DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
P. O. BOX 1906
BELLVILLE
7535
TFP260s Tutorial 2
Due: Friday, 14th October 2022
Determine the rate of butanol diffusion through a 0.1 cm thick film of water at 20°C under
unidirectional steady state conditions where the concentrations of butanol at the opposing sides of
the film are, respectively, 10% and 4% butanol weight. Butanol diffuses 5.9 * 10 -6 cm2/sec in a
solution of water. The densities of 4% and 10% butanol solutions at 20°C are 0.971 and 0.978,
respectively., 0.992 g/cc. Butanol (C4H 9OH) has a 74 molecular weight 18 of wate.
A 20 cm long, 1 cm inside diameter tube is filled to a total pressure of 2 atm with CO2 and hydrogen
at absolute zero degrees Celsius. Under these circumstances, the CO2 - H2 system's diffusion
coefficient is 0.275 cm2/sec. Find the rate of diffusion for the following if the partial pressure of CO2
is 1.5 atm at one end of the tube and 0.5 atm at the other end:
i) steady state equimolar counter diffusion (NA = - NB)
ii) Steady state counter diffusion where NB = -0.75 NA, and
iii) Steady state diffusion of CO2 through stagnant H2 (NB = 0)
In a gas mixture of hydrogen and oxygen, steady state equimolar counter diffusion is occurring at a
total pressure of 100 kPa and temperature of 20°C. If the partial pressures of oxygen at two planes
0.01 m apart, and perpendicular to the direction of diffusion are 15 kPa and 5 kPa, respectively and
the mass diffusion flux of oxygen in the mixture is 1.6 * 10–5 kmol/m2.sec, calculate the molecular
diffusivity for the system.
At steady state, methane diffuses through a helium-filled tube. Methane's partial pressure is 55 kPa
at point 1 and 15 kPa at point 2, which are 0.03 m apart. The temperature is 298 K, and the total
pressure is 101.32 kPa. The value of diffusivity at this pressure and temperature is 6.75 * 10 -5
m2/sec.
i) calculate the flux of CH 4 at steady state for equimolar counter diffusion.
ii) Calculate the partial pressure at a point 0.02 m apart from point 1.
At 1 standard atm and 25°C, oxygen is diffusing in a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen. At planes that
are 2 mm apart, the oxygen concentration is 10 and 20 volumes%, respectively. Nitrogen has zero
diffusivity.
(a) Derive the appropriate expression to calculate the flux oxygen. Define units of each term clearly.
(b) Calculate the flux of oxygen. Diffusivity of oxygen in nitrogen = 1.89 * 10 – 5 m 2/sec.
