GATE 1990

1(i).
A mixture of Ethyl Acetate vapor and air has a relative saturation of 50
percent at 30C and a total pressure of 100 kN / m2. If the vapor pressure of Ethyl
Acetate at 30C is 16 kN / m3,
(a).

The percentage of air is .

(b).
The molal saturation is
..
1(ii).

The following data on heats of combustion at 25C are given

Compound
n-Heptane C7H10 (g)
Ethyl Alcohol C2H5OH (g)

Heat of combustion at 25C

- 4850 kJ / mol
- 1410 kJ / mol

Heats of formation of CO2 (g) and H2O (l) are -380 kJ / mol and 280 kJ / mol
respectively.

(a).

is

The heat of formation of gaseous n-Heptane at 25C is

(b).
The heat of formation of gaseous Ethyl Alcohol at 25C

5(vi). A binary hydrocarbon liquid mixture of A and B (K = 1.5) containing 60 mole

percent A in flash vaporized. The mole fraction of A in the liquid product is

11(i). Pure propane (C5H8) is burnt in an excess of air to give following analysis of
combustion 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.

11(ii). For the reaction A B, the process flow diagram is shown in figure.1.The
fresh feed of A contents 0.5 % of inert by volume. 80% conversion per pass of A fed
to the reactor is obtained. The concentration of inert going into the reactor (after
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).

GATE 1991

2.

Fill in the blanks:

(i).
A wet paper pulp contains 75% water. After 100 kg of water removed in a
dryer, it is found that the pulp is now containing 30% water. The weight of the original
pulp is --------------------.

(ii).
The weather bureau reports a dry bulb temperature of ambient air as 29C and
relative humidity of 80%. The barometer read 750 mm hg. The percentage humidity
of ambient air is ----------------------.
(Vapor pressure of water at 29C = 30 mm Hg.).

(iii).
H2S is produced from the reaction,
FeS + 2HCL FeCl2 + H2S; 120 kg
of FeS react with 150 kg of HCL and 0.5 kmol of H2S has been produced. The degree
of completion of the reaction --------------------- and the limiting reactant is
----------------------.
(iv).
The heat absorbed for isothermal reaction,C 4H10 (g) C2H4 (g) + C2H6 (g); At
298 k and 1 atm pressure is -------------------- Standard heat of combustion, kJ
/mol: C4H10 (g) = -2573.5; C2H4 (g) = -1411.9 ,C2H6 (g) =
-1561.0
12(ii). Limestone mixed with coke is being burnt kiln. An average analysis of the
limestone is CaCO3: 84.5%, MgCO3:11.5% and the rest inert. The coke contains 76%
carbon, 21% ash and 3% moisture. The calculation of CaCO 3 is only 95% complete
and that of MgCO3 90%. The carbon in the coke is completely burnt of CO 2. The kiln
is fed with 1 kg of coke per 5 kg limestone. Calculate weight percent CaO in the
product leaving the kiln.

GATE 1992

2(a).
It is desired to make 100 kg of a solution containing 40% salt
by mixing solution A containing 25% salt and solution B containing
50% salt. The mass in kg of solution A required is _____________.

2(b).
1.2 g atoms of carbon and 1.5 g moles of oxygen are
reacted to give 1 g mole of carbon dioxide. The limiting reactant is
______________. The percent excess reactant supplied is _____________.

11. The concentration of SO2 in the flue gases from a boiler was
found to be 0.2 kg/m3 at N.T.P. Determine the concentration of
SO2 in parts per million at N.T.P. Assume that the gases are
perfect.

12(a). The analysis of the gas entering the secondary converter

in a contact Sulphuric acids plant 4% SO2, 13% O2 and 83%
N2 (volume %). In the converter SO2 is oxidized to SO3. The gases
leaving converter 0.45% SO2 on an SO3 free basis
(volume %). Calculate the percent conversion of
SO2.
12(b). Dry methane is burned with dry air. Both are at 25 C
initially. The flame temperature is 1300. If complete combustion
is assumed how much excess air is being used? The reaction is,
CH4 + 2O2 CO2 + 2H2O

Standard heat of reaction = -8.028 x 103 J/g mole of

CH4 reacted. Mean molal specific heat of gases between 25 C
and 1300 are in J/(g mole) (K).
CO2 = 51.88;
O2 = 34.01;

H2O = 40.45;
N2 = 32.21;

GATE 1993

2(a). 1000 kg of a solution containing 50% by weight of a salt dissolved in it is

cooled. 400 kg of anhydrous salt is separated out. The solubility of the salt at the
lower temperature is kg/100 kg of water is,
(A).

80;

(B).

50;

(C).

40;

(D).

20

2(b). Methane is completely burned with air. The possible volume percent of carbon
dioxide (on dry basis) in the flue gases is,
(A).

11.7

(B).

21.0

(C).

44.0

(D).

28.0

12.
Iron pyrites (FeS2 ) is burned with air in 100% excess of that required to
oxidize all iron to Fe2O3 and all sulphur to sulphur dioxide. Calculate the composition
of exit gases, if 80% of sulphur is oxidized to sulphur trioxide and the rest
to sulphur dioxide. All iron is oxidized to Fe2O3

GATE 1994

7.
The heat reaction at 300 K and at one atmosphere
pressure for the following gas phase reaction: A + 3B C;
is
50,000 calories per mole of A converted. Data on the molar heat
capacity at constant pressure (cal/mol.K) of the various
components are:
Cp for A = -0.4 + 80 x 10-3 T, T in K
Cp for B = 7
Cp for C = 26
Calculate the heat of reaction at 500 K and at one
atmosphere pressure

GATE 1995

2(e) An evaporator while concentrating an aqueous solution from 10 to 40% solids

evaporates 30000 kg of water. The amount of solids handled by the system in kgs is
(A)

4000,

(B)

9000,

(C)

4600,

(D)

3000,

2(f) 1000 kg of wet solids are to be dried from 60% to 20% moisture (by
weight). The mass of moisture removed in kg is

(A)

520,

(B)

200,

(C)

400,

(D)

500,

2(g) Assuming that CO2 obeys perfect gas low, calculate the density of CO 2 (in kg/m3,
at 00C and 2 atm.

(A)

1,

(B)

2,

(C)

3,

(D)

4,

2(h) Pure O2 is mixed with air to produce an enriched air containing 50 volume % of
O2. The ratio of moles of air to O2 used is

6. Methanol is produced by the reaction of CO with H 2 CO + H2CH3OH Only

15% of carbon monoxide entering the reactor is converted to methanol. The methanol
formed is condensed and recovered completely. The unreacted CO and H2 are
recycled back to the reactor. The feed will contain H2 and CO in the ratio
of 2 : 1. For 3200 kg/hr of methanol produced, calculate

I.
II.

Kg mole/hr of fresh feed,

Kg mole/hr of recycle gas,

Mole. Weight of CH3OH = 32.

11. The Orsat analysis of a flue gas is

CO2

12.7%

O2

7.1%

N2

80.2%

Determine the percent excess air used in the combustion. The nitrogen present in the
flue gas is contributed by air only.

12. Pure CO is mixed with 100% excess air and burnt. Only 80% of CO burns. The
reactants are at 1000C and the products are at 3000C. Calculate the amount of heat
added or removed per Kg mole of CO fed to the reactor.
Data : Mean molal specific heats between 250C and T0C (given below) in KJ
Kg.mole.0K are

T = 1000C

Gas

CO
30.61
CO2

T = 3000C

20.22
--

43.77

O2

29.64

30.99

N2

29.17

29.66

Standard heat of formation at 250C in KJ/Kg mole are

O2

CO
-110524
-393514

13. Bituminous coal with a calorific value of 20000 KJ/Kg is used for generating
steam in a boiler. How much coal has to be burnt to generate 1 MW of
energy. Efficiency of combustion is 0.75. How much air is needed if 50% excess air
is to be used. Assume that coal contains 87% carbon and 33% ash.

GATE 1996

2.2 The reaction A + B C has been conducted in a reactor as

shown

2.2 (i) The number of boundaries around which material balances

can be written are
a.

1,

b.

6,

c.

3,

d.

4,

2.2 (ii) The number of independent balances (material) that can be

made around the reactor are
a.

1,

b.

2,

c.

3,

d.

4,

2.17 In a mixture of benzene vapour and nitrogen gas at a total

pressure of 900 mm Hg, if the absolute humidity of benzene is 0.2
Kg benzene/kg nitrogen, the partial pressure of benzene in mm Hg is
:
a. 180,

b.

60.3,

c. 720,

d.

200,

11. A hydrocarbon is burnt with excess air. The Orsat analysis of the
flue gas shows 10.81 % CO2, 3.78 % O2 and 85.45 % N2. Calculate
the atomic ratio of C : H in the hydrocarbon and the % excess air.

12. Methanol vapour can be converted into formaldehyde by the

following reaction schemeCH3OH + O2 HCHO + H2O ;
CH3OH HCHO + H2 The fresh feed to the process was 0.5 kg
mol/ h O2 and an excess methanol. All of the O2 reacts in the
reactor. Formaldehyde and water are removed from the product
stream first, after which H2 is removed from the recycled
methanol. The recycle flow rate of methanol was 1 kg mol/h. The
ratio of methanol reacting by decomposition to that by oxidation
was 3. Draw the flow diagram and then calculate the per pass
conversion of methanol in the reactor and the fresh feed rate of
methanol

GATE 1997

1.5 In the system as shown in Fig. 1.5 each stream contains three
components.

The maximum number of independent material balances is

A)

3,

B)

4,

C)

6,

D)

9,

2.4 Pure carbon is com,pletelly burnt in oxygen. The flue gas

analysis is 70% CO2, 20% CO and 10% O2. The percent excess
oxygen used is

A)

20,

B)

12.5,

C)

0,

D)

10,

2.5 A flow sheet is given in Fig. 2.5.

If the single-pass (once-through) conversion of A to B is 20%. Then

the rate of recycle R (moles/hr) is
A) 300,

B) 400,

C) 500,

D) 600,

12. Sea water is desalinated by reverse osmosis as shown in Fig.

12.

All compositions are on mass basis. Calculate R/E.

13. A feed at 1298 K, consisting of flue gas (CO2, O2 and N2) and air,
is passed through a bed of pure carbon. The two reactions that occur
both go to completion.
CO2 (g) + C(s)
= 170 kJ/mol
O2 (g) + 2C(s)
-220.4 kJ/mol

2CO (g),
2CO (g),

HR0 at 298 K
HR0 at 298 K =

The combustor is adiabatic and the product gases exit at 1298

K. Calculate the required moles of CO2 per mol of O2 in the feed
stream, so that the net heat generated is zero and the bed
temperature remains constant at 1298 K.
Data : Mean Molar Heat Capacities, Cpm

Substance

Cpm, kJ/(mol)(K)

C
O2

0.02
0.03

CO

0.03

CO2

0.05

GATE 1998

2.7 A sample of well water contains 140 g/m3 Ca2+ ions and 345
g/m3 Na+ ions. The hardness of the sample of water, expressed in
terms of equivalent CaCO3 in g/m3 [assuming atomic masses
of Ca : 40, Na : 23, C : 12 and O : 16 ] is
A) 350,

B) 485,

C) 140,

D) 345,

3. Ethylene Oxide is produced by the oxidation of Ethylene over a

catalyst. Safety considerations dictate that the gaseous mixture
entering the reactor should contain 10 mol Air per mol
Ethylene. The conversion per pass is 22%. The Ethylene oxide
formed is completely condensed out and the remaining gases
recycled. Make up oxygen is added to maintain the requisite oxygen
levels. For a plant producing 440 kg/h of Ethylene oxide.
(a) Calculate the quantity of pure makeup oxygen to be supplied,
in kg/h, in steady; state operation,
(b) Draw a neat block diagram showing the major units, flows and
compositions, and indicate the envelope / boundary around which
the requisite mass balance(s) is/are being made.
The relevant reaction is represented by

2 C 2 H4 + O 2
(g)

2 C 2 H4 O

(g)

(g)

[ Assume atomic masses as : C = 12, 0 = 16, H =

1]
(5)

12. 1000 kg/h of an aqueous solution of 20% Na2CO3 is cooled

gradually to t0C, to crystallize out Na2CO3. 10 H2O. The solubility of
Na2CO3 at t0C is 2.1%. Calculate the percentage of
Na2CO3 recovered in the form of crystals. (Assume no loss of
Na2CO3 through the mother liquor adhering to the crystals and no
carry over of crystals with the mother liquor). Draw a neat block
diagram showing the inlet and exit compositions and flow rates.
[ Molecular weight of Na2CO3 can be assumed to be 106 and that
of water to be 18 ].

GATE 1999
1.5. A solution of specific gravity 1.0 consists of 35% A by weight and the
remaining B. If the specific gravity; of A is 0.7, the specific gravity of B is
A) 1.25,

B) 1.3,

C) 1.35,

D) 1.2,

6. It is proposed to produce acetaldehyde by oxidation of ethanol in gas phase

C2H5OH (g) + O2 (g)CH3CHO (g) + H2O (g)

The ratio of air to ethanol in the fresh feed (before it is mixed with recycle stream) is
10 to 1. The conversion of ethanol on a single pass through the reactor is
25%. The unreacted ethanol is completely separated from the reaction products and
recycled. What is the ratio of recycle stream to the fresh feed stream ? What is the
composition of the outlet stream from the reactor in mass fraction and mole fraction ?

7. CaCO3 slurry has to be dried. The drier is designed to remove 100 kg moisture per
hour. Air at 20 C and 40% relative humidity, enters the drier and leaves at 650C and
65% relative humidity. What is the weight (in kg) of bone-dry air required
per hour ? The atmospheric pressure is 103 kPa. If the humidity of the air entering
the drier can be varied, what is the minimum amount of dry air required ? The
constants for Antoine equation for vapourpressure of water in mm Hg may be taken as
A = 18.306, B = 3816.44, and C = -46.13.

GATE 2000
1,7 The molar composition of a gas is 10% H2, 10% O2, 30% CO2 and balance
H2O. If 50% H2O condenses, the final mole percent of H2 in the gas on a dry basis
will be
A) 10 %,

B) 5 %,

C) 18.18 %,

D) 20 %,

19. The reaction A 2B + C takes place in a catalytic reactor (see diagram

below). The reactor effluent is sent to a separator. The overall conversion of A is
95%. The product stream from the separator consists of B, C and 0.5% of A entering
the separator, while the recycle stream consists of the remainder of the unreacted A
and 1% of B entering the separator.
Calculate the
single pass conversion of A in the reactor.
molar ratio of recycle to feed.

GATE 2001

1.5 For the case of a fuel gas undergoing combustion with air, if the air/fuel ratio is
increased, the adiabatic flame temperature will
A) increase

B) decrease

C) increase or decrease depending on the fuel type

D) not change

2.3 A butane isomerization process produces 70 kmol/h of pure isobutane. A purge

stream removed continuously contains 85% n butane and 15% impurity (mole
%). The feed stream is n-butane containing 1% impurity (mole %). The flow rate of
the purge stream will be
A) 3 kmol/h
mol/h

B) 4 kmol/h

C) 5 kmol/h

D) 6 k

CH-5 The process schematic of a propane dehydrogenation plant is shown below. It

is desired to set up a simplified version of the material balance for this plant. Assume
that the only reaction is the dehydrogenation of propane to propylene there are no side
reactions. The yield of propylene per pass is 30% (i.e., 30% of the propane entering
the reactor is converted to propylene). Assume that the amount of carbon formed on
the catalyst is negligible. The product flow rate (stream S5) is 50 kmol/h. Calcutta the
flow rtes of all the other streams. Notice that all streams except stream S, are pure.

GATE 2002
1.11 Methane is mixed with stoichiometric proportion of oxygen and completely
combusted. The number of additional specifications required to determine the product
flow rate and composition is
A) 0

B) 1

C) 2

D) 3

2.11 Fresh orange juice contains 12% (by weight) solids and the rest water. 90% of
the fresh juice is sent to an evaporator to remove water and subsequently mixed with
the remaining 10% of fresh juice. The resultant product contains 40% solids. The kg
of water removed from 1 kg fresh juice is

A) 0.4

B) 0.5

C) 0.6

D) 0.7

2.12 1 kg of saturated aqueous solution of a highly soluble component A at 60 0C is

cooled to 250C. The solubility limits of A are (0.6 kg A)/(kg water) at 60 0C and (0.2
kg A)/(kg water) at 250C. The amount, is kgs, of the crystals formed is

A) 0.4

B) 0.25

C) 0.2

D) 0.175

2.22 A rigid vessel, containing three moles of nitrogen gas at 30 0C, is heated to
2500C. Assume the average heat capacities of nitrogen to be Cp = 29.1 J/mol 0C
and Cv = 20.8 J/mol0C. The heat required, neglecting the heat capacity of the vessel,
is

A) 13728 J

B) 19206 J

C) 4576 J

D) 12712 J

GATE 2003
38) 6 g of carbon is burnt with an amount of air containing 18 g oxygen. The product
contain 16.5 g CO2 and 2.8 g CO besides other constituents. What is the degree of
conversion on the basis of disappearance of the limiting reactant ?

a) 100%

b) 95 %

c) 75 %

d) 20 %

39) An aqueous solution of 2.45% by weight H2SO4 has a specific gravity of

1.011. The composition expressed in normality is
a) 0.2500

b) 0.2528

c) 0.5000

d) 0.5055

40) Air at a temperature of 200C & 750 mm Hg pressure has a relative humidity of
80%. What is its percentage humidity ? Vapour pressure of water at 200C is 17.5 mm
Hg.
a) 80.38

b) 80

c) 79.62

d) 78.51

41) Na2SO4, 10 H2O crystals are formed by cooling 100 kg of 30% by weight aqueous
solution of Na2SO4. The final concentration of the solute in the solution is 10%. The
weight of crystals is
a) 20

b) 32.2

c) 45.35

d) 58.65

42) A sample of natural gas containing 80% Methane (CH 4 ) and the rest Nitrogen
(N2 ) is burnt with 20% excess air. With 80% of the combustibles producing CO2 and
the remainder going to CO the Orsat analysis in volume percent is
a) CO2 : 6.26 CO : 1.56

O2 : 3.91

H20 : 15.66

b) CO2 : 7.42 CO : 1.86

O2 : 4.64

N2 : 86.02

c) CO2 : 6.39 CO : 1.60

O2 : 3.99

H20 : 15.96

d) CO2 : 7.60 CO : 1.90

O2 : 4.75

N2 : 85.74

N2 : 72.60

N2 : 72.06

43) Heat capacity of air can be approximately expresses as Cp = 26.693 + 7.365 x 10 3

T where Cp is in J/(mol)(K) and T is in K. The heat given off by 1 mole of air when
cooled at 1 atmospheric pressure from 5000C to -1000C is
a) 10.73 kJ

b) 16.15 kJ

c) 18.11 kJ

d) 18.33 kJ

GATE 2004

5.
A distillation column separates 10,000 kg/h of a benzenetoluene mixture as shown in the figure below. In the figure, XF, XD,
and XW represent the weight fraction of benzene in the feed,
distillate, and residue, respectively.

The reflux ratio is

(a) 0.5
(D) 2.0

(B) 0.6

(C) 1.0

6.

The weight fraction of methanol in an aqueous solution is

0.64. The mole fraction of methanol XM satisfies.

(A) XM < 0.5

(B) XM = 0.5

(C) 0.5 < XM < 0.64

(D) XM > 0.64

39.
80 kg of Na2SO4 (molecular weight = 142) is present in 330
kg of an aqueous solution. The solution is cooled such that 80 kg of
Na2SO4. 10 H2O crystals separate out. The weight fraction of
Na2SO4 in the remaining solution is
(A) 0.00
(D) 1.00

(B) 0.18

(C) 0.24

Q. 40-41 are based on the data supplied in the paragraph below

One mole of methane undergoes complete

combustion in a stoichiometric amount of air. The reaction
proceeds as CH4 + 2O2 CO2 + 2H2O. Both the reactants and
the products are in gas phase.
H0298

40.

= - 730 kJ/mol of methane.

Mole fraction of water vapour in the product gases is about

(A) 0.19
(D) 0.67

(B) 0.33

(C) 0.40

41.
If the average specific heat of all the gases/vapour is 40 J/
(mol k), the maximum temperature rise of the exhaust gses in 0C
would be approximately equal to
(A) 1225
(D) 1735

(B) 1335

(C) 1525

42.
A vessel of volume 1000 m3 contains air which is saturated
with water vapour. The total pressure and temperature are
100 kPa and 200C, respectively. Assuming that the vapour pressure
of water at 200C is 2.34 kPa, the amount of water vapour (in kg) in
the vessel is approximately
(A) 17
(D) 34

(B) 20

(C) 25

GATE 2005
5. A process flow sheet analysis results in the degrees of freedom having a value of
2, which one of the following steps must be next carried out ?
(a) Identify and add two new independent equations from process model
(b) Remove two equations that have been wrongly assumed to be independent
(c) Assign values of two variables in the process.
(d) Assign value to one variable and remove one equation that was
wrongly assumed to be independent.

41. A metal recovery unit (MRU) of intake capacity 5000 kg/hr treats a liquid product
from a plant and recovers 90% of the metal in the metal in the pure
form. The unrecovered metal and its associated liquid are sent to a disposal unit along

with the untreated product from the plant (see figure below). Find the flow rate (m6)
and the weight fraction of the metal (w6). The liquid product flow rate is 7500 higher
of composition 0.1 (wt fraction), Assume steady state.

(a) m6 = 7500 kg/hr, w6 = 0.0

(b) m6 = 7050 kg/hr, w6 = 0.04255

(c) m6 = 4500 kg/hr, w6 = 0.1712

(d) m6 = 5600 kg/hr, w6 = 0.0314

42. In the triangular diagram represented below for a batch separation process, a
stream F is mixed with a solvent B to produce products R and E. Substance A is the
carrier liquid and C is the solute to be extracted. The amounts of B ad E are 1 kg and
1.20 kg respectively. The length FM is 3.1 and length FB is 8.5 units on the
figure. The ratio R/E is estimated to be

Note : Figure not to scale

(a) 1.285
(c) 0.751

(b) 2
(d) 2.5

43. A feed stream (S1) at 100 kg/hr and containing only A mixes with recycle stream
S5 before entering the reactor (see figure below), where the reaction A B takes
place. The operation is at steady state. The stream S3 leaving the reactor is separated,
without either phase or composition change, into two streams S4 and S5. If the mass
fraction of B in S4 is 0.95 and total flow rate of S5 is 10 kg/hr, then the ratio of flow
rates of streams (S3/S5), and the flow rate of A in S3 are, respectively.

(a) 11 and 110 kg/hr

(c) 11 and 5.5 kg/hr

(b) 24 and 240 kg/hr

(d) 70 and 330 kg/hr

GATE 2006
Statement for Linked Answer Questions 76 & 77 :
Solvent C is used to extract solute B selectively from, 100 kg/hr feed mixture
A+B in a steady state continuous process shown below. The solubility of C in the
raffinate and the solubility of A in the extract are negligible. The extract is distilled to
recover B in the bottom product. The overhead product is recycled to the
extractor. The loss of solvent in the bottoms is compensated by make up

solvent Sd. The total flow rate of the solvent stream S going to the extractor is 50
kg/hr. The mass fractions (Xis) of some selected streams are indicated in the figure
below.

76. Distillation bottoms flow rate W and solvent dosing rate Sd in kg/hr are
(A) W = 50, Sd = 50

(B) W = 100, Sd = 20

(C) W = 10, Sd = 50

(D) W = 50, Sd = 10

77. Feed rate E to the distillation column and overhead product rate T in kg/hr are
(A) E = 90, T = 40

(B) E = 80, T = 40

(A) E = 90, T = 50

(B) E = 45, T = 20

GATE 2007

Statement for Linked Answer Questions 78 & 79 :

78.
A simplified flowsheet is shown in the figure for production
of ethanol from ethylene. The conversion of ethylene in the
reactor is 30% and the scrubber following the reactor completely
separates ethylene (as top stream) and ethanol and water as
bottoms. The last (distillation) column gives an ethanol-water
azeotrope (90 mol% ethanol) as the final product and water as
waste. The recycle to purge ratio is 34.

The reaction is :

C2H4 (g) + H2O (g)

C2H5OH (g)

For an azeotrope product rate of 500 mols/hr, the recycle

gas flowrate in mols/hr is
A) 30

B) 420

C) 1020

D) 1500

79.
For the same process, if fresh H2O feed to the reactor
is 600 mol/hr and wash water for scrubbing is 20% of the
condensables coming out of the reactor, the water flowrate in
mols/hr from the distillation column as bottoms is
A) 170

B) 220

C) 270

D) 430

Statement for Linked Answer Questions 80 & 81 :

80.
44 kg of C3H8 is burnt with 1160 kg of air (Mol. Wt. = 29)
to produce 88 kg of CO2 and 14 kg of CO
C3H8 + 5 O2 = 3 CO2 + 4 H2O
What is the percent excess air used ?
A) 55
81.

B) 60

C) 65

D) 68

What is the % carbon burnt ?

A) 63.3

B) 73.3

C) 83.3

D) 93.3

GATE 2008

31. Air (79 mole % nitrogen and 21 mole % oxygen) is passed

over a catalyst at high temperature. Oxygen completely reacts
with nitrogen as shown below ,
0.5 N2(g) + 0.5 O2(g) NO
0.5 N2(g) + O2(g) NO

(g)

2(g)

The molar ratio of NO to NO2 in the product stream is 2:1. The

fractional conversion of nitrogen is
A) 0.13
D) 0.40

B) 0.20

C) 0.27

32. A 35 wt% Na2SO4 solution in water, initially at 50C, is fed to a

crystallizer at 20C. The product stream contains hydrated
crystals Na2SO4.10H2O in equilibrium with a 20 wt%
Na2SO4 solution. The molecular weights of Na2SO4 and
Na2SO4.10H2O are 142 and 322, respectively. The feed rate of the
35% solution required to produce 500 kg/hr of hydrated crystals is
A) 403 kg/ha
kg/hr

B) 603 kg/hr
D) 1103 kg/hr

C) 803

33. 600 kg/hr of saturated steam at 1 bar (enthalpy 2675.4 kJ/kg)

is mixed adiabatically with superheated steam at 450C and 1 bar
(enthalpy 3382.4 kJ/kg). The product is superheated steam at
350C and 1 bar (enthalpy 3175.6 kJ/kg). The flow rate of the
product is
kg/hr

A) 711 kg/ha
D) 2051 kg/hr

B) 1111 kg/hr

C) 1451

34. Carbon black is produced by decomposition of methane :

CH4(g) C

(s)

+ 2H2 (g)

The single pass conversion of methane is 60%. If fresh feed is

pure methane and 25% of the methane exiting the reactor is
recycled, then the molar ratio of fresh feed stream to recycle
stream is
A) 0.9

B) 9

C) 10

D) 90

Common Data for Questions 71, 72 and 73 :

Methane and steam are fed to a reactor in molar ratio 1 : 2. The
following reactions take place,
CH4(g) + 2H2O(g) CO2(g) + 4H2(g)
CH4(g) + H2O(g)CO (g) + 3H2(g)

where CO2 is the desired product, CO is the undesired product and

H2 is a byproduct. The exit stream has the following composition
Species

Mole %

CH4

H2O

CO2

H2

CO

4.35

10.88

15.21

67.39

2.17

71. The selectivity for desired product relative to undesired product

is
A)
2.3
8

B) 3.5

C) 7

D)

72. The fractional yield of CO2 is

(where fractional yield is defined as the ratio of moles of the
desired product formed to the moles that would have been
formed if there were no side reactions and the limiting reactant
had reacted completely)
A)
0.7
3.5

B) 0.88

C) 1

D)

73. The fractional conversion of methane is

A)
0.4
0.8

B) 0.5

C) 0.7

D)

GATE 2009

4. A dehumidifier (shown below) is used to completely remove water

vapor from air.

Which ONE of the following statements is TRUE ?

A.

Water is the ONLY tie component

B.

Air is the ONLY tie component,

C.

BOTH water and air are the components

D.

There are NO tie components

5. Dehydrogenation of ethane, C2H6 (g) C2H4 (g) + H2 (g), is carried

out in a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). The feed is pure
ethane. If the reactor exit stream contains unconverted ethane
along with the products, then the number of degrees of freedom for
the CSTR is

(A) 1,
(D) 4

(B) 2,

(C) 3,

28. Pure water (stream W) is to be obtained from a feed containing 5

wt % salt using a desalination unit as shown below:

If the overall recovery of pure water (through stream W) is 0.75

kg/kg feed, then the recycle ratio (R/F) is

(A) 0.25
1.0

(B) 0.5

(C) 0.75

(D)

Common Data for Questions 55 and 56 :

A flash distillation drum (see figure below) is used to separate a

methanol-water mixture. The mole fraction of methanol in the feed
is 0.5, and the feed flow rate is 1000 kmol/hr. The feed is preheated
in a heater with heat duty Qh and is subsequently flashed in the
drum. The flash drum can be assumed to be an equilibrium stage,
operating adiabatically. The equilibrium relation between the mole
fractions of methanol in the vapor and liquid phases is y* = 4
x. The ratio of distillate to feed flow rate is 0.5.

55. The mole fraction of methanol in the distillate is

(A) 0.2
0.9

(B) 0.7

(C) 0.8

(D)

56. If the enthalpy of the distillate with reference to the feed is 3000
kJ/kmol, and the enthalpy of the bottoms with reference to the feed
is 1000 kJ/kmol, the heat duty of the preheater (Qh in kJ/hr) is

(A) 2x106
D) 2x106

(B) 1x106

(C) 1x106

GATE 2010

Q.32 A saturated solution at 30C contains 5 moles of solute (M.W.=50 kg/kmol)

per kg of solvent (M.W.=20 kg/kmol). The solubility at 100C is 10 moles of the
solute per kg of the solvent. If 10 kg of the original solution is heated to 100C, then
the weight of the additional solute that can be dissolved in it, is

(A) 0.25 kg

(B) 1 kg

(C) 2 kg

(D) 3.34 kg

Q.33 The products of combustion of methane in atmospheric air (21% O 2 and 79%
N2) have the following composition on a dry basis :

Products

Mole %
CO2

10.00

O2

2.37

CO

0.53

N2

87.10

The ratio of the moles of CH4 to the moles of O2 in the feed stream is
(A) 1.05

(B) 0.60

(C) 0.51

(D) 0.45

GATE 2011

Q. 31 Ammonia is synthesized at 200 bar and 773 K by the reaction N 2 +

3H2 2NH3. The yield of ammonia is 0.45 mol/mol of fresh feed. Flow sheet for the
process (along with available compositions) is shown below.

The single pass conversion for H2 in the reactor is 20%. The amount of H2 lost in the
purge as a PERCENTAGE of H2 in fresh feed is

(A) 10

(B) 20

(C) 45

(D) 55

Q. 32 The following combustion reactions occur when methane is burnt.

CH4 + 2 O2

CO2 + 2 H2O

2 CH4 + 3 O2 2 CO + 4 H2O
20 % excess air is supplied to the combustor. The conversion of methane is 80 %
molar ratio of CO to CO2 in the flue gas is 1 : 3. Assume air to have 80 mol % N2 and
rest O2. The O2 consumed as a PERCENTAGE of O2 entering the combustor is

(A) 20

(B) 62.5

(C) 80

(D) 83.3

GATE 2012

Common Data for Questions 50 and 51 :

The reaction A(liq) + B(gas) C(liq) + D(gas) , is carried out in a reactor followed by a
separator as shown
below

Notation :
Molar flow rate of fresh B is FFB
Molar flow rate of A is FA
Molar flow rate of recycle gas is FRG
Molar fraction of B in recycle gas is YRB

Molar flow rate of purge gas is FPG

Molar flow rate of C is FC
Here, FFB = 2 mol/s; FA = 1 mol/s; FB/FA = 5 and A is completely converted.
Q. 50 If YRB = 0.3, the ratio of recycle gas to purge gas (FRG /FPG) is
(A) 2

(B) 5

(C) 7

(D) 10

Q. 51 If the ratio of recycle gas to purge gas (FRG /FPG) is 4 then YRB is
(A) 3/8

(B) 2/5

(C) 1/2

(D) 3/4