Wednesday 18 March 2015

Practical Problems in Chemical Engineering

1. How to find the direction of fluid flow in a very long metal pipe without disturbing its flow?
Ans: By heating its one section and check the temperature at same distance from heated point. the fluid will be flowing in higher temperature side.

2. How can we demonstrate the molecular flux, convective flux and total flux with perfume?
Ans: When the molecules of perfume diffuses by its concentration difference, then it is called molecular flux. if, a person spray it on the body and start walking, then the molecules will travel by both (total) concentration difference (molecular) and the velocity of person (convective).

3. How the hot streams like steam can be transported in pipe to long distances with consideration of thermal expansion?
Ans: The pipe should have some provisions for expansion and contraction. The pipe should have bends that can be expended or contracted.

4. Design an equipment to separate potatoes according to their size.
Ans: To separate potatoes, we can use a device with increasing width and potatoes will fall down according to their size in a collecting pan.

5. How the concrete material can be transported to a building in a pipe?
Ans: The concrete material from a mixer can be transported in a pipe with the hydraulic pressure acting upon by a piston/plunger.

6. How would you clean a pipe which is used to carry concrete material?
Ans: It is important to clean the pipe, which is used to carry concrete material otherwise the concrete material will solidify inside the pipe. to clean the pipe a ball of size fitted to pipe can be made to pass through a pipe by hydraulic force.

7. How would you construct a tunnel through a river having mud at bottom?
Ans: We can decrease the temperature of mud leads to freeze and solidify it and can construct the tunnel.

8. How the diameter of a pipe is decided for a specified flow?
Ans: For a larger diameter pipe, velocity will be less and hence the friction losses, but it will have high cost of material. On the other side, small diameter pipe will have less material cost but will offer high resistance to flow. therefore, economy will be considered for the selection of diameter of pipe.

9. How the water in a bottle (plastic) can be cooled naturally?
Ans: The water can be kept cooled by the evaporative cooling process. A cloth can be wrapped on the bottle and make it wet. as the water will evaporate, the temperature of bottle will decrease.

10. Can the air be cooled by evaporative cooling if the air and water both are at same temperature?
Ans: the air will be cooled depending on its humidity. If the humidity is less than saturation humidity, it will get cooled.