjacent ideal plates
in the enriching sec on are as follows,
x y
0.65 0.82
0.56 0.76
If the latent heat of vaporiza on is the same for all mixtures and if the feed is a
saturated liquid, calculate,
(a) The reflux ra o,
(b) Vapor rate in the striping sec on in kg moles /hr.
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(ii). Drying of food is carried out in an insulated tray. The drying air has a par al pressure
of water equal to 2360 Pa and a wet bulb temperature of 30°C. The product has a
drying surface of 0.05 m2 /kg dry solid. The material has a cri cal moisture content
of 0.12 (dry basis) and negligible equilibrium moisture content. The material has a
cri cal rate in the falling rate period which is propor onal to the moisture content
and the mass transfer coefficient is 5.34 ´ 10-4 kg /m2 hr Pa. Calculate,

(a) The drying rate in the constant rate period in kg /m2 hr.
(b) The me required to dry the material from a moisture content of 0.22 to
0.06 (both on dry basis). Vapor pressure of water at 30°C = 4232 Pa.

(iii). Consider a system in which component A is being transferred from a gas phase to a
liquid phase. The equilibrium rela on is given by yA=0.75xA , where yA and xA are
mole frac ons of A in gas and liquid respec vely. At one point in the equipment, the
gas contains 10 mole % A and the liquid 2 mole % A. Gas film mass transfer
coefficient ky at this point is 10 kg moles /(hr.m2 DyA ) and 60% of the resistance is
the gas film. Calculate,

(a) The overall mass transfer coefficient in kg moles /(hr.m2DyA).

(b) The mass flux of A in kg moles / hr.m2.

(c) The interfacial gas concentra on of A in mole frac on.
16.

(i). Solid calcium oxalate dissociates at high temperature into solid calcium carbonate
and carbon monoxide,
CaC2O4 (S) = CaCO3 (S) + CO (g); The equilibrium pressure of CO between 670 and 700 K is
given by P (atm) = 14.4 – 9600 / T where T is in K. Assuming ideal behavior, calculate DG°,
DH° and DS° at 675 K.

(ii). Benzene (1) and perfluoro-n-heptane (2) par ally miscible below 113.4°C. At 100°C,
for example, a binary mixture of two separates into two liquid phases- a benzene
rich phase a and a perfluoro-n-heptane rich phase b. The excess Gibbs free energy
for the liquid mixture is well represented by Porter’s equa on: gE/ RT = 2.27.x1x2.
Calculate x1a and x1b at equilibrium.

17.
(i). For a unimolecular gas phase reac on A à Products, the reac on mechanism is
given by
 What would be the order of this reac on at very high and very low pressures?

(ii). For an elementary reac on, A + B à Products, the reac on rate is 500 K is ten mes
that at 400 K. Calculate the ac va on energy of this reac on.

(iii). An irreversible homogeneous liquid phase reac on A à B+ C is carried out in two

isothermal flow reactors of 100 liters capacity each opera ng at 60°C. Find the exist
conversion if both the reactors are operated in series. When,

(a) Both the reactors are ideal plug flow reactors.

(b) An ideal plug flow reactor is followed by an ideal back mix reactor.
Addi onal data:
Feed rate = 20 liters /min
Feed concentra on = 1 mol /liter.
Rate constant = 0.5 min-1.
18.
(i). A thermometer of me constant ten seconds, ini ally at 30°C, is suddenly
immersed into water at 100°C. How long it takes for the thermometer reading to
reach 90°C?

(ii) The G(s) plot (the Nyquist plot) of an open loop transfer func on

is given in fig2. Using these figures determine for

what range of values of a propor onal controller gain K, the closed loop system will
be stable?
19.
(i). For a 1-1 fixed tube sheet heat exchanger, the following data are given,
Design inside pressure: Shell side = 103 kN /m2;
Tube side = 2 x 103 kN /m2;
Design temperature; Shell side = 50°C;
Tube side = 150°C;
Allowable stress value at both design temperatures is 1.2 ´ 105 kN /m2. Shell inside
diameter = 0.6m, corrosion allowance (for shell and headers) = 3 x10-3 m and Joint
efficiency = 1. Find to the nearest mm,

(a) The shell thickness.

(b) The header shell thickness.

(ii) For a project having a life of ten years the following cash flow pa ern is expected,
End of years Net cash flow (Rs.)
0 -50,00,000
1 – 10 20,00,000
10 -1,50,00,000
If the expected interest rate is 20 percent, what is your recommenda on about
implemen ng the project?

20. Give the main reasons for the following:

(i). While SO2 + ½ O2 SO3 is a low pressure process; N2 + 3H2 2NH3 is a high-
pressure process.

(ii). The dihydrate process is preferred to the hemihydrates process for the manufacture
of commercial grade ortho phosphoric acid from it’s ores and sulphuric acid.

(iii). Under Indian condi ons caus c soda of 50% concentra on can be best prepared by
the Mercury Cell Technology.

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