Study Questions for
“Separation Process Principles” by
J. D. Seader and Ernest J. Henley
Chapter 12
1. For binary distillation, what assumption did Smoker add to the McCabe-Thiele assumptions to obtain an algebraic solution?
2. What assumptions did Murphree make in the development of his tray efficiency equations?
3. For which situations does the Murphree efficiency appear to be adequate: What are its deficiencies?
4. What unusual phenomena did Toor find for diffusion in a ternary mixture? Is a theory available to predict these phenomena?
5. Who developed the first practical computer program for vapor-liquid separations using a transport (rate-based) model?
Section 12.1:
6. In the rate-based model, is the assumption of phase equilibrium used anywhere? If so, where? Is it justified?
7. The rate-based model requires component mass-transfer coefficients, interfacial areas, and heat-transfer coefficients. How are the latter obtained?
Section 12.2:
8. What are component-coupling effects in mass-transfer rate equations?
9. Does the rate-based model account for the bulk-flow effect in mass transfer?
Section 12.3:
10. Can the rate-based model be applied to packed columns?
11. What is the Lewis number? What is it used for?
12. Are tray flow patterns important in the rate-based model? What are the ideal flow-pattern models?
Section 12.5:
13. What method is used to solve the set of nonlinear equations for the rate-based model?
