Transport Problems

May 2012
Problem 1
The shear forces in an incompressible liquid of constant viscosity are studied in a socalled Couette cell: the liquid is filling the entire space between two concentric cylinders,
which can be rotated around their axis independently.
Consider the case where only the inner cylinder is rotating (at constant angular velocity
v(r)/r, the flow is laminar, and effects from the top and bottom of the cell can be
ignored. See equations on the next page.
A) Explain why the velocity field takes the simple form v(r, q, z, t) = v(r) e.
B) Using part A) and the Navier Stokes equation given on the equation sheet, write
down the simplified differential equation describing v(r). How many boundary
conditions do you need to solve this equation?
C) Assuming that there is no fluid slip at the cylinder walls, solve for the velocity profile.
D) Calculate the shear force F = A acting on the outer cylinder, where A is the
cylinder surface area. (A relation between stress and strain rate is given on the equation
sheet.) If you could not solve (C), then use the following expression for the velocity:
2

v(r) = B r [ (R2 / r) -1] with some constant B.

Differential momentum balance (Navier-Stokes) for incompressible fluids:

Dv
Dt

g P 2v

in cylindrical coordinates:
1

Transport Problems

2
2
vr
1

v v v v 2
v
P
rvr 12 v2r 22 v v2r
vr r r vz r g r

r
r r
z
r
r z
r
r r r
t

2
2
1
v v v vr v
v
1 P
v
1 v 2 vr v
rv 2 2 2 2

vr

vz
g
r
r
r
z
r
r z
r
t
r r r

1 vz 1 2vz 2vz
P
v v v
v
vz

2
vr z z vz z g z
r
2
2
r
r
z
z
z
t
r r r r

Viscosity:

Cartesian coord.
cylindrical coord.

yx

dvx
dy

rz

dvz
dr

(for v vx ( y) ex )
or

r r

d v

dr r

Problem 3
The process of aerobic respiration is modeled in the lab using a glucose sphere, which
is exposed to dry air at 300 K. Assuming that oxygen in the air reacts instantly at the
surface of the sphere (reaction shown below), what is the rate of glucose consumption
(g/min) and how much time (minutes) will be required to deplete the glucose sphere?
Assume the diameter of the sphere is 1 cm, the molecular weight of glucose is 180
g/mol, and the density of glucose is 1.54 g/cm 3. Assume that the diffusion coefficient for
O2 in air at 300 K is 0.056 cm2/s. Also, assume pseudo steady state molecular diffusion.
C6H12O6 (s) + 6O2 (g) 6CO2 (g) + 6H2O (I)

Transport Problems

Problem 5
Water at a temperature of 25 C and an average velocity of 0.5 m/s flows into a square
conduit, which has a height and width of 4 cm and length of 2 m. The surface
temperature of the conduit remains constant at Tsurface = 75 C and the Nusselt number
for this process is 700.
Properties of water at the relevant temperature: = 989 kg/m3, k = 0.640 W/mK, Cp =
4180 J/kgK, = 577x10-6 kg/ms, = 1.54x10-7 kg/ms, DAB = 2x10-8 m2/s.
A) Determine the outlet temperature of the water.
B) Determine the rate of heat transfer.
C) If the inside surface of the conduit is coated with calcium carbonate, which is slightly
soluble in water with Ca* = 0.05 mol/m3, determine the concentration of calcium
carbonate in the water exiting the channel (CAL).

Problem 7
A V-shaped tank has width w (into the paper) and is filled from the inlet pipe.
A) If the tank is filled at a constant volumetric rate of Q, derive an expression for the
speed of filling the tank (as a function of time). You may assume the tank is very large
and the pipe is very small, so the filling is slow.
B) Sketch the pressure as a function of time at the bottom of the tank. Assume the tank
starts empty.
y
x
h

Transport Problems

January 2012
Problem 2
In one part of a modern paper machine a continuous belt of paper passes upward through a bath with a
coating solution at constant velocity v(paper) = vp and picks up a liquid film of constant thickness ,
constant viscosity , and constant density . Although gravity leads to some downward draining motion of
the liquid relative to the paper, the upward motion of the paper prevents the liquid from running off
completely. We will assume a fully developed laminar flow at steady state, with zero pressure gradient
and zero shear stress at the free outer surface (x = ) of the film.

(a)

Discuss why the velocity in the vertical liquid film has to have the following form:

(b)

Using your considerations from part (A), simplify the z-component of the NavierStokes equation

to obtain a tractable differential equation for v z ( x).

(c)

State appropriate boundary conditions for the differential equation. How many
boundary conditions do you need to solve the equation?

(d)

Solve for the flow profile v z ( x) .

Transport Problems

Problem 4
Water enters a 5-cm ID pipe (surface roughness unspecified) at 80 C and at an average linear
velocity of 10 m/min. Under these conditions, a pressure drop of 100 N/m2 is recorded over a
pipe length of 8 m. If the surface of the pipe is maintained at 35 C, estimate the water exit
temperature. Thermo-physical properties of water, as given below, may be assumed to be
constant within the range of temperatures involved.
Density () = 1000 kg/m3
Specific heat (Cp) = 4.2 kJ/kg-K
Prandtl Number (Pr) = 3.00

Viscosity () = 4.7x10-4 Pa.s

Thermal conductivity (k) = 0.658 W/m-K

May 2011
Problem 3
Gaseous A diffuses to the surface of solid B and reacts to form gaseous C and solid D according
to the following reaction: A(g) + B(s) 2C(g) + D(s). The reaction is diffusion controlled with
constant flux of A. Develop an expression to predict the thickness of the solid D layer as a
function of time. Clearly state all assumptions.

Problem 6
On an episode of the TV show 24, terrorists release nerve gas in the headquarters of CTU
(counter terrorism unit). To save CTU, the agents propose to turn on the air conditioning to vent
the nerve gas. Of course, the air conditioners arent functioning properly and a number of agents
die before they can get them to work. Had CTU recruited any chemical engineers as agents, they
would have realized that the nerve gas could also be cleared by activating the sprinkler system.
Suppose the volume of CTU headquarters is 10,000 cubic meters and the initial concentration of
gas is 100 ppm. The gas levels need to be below the lethal limit (3 ppm should be adequate) to
save the day. Assuming that the gas and liquid will be in equilibrium at 32C (p = 36.4 mm Hg)
once the sprinklers have done their job, how much water must the sprinkler system dispense for
our plan to work within an hour?
The properties of the nerve gas are as follows:

Mnerve gas = 140.09 g/mol

nerve gas = 1.0887 g/cm3
Hnerve gas = 4.43 10-3 atm/mol fraction
5

Transport Problems

Problem 7

Transport Problems

January 2011
Problem 2
A room is contaminated with 2 mol NH3 gas. The total volume of the room is 1300 m3. The
temperature and pressure of the air in the room is 25C and 1 atm. To clean the NH3, dry air
with a flow rate of 1000 m3/min is blown into the room. The airflow is sufficient to make the
room air composition spatially uniform so the outlet gas has the same composition as the gas in
the room. The temperature and pressure of input and output gas are the same as the room
temperature and pressure. Air and NH3 can be treated as ideal gases. At 0C, the specific volume
of air is 22.4 m3/K-mol).
a) Write a differential NH3 balance as a function of time by letting N be the total moles of gas
in the room (it is constant), and x(t) the mole fraction of NH3 in the room. Also calculate the
initial mole fraction of NH3 (xt=0)
b) Calculate the NH3 fraction in the room after 10 minutes of air blowing.

Problem 6
The figure shows an air-cushion car, which is widely used to move heavy loads over smooth
surfaces. A blower forces air under pressure into a confined space under the car. This air
supports the car and its load. Air continually leaks out through a gap between the skirt of the car
and the floor. The blower provides this air. Assume that the
car and its payload have a mass of 2500 kg, the car is
circular with a diameter of 3 m, and the clearance between
the skirt and the floor is 0.5 mm.
a)

What is the flowrate of air required?

b)

Assuming 100 % efficiency, how much power is required for the blower?

h = 0.5 mm

D=3m

m = 2500 kg

air=1.169 kg/m3

g = 9.81 ms-2

Transport Problems

Problem 5
Substance A is undergoing steady-state transfer from a gas phase into a liquid solvent. The
concentrations of A in both the gas and the liquid are dilute. The system is at a pressure P (in
kPa), and the partial pressure of A in the bulk gas is PAb. The bulk liquid-phase concentration of
A is CAb (mol/m3). Gas-liquid equilibrium is determined by a Henrys constant HA (mol/m3/kPa).
The mass transfer coefficients in the gas and liquid phases are kp (mol/m2/s/kPa) and kc (m/s)
respectively.
a) Derive the steady-state molar flux NA (mol/m2/s) in terms of only the quantities given
above.
b) SO2 is being absorbed into water at 2 atm. The bulk gas mole fraction of SO2 is 0.085, and
the bulk liquid mole fraction is 0.001. The system is at 50C, at which temperature the
Henrys constant is 8 mol/m3/kPa. The mass transfer coefficients are 5 x 10-5 m/s (liquid) and
0.01 mol/m2/s/kPa (gas). The molar density of the liquid is 55,000 mol/m3. What is the molar
flux of SO2 ?
c) For the same bulk conditions, it is proposed to control the molar flux by controlling the gas
flow velocity. Is this a good idea? Why, or why not?
d) What phenomenon needs to be corrected for in the case that the concentrations are NOT
dilute?

Transport Problems

Problem 8
A counter-current packed bed absorption column is used to reduce the levels of a
pollutant gas stream emitted to the atmosphere from a mole fraction of yin = 0.03 to yout =
0.0002. The pollutant gas stream enters the column from the bottom at a rate of G = 10.0
m3/min at the atmospheric pressure, P = 1.013 x 105 Pa. Pure water (molecular weight
18.0 g/mol) enters the top of the column at a flow rate of L = 20.0 kg/min. The 1.5 m
diameter column is packed with Raschig rings. You can make the following assumptions:

The pollutant gas follows Henrys law with the Henrys constant of H = 1.50105
Pa.
Raschig rings provide an interfacial surface area-to-volume ratio of a = 220 m2/m3
The overall mass transfer coefficient based on the gas phase driving force is KG =
60 mol/m2/h
The column operates at T = 40 oC.
The gas constant is R = 8.314 m3Pa/K/mol.
Ignore the volume reduction of the gas stream due to the absorption.
Ignore the pressure drop of the gas.

Based on the design requirements above, obtain the following values:

a) Mole fraction of the pollutant in the exiting water stream, xout.
b) Total height of packing required to achieve the desired separation.
Hints:
The height of a transfer function unit is

(m), where U is the total molar velocity of the

gas stream in mol/m2/h. The number of transfer unit is

the log-mean driving force difference,

, where

is
. Here, yin* and

yout* are equilibrium mole fraction with the liquid that contacts the gas at the inlet and
outlet, respectively.

Transport Problems

May 2010
Problem 1

Problem 4

10

Transport Problems

January 2010
Problem 3

11

Transport Problems

Problem 5

Problem 7

12

Transport Problems

May 2009
Problem 1

Problem 6

13

Transport Problems

Problem 5

14

Transport Problems

January 2009
Problem 2
A spherical water droplet is suspended in stagnant dry air (i.e., velocity of droplet and air is zero, and
the air has initially no water vapor). If the initial diameter of the droplet is Di, compute the time, tevap,
it takes for the droplet to completely evaporate. Assume that the saturation vapor concentration of
water, Cs, (which is much smaller than the concentration of air molecules) and water vapor
diffusivity in air, Daw, are constant and known for the conditions of the experiment. Recall that Sh =
2 for such conditions.

Problem 7

15

Transport Problems

Problem 5

16

Transport Problems

May 2008
Problem 3
You are to measure the viscosity of a liquid. You have a relatively large reservoir with an outlet
tube on the bottom of the reservoir. The tube has a diameter of 0.18 cm, is 0.55 m long, and goes
straight downward. The reservoir has a cross-sectional area of 0.1 m2. You have 8 liters of the
fluid. By measuring the rate the fluid level falls in the reservoir, you measure the draining rate of
the fluid to be 0.273 cm3/s. What is the kinematic viscosity of the fluid? How would you get the
dynamic viscosity of the fluid? (i.e. what other equipment do you need?) You may neglect the
resistance in the constriction and the velocity of the fluid in the tube.
Unit conversion: 1000 liters = 1 m3
2
2
vr
1

v v
v2
v
v
P
rvr 12 v2r 22 v v2r
vr r r v z r
g r

r
r

r
r

2
2
1

v
v v
vv
v
1 P
v
rv 12 v2 22 vr v2
vr r v z
g

r
r

z
r

r
r

2
2
1 v z 1 v z v z
v v
v
v
P
v
z vr z z v z z
g z

r
2

r
r

z
z 2

r r r r

Problem 5
In a coal-fired power plant, pulverized coal is burned in air at a constant temperature and
pressure of 1450 K and 1 atm, respectively. The coal may be modeled approximately as a
carbon sphere with a radius of Ro. The mole fraction of oxygen infinitely far away from the
coal particle is XO2 = 0.21. The oxygen diffuses to the surface of the particle with a constant
diffusion coefficient, DA, where it reacts by the first order surface reaction equal to ksC
a. Neglecting changes in the radius of the pellet, (i) obtain the appropriate differential equation
and (ii) specify appropriate boundary conditions for this situation to enable determining the
radial concentration distribution of oxygen and carbon dioxide assuming complete
combustion.
b. Use your result from part (a) to derive an expression for the mole fraction profile, XO2(r) as
a function of distance from the center of the coal particle. Your results contain ks, DA, R
and XO2, but not the value XO2 (Ro), since this is not known explicitly.

17

Transport Problems

Problem 6
A 100 gallon tank is initially filled with fresh water (density = w = 8.33 lb/gal). A stream of salt water
containing 1.92 lb/gal of salt flows at a fixed rate of 2 gal/min. The density of this incoming solution is
71.8 lb/ft3. The solution, kept uniform by stirring, flows out at a fixed rate of 19.2 lb/min. How many
pounds of salt will there be in the tank at the end of 1 hour and 40 min? There are 7.48 gallons in 1 ft3.

2 gal/min
CS=1.92 lb/gal salt

= 71.8 lb/ft3
19.2 lb/min

18

Transport Problems

Problem 8
A square metal pan (12 x 12, 0.5 deep) is exposed to saturated steam at 1 atm and 100C. The bottom
of the pan is in good thermal contact with cooling water at 70C, which keeps the temperature of the pan
constant. The cooling water tubes and outside surface of the pan are well insulated, so that condensation
occurs only on the inside of the pan.

A) Sketch a qualitative graph that presents the condensation rate m (kg/s) in the pan as a function of
time for three different pan orientations: horizontal ( = 0), vertical ( = 90), inclined ( = 45). For
each case, an empty pan without condensate is exposed to the humid air at time t = 0.
B) For the horizontal pan position ( = 0), the condensate slowly fills the pan and the thickness of the
condensate layer is . Derive an expression for the rate d dt at which the
pan fills up as a function of the layer thickness , the temperatures T and Ts, and physical
properties selected from the list below. You may assume that natural convection does not
occur in the condensate layer.
Do not calculate a numerical answer!
Physical properties of potential interest:
Density , viscosity , surface tension , dielectric constant r,
heat capacity cp, latent heat of vaporization hfg, thermal conductivity k.

19

Transport Problems

January 2008
Problem 2
Molecule B is to be produced from reactant A via the reaction 10A B. This reaction is carried out
inside a catalytic membrane of thickness L (m). The membrane permits flow of A through it with
practically zero mass transfer resistance, whereas it is impermeable to the large product molecule B. The
support side of the membrane is maintained at concentration C A0 (mol / m 3 ) of reactant A, whereas the
permeate side is maintained at perfect vacuum. Reactant A diffuses through the membrane from the
support side and reacts inside the membrane to form B, which diffuses out and is recovered at the
permeate end. The diffusivities of the two species in the membrane are D A and DB (m 2 / s) . The reaction
is first-order in A: rA (mol A reacted / m 3 / s) C A , where is the rate constant. The membrane reactor is
operated at steady-state conditions.
(1) Develop the differential equation for the concentration of A ( C A ) at any location x in the membrane.
(2) Solve the differential equation to obtain the concentration profile of A.
Hint: try a solution of the form C A ( x) C1e kx C 2 e kx , where C1 , C 2 , k are constants.
(3) Obtain the production rate of B per unit membrane surface area (mol B produced/m2/s) at the permeate
side. Your answer should contain only physical parameters from the set D A , DB , , L, C A0 .

Problem 3
A tank is used to heat oil by saturated steam, which is condensing in steam coils at 40.0 psia. Oil flows in
and out of the tank at a rate of 1018.0 lbm/h. The tank, which is perfectly mixed by a stirrer, contains
5000 lbm of oil initially at 60F. The temperature of the inflowing oil is also 60F. The rate of heat
transfer from the steam to the oil is given by Newtons heating law,
Q = U(Tsteam - Toil)
Where Q is the rate of heat transfer in Btu/h and U is an overall heat transfer coefficient. Calculate the
time in hours it will take for the discharge from the tank to rise from 60F to 90F and the maximum
temperature that can be achieved in the tank.
Additional data:
Power of stirrer motor: 1.0 hp; 75% of this power is delivered to the oil.
U= 291 Btu/(HF)
Cp,oil = 0.5 Btu/(lbmF)
1 hp = 2547 Btu/h
Water saturation temperature at 40 psia is 130.7C = 267.2F

20

Transport Problems

Problem 5
The mass transfer of liquid A via evaporation into an inert carrier gas B must be characterized for a
practical application in which both diffusion and convection are hypothesized to be of importance. In
order to quantify this hypothesis, two laboratory experiments are performed under the same conditions:
1) Evaporation of liquid A from the bottom of a narrow cylindrical tube. Pure carrier gas B is blown
over the top of the tube at velocity v. The distance from the liquid surface to the top of the tube is
L = 25cm at the start of the experiment (left figure).
2) Evaporation of liquid A from a flat pan with diameter d = 10cm. Pure carrier gas B is blown across
the pan at velocity v (right figure).

d
An analytical balance is used to monitor the rate of evaporation. When (pseudo) steady state is reached,
the molar flux of A (i.e., moles per time per unit area) from the pan is found to be 10 times larger than
from the tube.
A) Derive an equation for the molar flux of A from the narrow tube.
B) Calculate the Nusselt number: Nu = kc d / DAB, which defines the relative importance of
convective and diffusive mass transfer at the gas-liquid interface.
Additional information:
The evaporation process takes place at T = 293K and P = 1 atm.
The vapor pressure of A, Pvap,A, is much smaller than 1 atm.
The generalized diffusion equation for (pseudo) steady state diffusion:

NA 0 , where NA 0 is the molar flux

Ficks rate equation for a binary gas (A diffusing in B):

NA ctot DAB y A y A NA NB ,
where DAB is the diffusion coefficient, ctot the total molar concentration and yA the molar fraction of A.
The expression for convective mass transfer: NA = kc A

21

Transport Problems

Problem 8
You are asked to evaluate a proposed gas sensor to detect combustible gas mixtures. The sensor concept
is shown below. The gas mixture, air with a little combustible gas, flows over a small cylinder whose
surface is covered with catalyst. When any combustible compound reaches the surface it reacts rapidly
and completely with oxygen in the air releasing heat. The temperature of the cylinder, which may be

hL

assumed constant (that is the Biot number is much less than one) is then correlated with the
k
concentration of combustible gas in air.
a) Explain the Chilton-Colburn analogy, jH jD , where

jH

2
2
h
k
Pr 3 and jD c Sc 3
C p

b) Using the Chilton-Colburn analogy, develop a relationship among the concentration in the gas, the heat
of combustion, physical properties, and the temperature difference between the cylinder and the bulk gas.
c) If the minimum temperature difference that can be measured reliably is 0.1 C, what is the detection
limit for CO. Physico-chemical properties are given below.
DAB=1x10-5 m2/s
Cp=1005 J/kg-K
p=105 Pa
-5
3
Pa-s
T=298 K
5
Pr=0.7281
comb=-3x10 J/mol

T=25 C
Air with small amount of
combustible gas,
atmospheric pressure

22

Transport Problems

May 2007
Problem 2
I2 (A) is being sublimed into still air (B) from a small iodine spherical particle of outside diameter, do, at
110 mm Hg and 90 C, where the vapor pressure of iodine is 22 mm Hg. Neglect changes in do, in
your derivations and assume that YA* is known at a radial distance equal to r* = 100ro .
a. Derive a differential equation for molar flux through a spherical shell in the gas phase surrounding the
particle. Substitute for the flux expression that accounts for the non-zero contribution due to bulk flow
since the gas phase iodine mole fraction YA >> 0. This should provide a differential equation in terms
of gas phase mole fraction of A.
b. Indicate appropriate boundary conditions to allow solving for both the flux and YA(r) profile as a
function of distance from the surface of the sphere at ro = do/2, but you do not need to solve for the
NAr(r) or YA(r) profiles.
c. Assuming one has solved the above equations for NAr(r) or YA(r) profiles, so that they are known,
indicate how to estimate the instantaneous rate of sublimation of the particle (gm/sec) if physical
properties of solid I2 [ g/cm, Mw g/mol and DAB are all known].

I2 in air
do
I2

I2 in air

23

Transport Problems

Problem 4
Consider the process for mixing orange juice concentrate and cranberry concentrate to produce cranberryorange juice. Assume that the tank is well mixed. The purpose of this problem is to set up the mass
balances and solve for the unknown functions P, xJ(t) and xC(t). Initially (t0) the tank is fed only pure
water (W=50 kg/h) at steady state (C0=J0=0), and hence the mass in the tank and the outlet is pure water.
The tank is filled with M = 1000 kg water initially and a level-control device keeps the overall mass in the
tank constant. For t >0, the J and C streams are opened to start feeding juices to the mixer at 25 kg/h each
J = 25 (orange juice
concentrate) (kg/h)
xJ,J = 0.95
W =50 (water, kg/h)

25 (cranberry juice
concentrate) (kg/h)
xC,C = 0.9

M=1000
kg

P (kg/h)
xJ(t)
xC(t)

xW,C=0.10

Problem 8
Dry air enters a rectangular cavity. The cavity walls are maintained wet and at a constant temperature,
so that the water vapor pressure at the walls is uniform throughout the cavity. Assume that the flow
velocity profile is uniform, equal to U, throughout the cavity. Derive an approximate expression for the
length le required for the water vapor concentration to develop to a steady state profile, as a function of
key transport parameters. If you can, express the result in terms of the Reynolds and Schmidt numbers.
Also assume that air has a constant density, , and viscosity, , and that the water vapor diffusivity in
air, Dw, is constant. Recall that the timescale of diffusion is L2 / , where L is the lengthscale over
which diffusion takes place and is the appropriate diffusivity.

24

Transport Problems

January 2007
Problem 2
In the following diagram, fluid flows out of the storage tank (with a large diameter) into the small pipe
(diameter of the pipe is 0.3 cm). If the fluid has a constant density and viscosity is flowing out at a rate of
1 cm3/s, what is the kinematic viscosity of the fluid? In fact, this is a common way to determine the fluid
viscosity experimentally.
Patm

h1=10 cm

h2=60 cm

Patm
Here are some equations that you may find useful.

CS (v n)dA t CV dV 0

CS v (v n)dA t CV v dV F
v2
Q W

e (v n )dA edV where e gy u

CS
2
dt
dt
t CV
2

v
P
v
P
gy1 1 1 gy2 2 2
2 1
2 2
dP 32vavg

v 0
2
dx
D
t

Dv
v 0

g P 2v
Dt

Dv

g P
Dt

25

Transport Problems

Problem 6
Consider the problem of diffusion of reactant in a sphere of porous catalyst. The radium of the sphere is
R. We may assume that concentration varies only in radial direction. The concentration of the external
fluid phase is uniform everywhere and remains constant at Cex. The reactant inside the sphere is being
consumed through the first order kinetics of r=kC.
(a) By performing a shell balance, derive a PDE that describes the dynamics of the
concentration profile C(r,t).
(b) Suggest appropriate boundary condition. Assume that the mass transfer at the interface
(between the fluid and catalyst surface) is very fast compared to the diffusion process.
(c) Non-dimensionalize the equation and the boundary conditions using u=C / Cex and s=r/R.
Note: The volume and surface area of a sphere of radius R is (4/3) R3 and 4R2 respectively. Use Dr
as the diffusion coefficient.

Problem 7
A small spherical particle is released into the atmosphere, and it falls through the air toward the ground.
Treat the atmosphere as an ideal gas with pressure equal to100 kPa absolute and 298 K. The drag (both
friction and form) on the particle is given by Stokes law,
FD 6RV ,
where is the viscosity, R the particle radius, and V , the velocity.
A) Use a force balance to develop an equation that relates the terminal velocity,

V to physical

properties of the air, the density of the particle, gravitational constant, and particle size.
The figure below shows the terminal velocity based on this Stokes relationship, as well as experimental
data. It is seen that at both small and large diameters departures from the predicted values exist. For large
diameter particles the Stokes relation over predicts the velocity. This is due to a transition from laminar to
turbulent flow.
B) Using the data below, at approximately what Reynolds number does this occur?
C) In contrast, for very small particles the Stokes relationship under predicts velocity. Propose an
explanation.

26

Transport Problems

May 2006
Problem 2
A capillary viscometer is commonly used to measure viscosity of a fluid. The viscous or frictional losses
(expressed as head loss in meters) in a smooth tube are given by the Hagen-Poiseuille relationship

hL (m)

QL 8
gR 4

Where Q is the volumetric flowrate; R the radius of the capillary, and L the
length of the capillary tube.
If h is the distance from the surface of the fluid to the
end of the capillary, use the Bernoulli equation (general energy balance) to
show that

R 4 g h

Q8L

V22

2g

V2 is the velocity of the fluid exiting the capillary. What assumptions have
gone into this analysis? Under what conditions might this method provide an
inaccurate measurement of the viscosity?

Problem 3
The effective diffusion coefficient of component A in a cylindrical layer of material, B, is equal to DAB,
and this coefficient is a known constant. The density of the layer may be assumed to be constant and
equal to .
The mass fraction of A at the inner surface of the pipe at r= r0 is known to be wA0, and is greater than the
mass fraction of A the outer surface at r = r1, which is wA1. Both mass fractions, wA0 and wA1 , are
known. Steady state diffusion conditions prevail, and there is no reaction within the pipe wall.
a. Consider the case in which the mass fractions are fairly high and flux includes
contributions due to bulk flow. This case arises due to the observation of the flux, nAr(r), relative to a
fixed frame of reference. For a section of the pipe that has a length, L, determine an expression for
the :
i. mass flux of A through the inside wall at r = r0 .
ii. total rate of mass flow of A at r = r0 in the radial direction assuming no end effects.
b. For the special limiting case in which wA0 and wA1 << 1, so contributions due to bulk flow, which
arises due to the observation of the flux, n Ar, relative to a fixed frame of reference are negligible
determine:
i. the mass flux of A as a function of r.
ii. the fraction profile in the radial direction as a function of r, wA(r).

27

Transport Problems

Problem 6
Fluid flows down a vertical surface. The flow is driven by gravity and the liquid has density and
viscosity .
d
xz g
A. Show by shell balance that dx
. Substitute in the shear stress/velocity relation to derive
an equation relating gravity and velocity.
B. Show that Navier-Stokes equation reduces to the same equation.
C. Assume pseudo steady state, the air has a negligible viscosity, and the liquid film has a thickness
. Calculate the velocity profile. (Define the wall to be x=0.)
z
x

g
air

liquid

wall

Dv
g P 2v
Dt
Cartesian coordinates:
2v
v
v
v
2vx 2vx
v
P

x v x x v y x v z x
g x 2x

2
2
x
y
z
x

z
t

2
2
2
vy vy vy
v
v
v
v
P
y v x y v y y v z y
g y 2
2
2
x
x
y
z
y

y
z
t

2v
v
v
v
v
2vz 2vz
P
z v x z v y z v z z
g z 2z
2
x
y
z
z
y 2
z
t
x
Navier-Stokes:

28

Transport Problems

January 2006
Problem 3
A polymer of constant density and viscosity is processed through an annular die. The inner
radius of the die is r1 and the outer is r2. For steady, laminar flow, ignoring entrance/exit effects
and neglecting gravity, determine the velocity profile in the annular space between r1 and r2.

a) Using the continuity equation and assuming that the only nonzero velocity component is in the
z direction, show that. v z v z (r ).
b) From the Navier-Stokes equation simplify the momentum balance for the z direction to an
ordinary differential equation. What are the boundary conditions and what is the physical
significance of these boundary conditions?
c) Integrate to determine the velocity profile. You dont need to evaluate the constants.
The divergence in cylindrical coordinates is

Navier-Stokes equation for constant density and viscosity

29

Transport Problems

Problem 5
To treat severed (damaged) nerves, a new biomedical material is used that releases growth factors (GF)
that promote healing of the nerve ends. The growth factor is bound to a gel contained within a tube which
is placed on each end of the severed nerve (see figure below). The success of the treatment depends on the
bound growth factor (bGF) being present at sufficiently high concentrations throughout the treatment
period. Unfortunately, bound growth factor (bGF) can dissociate to free growth factor (fGF), which
diffuses away from the gel into the body through both nerve endings. It is known that:
i)
the dissociation rate for liberating bGF is proportional to the dissociation rate constant kD, and
the concentration of bGF Cb. Also
ii)
the association rate for the binding of fGF is proportional to the association rate constant kA,
the concentration of fGF Cf and the concentration of available binding sites in the gel - Cb.
Assume that L, kD, kA, the diffusion coefficient of fGF in the gel DfGF, the initial concentrations of bGF,
fGF and the total concentration of free and occupied binding sites in the gel , are known.
One part of the
damaged nerve

The other part of the

damaged nerve

L
x
x
Nerve Guide
Tube (NGT)

x
x
Gel containing bound
Growth Factor (GF)

a) Write governing equations that describe the concentrations of bGF and fGF as functions of time and
position in the guide tube. Suggest initial and boundary conditions as well. Assume axial diffusion only.
b) Assuming that bGF and fGF are always in equilibrium, and simplifying the equations you wrote down
in part a, what is the characteristic timescale for depleting fGF at the center of the tube guide?

30

Transport Problems

Problem 7
T1*,W1

T1(x)

Cp1

T2*, W2
T2(x)

Cp2

Consider the co-current heat exchanger pictured above. Assume that the outer tube is insulated, and that
the temperature of each fluid is uniform in the radial direction due to mixing. Neglect conduction in the
fluid. U is the heat transfer coefficient between the inner and outer fluid. Wn represents the mass or
molar flow of the fluid in stream n.
1) Derive the energy balance on fluid 1 for a small element of width .
2) Do the same for fluid 2.
3) Let
go to zero and write these equations as differential equations.
4) The solution of this coupled system of equations takes the form

T1 ( x) A B1e Cx
T2 ( x) A B2 e Cx
1
1
C Ud

W C
1 p1 W2 C p 2

Verify that these general equations could satisfy your energy balances from part 3.

31

Transport Problems

May 2005
Problem 3

Problem 4

32

Transport Problems

Problem 5

33

Transport Problems

Problem 7

January 2005
Problem 4

34

Transport Problems

Problem 5

35

Transport Problems

Problem 6

36

Transport Problems

May 2004
Problem 5

37

Transport Problems

Problem 6

38

Transport Problems

January 2004
Problem 5

39

Transport Problems

Problem 6

40

Transport Problems

Problem 8

41

Transport Problems

May 2003
Problem 6

42

Transport Problems

Problem 8

43

Transport Problems

January 2003
Problem 4

44

Transport Problems

Problem 8

45

Transport Problems

May 2002
Problem 3

46

Transport Problems

Problem 4

47

Transport Problems

Problem 7

48

Transport Problems

Problem 8

49

Transport Problems

January 2002
Problem 2

50

Transport Problems

Problem 4

May 2001
Problem 1

51

Transport Problems

Problem 7

52

Transport Problems

Problem 8

53

Transport Problems

January 2001
Problem 3

Problem 5

54

Transport Problems

Problem 8

55

Transport Problems

January 2000
Problem 1

56

Transport Problems

Problem 8

57