1987 – 1999 PYQ’s (CH)

1987 IIT Bombay

1. The reaction, A(g) + 2 B(g) → 2C(g) + 3D(g) with a standard heat of reaction, ΔHR′ =
−1000KJ/mole of A reacted, is carried out in a reactor in which the feed enters at 25∘ C and the product
stream emerges as a gas at 300∘ C. The feed consists of 100 moleA/hr and 250 mol B/hr. A is
completely consumed during the reaction. Calculate the heat transfer to or from the reactor, assume the
operation at approximately 1 atm.
Data: Specific enthalpies at 300∘ C
(Datum: Specific enthalpies of all components at 25∘ C = 0 KJ/ mole.)
Components Specific enthalpies (K]/mole.)

A 9

C 10

D 12

1988 IIT Kharagpur

2. Dry methane is burned with dry air. Both are initially at 300 K. The theoretical flame temperature is 1570
K. If complete combustion is assumed, how much excess air was used? Data: Mean molar specific heat
values in J/mole K are CO2 = 51.8. H2 O = 40.2, N2 = 32.2 and O2 = 32.4
Standard heat of formation at 300 K = −8 × 105 J/mole − CH4 .

3. Exit gases from an ethylene oxide reactor had the following analysis (mole % on dry basis): ethylene 2.3,
ethylene oxide 0.9, nitrogen 79.0, oxygen 12.3 and carbon dioxide 5.5. Calculate
a) percent selectivity
b) percent overall conversion
c) air to ethylene mole ratio in the feed mixture.

2001 IIT Kanpur

 4. In a laboratory experiment pure methane is burnt with theoretical quantity of air. Only part of the methane
burns but the part that burns goes to CO2 and H2 O. If the methane and air are initially at 25∘ C and the
product leave at 400∘ C with water in vapor form, what % of the methane is burnt?
Data: for the oxidation of CO2 and H2 O (vapor) the standard heat of reaction ΔHR∘ = −802.9 KJ/mol of
CH4 reacted.
Specific enthalpies at 400∘ C in KJ/mole (Reference:
Specific enthalpy at 25∘ C = 0KJ/ mole)
O2 = 11.64, N2 = 11.13, CH4 = 17.22, CO2 = 16.43, H2 O = 13.2

5. The gases entering a reactor contain A and B in the mole ratio of 1:4. The mole ratio of these gases in the
exit stream from the reactor is 1: 4.25. What volume of the gas in m3 at STP must enter the reactor to
product 100 Kilo mole of product C per hour? The reaction is A + 3 B ⟶ 2C.

1990 IISc Bangalore

6. For the reaction A ⟶ B, the process flow diagram is shown in figure below. The fresh feed of A consists
of 0.5% of insert by volume. 60% conversion per pass of A fed to the reactor is obtained. The
concentration of insert going into the reactor at (1) 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).

7. Pure propane (C3 H3 ) is burnt with an excess of air to give the following analysis of combustion products
in volume percent: CO2 = 5.0, CO = 3.5, H2 O = 11.4, O2 = 7.0, N2 = 73.1 Calculate the percentage of
excess air used.

1991 IIT Madras

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

9. H2 S is produced from the reaction given below.

FeS + 2HCl ⟶ FeCl2 + H2 S
 120 kg of FeS react with 150 kg of HCl and 0.5 kmol of H2 S has been produced. The degree of completion
of the reaction is and the limiting reactant is

10. The heat absorbed for the isothermal reaction is given by C4 H10 ( g) ⟶ C2 H4 ( g) + C2 H6 ( g) at 298 K
and 1 atm.
Pressure is
KJ
Given standard heat of combustion in
mol
C2 H10 (g) = −2873.5, C2 H4 (g) = −1411.9
C2 H6 (g) = −1561.0

11. Nitrogen from a cylinder is bubbled through acetone at 1.1 bar and 323 K at the rate of 2 × 10−4 m3 /min.
The nitrogen saturated with acetone vapour leaves at 1.013bar, 308 K at the rate of 3.83 × 10−4 m3 /min.
What is the vapour pressure of acetone at 308 K is?

12. Limestone mixed with coke is being burnt in a 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 calcinations of CaCO3 is only 95% complete and that of MgCO3 is 90%. The carbon in the
coke is completely burnt to CO2 . The kiln is fed with 1 Kg of coke per 5 Kg limestone. Calculate weight
percentage CaO in the product leaving the kiln.

1992 IIT Delhi

13. Fill in the blanks

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 1 Kg of solution A required is _ _ _ _ _ _

14. 1.2 grams atoms of carbon and 1.5 grams moles of oxygen are reacting to give 1 gram mole of carbon
dioxide. The limiting reactant is _ _ _ _ _ _. The percent excess reactant supplied is _ _ _ _ _ _.

15. A multiple effect evaporator has a capacity to process 4000 kgs of solid caustic soda per day when it is
concentrating iron from 10% to 25% solids. The water evaporated in kg per day is
(A) 600
(B) 24000
(C) 60000
(D) 48000
 16. For a single component, two phase mixture the number of independent variable properties are
(A) 2
(B) 1
(C) 0
(D) 3

17. The concentration of SO2 in the flue gases from a boiler was found to be 0.2Kg/m3 at N.T.P. Determine
the concentration of SO2 in parts per million by volume at N.T.P. (Assume the gases are perfect.)

18. The analysis of the gas entering the secondary converter in a contact sulphuric acid plant is
4%SO2 ; 13%O2 and 83% N2
(volume %). In the converter SO2 is oxidized to SO3 . The gases leaving the converter contain 0.45%SO2
on an SO3 free basis (volume %). Calculate the percentage conversion of SO2 .

19. Dry methane is burned with dry air. Bothe are at 25∘ C initially. The flame temperature is 1300∘ C. If
complete combustion is assumed, how much excess air is being used? The reaction is given below
CH4 + 2O2 ⟶ CO2 + 2H2 O.
Standard heat of reaction = −8 × 105 J/molCH4
Mean molar specific heats of gases between 25∘ C and 1300∘ C are in J/mol − K are:

CO2 = 51.88; H2 O = 40.5; O2 = 34.01, N2 = 32.21

1993 IIT Bombay

20. Methane is completely burned with air. The maximum possible volume percent of carbon dioxide (on dry
basis) in the flue gas is
(A) 11.7
(B) 21
(C) 44
(D) 28

21. 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 in Kg / 100 Kg of water is
(A) 80
(B) 50
(C) 40
(D) 20
1994 IIT Kharagpur

22. A supersaturated solution of a sparingly soluble solute, at a concentration of C, is being fed to a crystallizer
at a volumetric flow rate of V. The solubility of the solute is Cg . The output rate of solids from an efficient
crystallizer is

23. The heat of reaction at 300 k and at one atmosphere pressure for the following gas phase reaction, A +
3 B → 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 × 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.

1995 IIT Kanpur

24. An evaporator while concentrating an aqueous solution from 10 to 40% solids evaporate 30,000Kg of
water. The amount of solid handled by the system in Kg is
(A) 4000
(B) 9000
(C) 4600
(D) 3000

25. 1000 Kg of wet solid 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

26. Assume the CO2 obeys perfect gas law, calculate the density of CO2 (in Kg/m3 ) at 263∘ C and 2 atm.
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4

27. Pure O2 is mixed with air to produce an enriched air containing 50 volumes % of O2 . The ratio of moles
of air to O2 used is
(A) 1.72
 (B) 0.58
(C) 0.5
(D) 0.2

28. Methanol is produced by the reaction of CO with H2 CO + H2 → CH2 OH; Only 15% of carbon monoxide
entering the reactor is converted to methanol. The methanol formed is condensed and recovered
completely. The un-reacted CO and H2 are recycled back to the reactor. The feed will contain H2 and CO
in the ratio of 2: 1. For 3200Kg/hr of methanol produced, calculate
a) Kg mole/hr. of fresh feed.
b) Kg mole/hr of recycle feed.

29. The Orsat analysis of a flue gas is CO2 = 12.7%: O2 = 7.1%: N2 = 80.2%. Determine the percentage
excess air used in the combustion. The nitrogen present in the flue gas is contributed by air only.

30. Pure CO is mixed with 100% excess air and burnt. Only 80% of CO burns. The reactants are at 100∘ C
and the products are at 300∘ C. Calculate the amount of heat added or removed per Kg mole of CO fed to
the reactor. Mean molal specific heat between 25∘ C and T ∘ C (givenbelow) in KJ/Kg mole K are
at T = 100∘
CO = 29.22 O2 = 29.64 N2 = 29.17
At T = 300∘ C
CO = 30.61 CO2 = 43.77 O2 = 30.99 N2 = 29.66
Standard heat of formation at 25∘ C in KJ/Kg mole is
CO = −110524; CO2 = −393514

31. Bituminous coal with a calorific value of 20000KJ/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 67% carbon and 33% ash.

1996 IISc Bangalore

32. The reaction A + B → C Has been conducted in a reactor as shown below

A) The numbers of boundaries around which material balance can be written is/are
(A) 1
(B) 6
 (C) 3
(D) 4

B) The number of independent balances (material) that can be made around the reactor is /are
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4

33. 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

34. A hydrocarbon is burnt with excess air. The Orsat analysis of the flue gas shows 10.81%CO2 , 3.78%O2
and 85.40% N.Calculate the atomic ratio of C: H in the hydrocarbon and the % excess air.

35. Methanol vapour can be converted into formaldehyde by the following reaction scheme: The fresh feed
to the process was 0.5Kgmol/h of 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
recycle methanol. The recycle flow rate of methanol was 1Kgmol/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.

1997 IIT Madras

36. Flow sheet is given in figure. If the single-pass conversion (once-through conversion) of A to B is 20%,
then the rate of recycle R (mole/hr.) is

(A) 300
(B) 400
 (C) 500
(D) 600

37. Sea water is desalinated by reverse osmosis as shown in figure.

Recycle R( kg/hr )

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

38. A feed at 1298 K. consisting of flue gas (CO2 , O2 and N2 ) and air, is passed through a bed of pure carbon.
The reactions that occur both go to completion.
CO2 ( g) + C(s) ⟶ 2CO(g), ΔHR∗ at 298 K = 170KJ/mole
O2 ( g) + 2C(s) ⟶ 2CO(g), ΔHR∗ at 298 K = −220.4KJ/mole
The combustion is adiabatic and the product gases exit at 1298 K. Calculate the required moles of CO2
per mole 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/mole. K)

C 0.02

O2 0.03

CO 0.03

CO2 0.05

39. Pure carbon is completely burned 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

1998 IIT Delhi

40. A liquid mixture contains 30% o-xylene, 60% p-xylene and 10% m-xylene (all percentages in w/w).
Which of the following statements would be true in respect of this mixture?
(A) The mixture-exhibits an azeotrope at 101.3 kPa.
(B) The composition of the mixture, in percent by volume is :o-xylene 30, p-xylene 60 and m-xylene 10.
(C) The composition of the mixture in mole percent is: o - xylene 30, p-xylene 60 and m-xylene 10.
(D) The mixture contains optical isomers.

41. Pure ethanol vapour is fed to a reactor packed with Alumina catalyst, at the rate of 100kmol/h. The
reactor products comprise: Ethylene 95kmol/h, water vapour: 97.5kmol/h and diethyl ether
: 2.5kmol/h. The reactions occurring can be represented by
C2 H5 OH → C2 H4 + H2 O
2C2 H5 − OH → C2 H5 − O − C2 H5 + H2 O
the percent conversion of ethanol in the reactor is:
(A) 100
(B) 97.5
(C) 5
(D) 2.5

42. A sample of well water contains 140 g/m3 Ca2+ ions and 345 g/m3 Na+ ions. The hardness of the sample
of water, expresses 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

43. 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,
(i) Calculate the quantity of pure makeup oxygen to be supplied, in kg/h, in steady state operation.
(ii) Draw a neat block diagram showing the major units, flows and compositions. And indicate the
envelope / boundary around which the requisite mass balance is are being made. The relevant reaction is
 represented by. 2C2 H4 ( g) + O2 ( g) → 2C2 H4 O(g)
[Assume atomic masses as: C = 12,0 = 16, H = 1 ].

44. 1000 kg/h of an aqueous solution of 20%Na2 CO3 is cooled gradually to t ∘ C, to crystallize out
Na2 CO3 . 10H2 O. The solubility of Na2 CO3 at t ∘ C is 2.1%. Calculate the percentage of Na2 CO3 recovered
in the form of crystals, (assume no loss of Na2 CO3 through the other liquor adhering to the crystals and
no carry over of crystals with the other liquor). Draw a neat block diagram showing the inlet and exit
composition and flow rates. [Molecular weight of Na2 CO3 can be assumed to be 106 and that of water to
be 18].

45. 1000 kg/h of a thermic fluid, to be used as a heat transfer medium, is being indirectly heated in a heater,
from 380 K to 550 K. Calculate the heat load on the heater, in kW. Also estimate the mean heat capacity
of the thermic fluid over the temperature range of interest. The heat capacity equation for the thermic fluid
is:
Cp = 1.436 + 0.00218 T, where Cp is in kJ/kgK, and T is in K.

1999 IIT Bombay

46. 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) 1.30
(C) 1.35
(D) 1.20

47. The vapour pressure of benzene and toluene are 3 and 4/3 atm. respectively. A liquid feed of 0.4 moles
of benzene and 0.6 moles of toluene is vaporized. Assume that the products are in equilibrium, the vapour
phase mole fraction of benzene is
(A) 0.4
(B) 0.6
(C) 0.8
(D) 0.2

48. CaCO2 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 dryer and leaves at 65∘ C 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 air
entering the drier can be varied, what is the minimum amount of dry air required? The constants for
 Antoine equation for vapour pressure of water in mm of Hg may be taken as A = 18.306, B = 3816.44
and C = −46.13.

49. 150 Kg of water us to be heated in a steam jacketed vessel from 25∘ C to 80∘ C. Steam is condensing at
120∘ C and the heat transfer area is 0.25 m2 . The heat transfer coefficients for condensation of steam and
heating of water by convection are 1000 W/m2 ∘ C respectively. Write the appropriate unsteady balance
equations and find the time required for heating the water. Assume that the specific heat of water in the
temperature range of interest is 4.18 × 103 J/Kg ∘ C

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

1
C2 H5 OH(g) + O2 ( g) → CH3 CHO(g) + H2 O(g)
2
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?
 1 Marks Questions (CH)

2000 IIT Kharagpur

1. 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%

2001 IIT Kanpur

2. 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

2002 IISc Bangalore

3. The number of degree freedom for an azeotropic mixture of ethanol and water in vapour-liquid
equilibrium is
(A) 3
(B) 1
(C) 2
(D) 0

4. Methane is mixed with stoichiometric proportion of oxygen and completely combusted. The number of
additional specifications required determining the product flow rate and composition is
(A) 0
(B) 1
(C) 2
(D) 3
2004 IIT Delhi

5. 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 < X < 0.64
(D) XM ≥ 0.64

2005 IIT Bombay

6. 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

2006 IIT Kharagpur

7. At a given temperature and pressure, a liquid mixture of benzene and toluene is in equilibrium with is
vapour. The available degree (s) of freedom is (are)
(A) Zero
(B) 1
(C) 2
(D) 3

2009 IIT Roorkee

8. 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
(B) 2
(C) 3
(D) 4
 9. A dehumidifier (shown below) is used to completely remove water vapour 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 tie components
(D) There are no tie components

2010 IIT Guwahati

10. An equimolar liquid mixture of species 1 and 2 is in equilibrium with its vapour at 400 K. At this
temperature, the vapour pressure of the species is P1 ,Sat = 180kPa and P2 ,Sat = 120kPa. Assuming that
Raoult’s law is valid, the value of y1 is
(A) 0.3
(B) 0.41
(C) 0.50
(D) 0.60

2016 IISc Bangalore

11. A liquid mixture of ethanol and water is flowing as inlet stream P into a stream splitter. It is split into two
stream, Q and R, as shown in figure below.
The flow rate of P, containing 30 mass% of ethanol, is 100 kg/h. What is the least number of additional
specification(s) required to determine the mass flow rates and compositions (mass%)

(A) 0
(B) 1
(C) 2
 (D) 3

2018 IIT Guwahati

12. The ammonia (NH3) oxidation process occurs over a catalyst as

4NH3 + 5O2 → 6H2O + 4NO
Air is supplied such that oxygen (O2) is 20% in excess of that required for complete conversion of NH3.
The molefraction of O2 in inlet gas mixture (NH3 + air) is _ _ _ _ _ _ (rounded off to third decimal place)

13. The reactant (M) is converted into product (N) in the presence of catalyst in a fixed bed reactor. All the
flow rates (F, G, H, P and R) in mol/s and mole fraction of reactant (M) in these streams
(xF , xG , xH , xP andxR ) are shown in the diagram. The overall fractional conversion is

xG G−xH H
(A) xG G
xG G−xP P
(B) xG G
xF F−xH H
(C) xF F
xF F−xP P
(D) xF F

2021 IIT Bombay

14. The heat combustion of methane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen are P, Q and R respectively. For the
reaction below,
CH4 + H2 O → CO + 3H2

(A) P − Q − 3R
(B) Q + 3R − P
(C) P−Q−R
(D) Q+R−P
 2 Marks Questions (CH)

2001 IIT Kanpur

1. A butane isomerization process produces 70 kmol/h of pure isobutene. A purge stream, removed
continuously, contains 85% n-butane and 15% impurity (mol%). The feed stream is n-butane containing
1% impurity (mol%). The flow rate of the purge stream will be
(A) 3 kmol/h
(B) 4 kmol/h
(C) 5 kmol/h
(D) 6 kmol/h

2002 IISc Bangalore

2. 1 kg of saturated aqueous solution of a highly soluble component A at 600C is cooled to 250C. The
solubility limits of A are (0.6 kg A)/(kg water) at 600C and (0.2 kg A)/(kg water) at 250C. The amount in
kg of the crystals formed is
(A) 0.4
(B) 0.25
(C) 0.2
(D) 0.175

3. Fresh orange juice contains 12% (by weight) solid 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 amount of water removed from 1 kg fresh juice is
(A) 0.4
(B) 0.5
(C) 0.6
(D) 0.7

2003 IIT Madras

4. A sample of natural gas containing 80% methane (CH4) 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, H2O: 15.6, N2: 72.60
(B) CO2: 7.42, CO: 1.86, O2: 4.64, N2: 86.02
(C) CO2: 6.39, CO: 1.60, O2: 3.99, H2O: 15.9, N2: 72.06
 (D) CO2: 7.60, CO: 1.90, O2: 4.75, N2: 85.74

5. Na2SO4.10H2O crystals are formed by cooling 100 kg of 30% by weight aqueous solution of Na2SO4 the
final concentration of the solute in the solution 10%. The weight of crystals is
(A) 20
(B) 32.2
(C) 45.35
(D) 58.65

6. Air at a temperature of 200C and 750 mm Hg pressure has a relative humidity of 80%. What is its
percentage humidity? Vapour pressure of water at 200C is 17.5 mmHg.
(A) 80.38
(B) 80
(C) 79.62
(D) 78.51

7. An aqueous solution of 2.45% by weight H2SO4 has a specific gravity of 1.011. The composition
expressed in normality is
(A) 0.200
(B) 0.2528
(C) 0.5000
(D) 0.5055

8. 6gm of carbon is burnt with an amount of air containing 18g oxygen. The product contains 16.5g CO2
and 2.8g 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%

2004 IIT Delhi

5000
9. The vapour pressure of water is given by ln(Psat ) = A − , where A is a constant, Psat is vapour
T
pressure in atm and T is temperature in kelvin. The vapour pressure of water in atm at 500C is
approximately
(A) 0.07
(B) 0.09
(C) 0.11
 (D) 0.13

10. The number of degrees of freedom for an azeotropic mixture in a two-component vapour-liquid
equilibrium is/are
(A) Zero
(B) One
(C) Two
(D) Three

11. A vessel of volume 1000m3 contains air which is saturated with water vapour. The total pressure and
temperature are 100 kPa and 200 C, respectively. Assuming that the vapour pressure of water at 200 C is
2.34 kPa, the amount of water vapour (in kg) in the vessel is approximately
(A) 17
(B) 20
(C) 25
(D) 34

Common Data for

Questions 12 & 13

1 mol of methane undergoes complete combustion in a stoichiometric amount of air. The reaction proceeds
CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2 O Both the reactants and the products are in gas phase.
0
ΔH298 = −730/molof methane

12. If the average specific heat of all the gases/vapour is 40 J/(mol-K), the maximum temperature rise of the
exhaust gases in 0C would be approximately equal to
(A) 1225
(B) 1335
(C) 1525
(D) 1735

13. If the average specific heat of all the gases/vapour is 40 J/(mol-K), the maximum temperature rise of the
exhaust gases in 0C would be approximately equal to
(A) 0.19
(B) 0.33
(C) 0.40
(D) 0.67
 14. 80 kg of Na2SO4 (molecularweight = 142) is present in 330 kg of an aqueous solutions. The solution is
cooled such that 80 kg ofNa2 SO4 .10H2 Ocrystals separate out. The weight fraction of Na2 SO4 in the
remaining solution is
(A) 0.00
(B) 0.18
(C) 0.24
(D) 1.00

2005 IIT Bombay

15. A feed stream (S1 ) at 100 kg/h 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 or S5 . If the mass fraction of B in S4 is 0.95 and total flow rate of S5 is 10 kg/h, then the ratio of flow
S
rates of streams (S3), and the flow rate of A in S3 are respectively.
5

(A) 11 and 110 kg/h

(B) 24 and 240 kg/h
(C) 11 and 5.5 kg/h
(D) 70 and 330 kg/h

16. A Metal Recovery Unit (MRU) of intake capacity 5000 kg/h treats a liquid product from a plant and
recovers 90% of 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
kg/h of composition 0.1 (wt fraction). Assume steady state.
(A) m6 = 7500 kg/h, w6 = 0.0
(B) m6 = 7050 kg/h, w6 = 0.04255
(C) m6 = 4500 kg/h, w6 = 0.1712
(D) m6 = 5600 kg/h, w6 = 0.0314
 Common Data for
Questions 17 & 18

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

17. 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

18. 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
(C) E = 90, T = 50
(D) E = 45, T = 20

2007 IIT Kanpur

Common Data for

Questions 19 & 20

44 kg of C3H8 is burnt with 1160 kg of air (molwt = 29) to produce 88 kg of CO2 and 14 kg of CO.
 C3 H8 + 5O2 → 3CO2 + 4H2 O

19. What is the percent carbon burnt?

(A) 63.3
(B) 73.3
(C) 83.3
(D) 93.3

20. What is the percent excess air used?

(A) 55
(B) 60
(C) 65
(D) 68

2008 IISc Bangalore

Common Data for

Questions 21, 22 & 23

Methane and steam are fed to a reactor in molar ratio 1:2. The following reactions take place,

CH4 (g) + 2H2 O(g) → CO2 (g) + 4H2 (g)

CH4 (g) + H2 O(g) → CO(g) + 3H2 (g)

Where, CO2 is the desired product, CO is the undesired product and H2 is a by-product. The exit stream has
the following composition:
Species CH4 H2O CO2 H2 CO
Mol% 4.35 10.88 15.21 67.39 2.17

21. The fractional conversion of methane is

(A) 0.4
(B) 0.5
(C) 0.7
(D) 0.8

22. 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
(B) 0.88
(C) 1
(D) 3.5

23. The selectivity for desired product relative to undesired product is

(A) 2.3
(B) 3.5
(C) 7
(D) 8

24. Carbon black is produced by decomposition of methane

CH4 (g) → C(S) +2H2 (g)
The single paas 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

25. A 35 wt%Na2 SO4 solution in water, initially at 500C is fed to a crystallizer at 200C. The product stream
contains hydrated crystals Na2 SO4 . 10H2 0in equilibrium with a20wt%Na2 SO4 solution. The molecular
weights of Na2 SO4 and Na2 SO4 10H2 Oare 142 and 322 respectively. The feed rate of the 35 wt% solution
required to produce 500 kg/h of hydrated crystals is
(A) 403 kg/h
(B) 603 kg/h
(C) 803 kg/h
(D) 1103 kg/h

26. Air (79 mol% nitrogen and 21 mol% oxygen) is passed over a catalyst at high temperature. Oxygen
completely reacts with nitrogen as shown ahead.
0.5N2 (g) + 0.5O2 (g) → NO(g) 0.5N2 (g) + O2 (g) → NO2 (g)
The molar ratio of NO to NO2 in the product stream is 2:1. The fractional conversion of nitrogen is
(A) 0.31
(B) 0.20
(C) 0.27
(D) 0.40
 27. 600 kg/h of saturated steam at 1 bar (enthalpy 2675.4 kJ/kg) is mixed adiabatically with superheated steam
at 4500C and 1 bar (enthalpy 3382.4 kJ/kg). The product is superheated steam at 3500C and 1 bar (enthalpy
3175.6 kJ/kg). The flow rate of the product is
(A) 711 kg/h
(B) 1111 kg/h
(C) 1451 kg/h
(D) 2051 kg/h

2009 IIT Roorkee

28. Pure water (stream W) is to be obtained from a feed containing 5wt% 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
(B) 0.5
(C) 0.75
(D) 1.0

2010 IIT Guwahati

29. The product of combustion of methane in atmospheric air (21% O2 and 79%N2 ) have the following
composition on a dry basis:
Product Mol%
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
 30. A saturated solution at 300 C contains 5 mol of solute (molecularweight = 50kg/kmol) per kg of solvent
(molecularwt = 20kg/kmol). The solubility at 1000 C is 10 mol of the solute per kg of the solvent. If 10
kg of the original solution is heated to 1000 C, 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

2011 IIT Madras

31. The following combustion reactions occur when methane is burnt.

CH4 + 2CO2 → CO2 + 2H2 O
2CH4 + 3CO2 → 2CO + 4H2 O
20% excess air is supplied to the combustor. The conversion of methane is 80% and the molar ratio of
COto 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%

32. Ammonia is synthesized at 200 bar and 773 K by the reaction N2 + 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%
2012 IIT Delhi

Common Data for

Questions 33 & 34

The reaction A(liq) + B(gas) → C(liq) + D(gas)is carried out in a reactor followed by a separator as shown in the
given figure:

Notation
Molar flow rate of fresh B is FFB .
Molar flow rate of A is FA .
Molar flow rate of Recycle gas (RG) isFRG . Mole fraction rate of B in recycle gas is YRB .
Molar fraction rate of Purge Gas (PG) is FPG . Molar flow rate of C is FC .
F
Here, FFB = 2mol/s, FA = 1mol/s, FB = 5 and A is completely converted.
A

33. If the ratio of recycle gas to purge gas FRG /FPGis 4, then YRB is
(A) 3/8
(B) 2/5
(C) 1/2
(D) 3/4

34. If YRB = 0.3, the ratio of recycle gas to purge gas FRG /FPG is
(A) 2
(B) 5
(C) 7
(D) 10

2013 IIT Bombay

 Common Data for
Questions 35 & 36

A reverse osmosis unit treats feed water (F) containing fluoride and its output consists of a permeate stream
(P) and a reject stream (R). Let CF , CP and CR denote the fluoride concentration in the feed, permeate, and
reject steams, respectively. Under steady state conditions, the volumetric flow rate of the reject is 60% of the
volumetric flow rate of the inlet stream, and CF = 2mg/LandCP = 0.1mg/L

35. A fraction f of the feed is bypassed and mixed with the permeate to obtain treated water having a fluoride
concentration of 1mg/L. Here also the flow rate of the reject stream is 60% of the flow rate entering the
reverse osmosis unit (after the bypass). The value of f, up to 2 digits after the decimal point, is
(A) 0.266
(B) 0.023
(C) 0.215
(D) 0.150

36. The value of CR in mg/L, up to one digit after the decimal point, is
(A) 4.25 mg/L
(B) 3.27 mg/L
(C) 5.25 mg/L
(D) 6.27 mg/L

2014 IIT Kharagpur

37. Carbon monoxide (CO) is burnt in presence of 200% excess pure oxygen and the flame temperature
achieved is 2298 K. The inlet streams are 250C. The standard heat of formation (at250 C) of CO and CO2
are −110KJmol−1 and − 390KJmol-1 respectively. The heat capacities (inJmol-1 K -1 ) of the components
are

Cpo2 = 25 + 14 × 10−3 T
CpCO2 = 25 + 42 × 10−3 T

Where, T is the temperature in K. The heat loss (in KJ) per mole of CO burnt is _ _ _ _ _ _.

38. Two elemental gases (A and B) are reacting to form a liquid (C) in a steady state process as per the
reaction. A + B → C. The single-pass conversion of the reaction is only 20% and hence recycle is used.
The product is separated completely in pure form. The fresh feed has 49 mol% of A and B each along
with 2 mol% impurities. The maximum allowable impurities in the recycle steam is 20mol%. The amount
of purge steam (in moles) per 100 moles of the fresh feed is _ _ _ _ _ _.
2015 IIT Kanpur

39. The schematic diagram of a steady state process is shown below. The fresh feed (F) to the reactor consists
of 96 mol% reactant A and 4 mol% inert 1. The stoichiometry of the reaction is A → C. A part of the reactor
effluent is recycled. The molar flow rate of the recycle stream is 0.3F. The product stream P contains 50
mol% C. The percentage conversion of A in the reactor based on A entering the reactor at point 1 in figure
(up to one decimal place) is _ _ _ _ _ _.

2016 IISc Bangalore

40. A jacketed stirred tank with a provision for heat removal is used to mix sulphuric acid and water in a
steady state flow process. H2 SO4 (l) enters at a rate of 4 kg/h at 250 C and H2 O(l) enters at a rate of 6 kg/h
at 100 C. The following data are available:
Specific heat capacity of water = 4.2kJkg−1 K −1
Specific heat capacity of aqueous solution of 40 mass%
H2 SO4 = 2.8kJ(kg solution)1 K −1
Assume the specific heat capacities to be independent of temperature.
Based on reference states of H2 SO4 (l) andH2 O(l) at 250 C, the heat of mixing for aqueous solution of 40
mass%
H2 SO4 = −650kJ(kgH2 SO4 )−1
If the mixed stream leaves at 400 C, what is the rate of heat removal (in kJ/h)?
(A) 1802
(B) 2258
 (C) 5762
(D) 6458

41. A catalytic reforming plant produces hydrogen and benzene from cyclohexane by de-hydroaromatisation.
In order to increase the production of hydrogen, the owner plans to change the process to steam reforming
of the same feedstock that produces hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Stoichiometrically, what is the
maximum ratio of pure hydrogen produced in the proposed process to that in the existing process?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 5
(D) 6

2017 IIT Roorkee

42. An aqueous salt solution enters a crystallizer operation at steady state at 250C. The feed temperature is
900 and the salt concentration in the feed is 40 weight %. The salt crystallizes as a pent hydrate. The
crystals and mother liquor leave the crystallizer. The molecular weight of the anhydrous salt is 135. The
solubility of the salt at 250C is 20 weight %. The feed flow rate required for production rate of 100kg/s of
the hydrated salt, rounded off to the nearest integer, is _ _ _ _ _ _ (kg/s).

2019 IIT Madras

43. A fractionator recovers 95 mol % n – propane as the distillate from an equimolar mixture of n – propane
and n – butane. The condensate is a saturated liquid at550 C. The Antoine equation is of the form,
B
ln(P sat [in bar]) = A − T[in K]+C, and the constants are provided below:

A B C
n – propane 9.1058 1872.46 -25.16
n – butane 9.0580 2154.90 -34.42

Assuming Raoult’s law, the condenser pressure (in bar) is _ _ _ _ _ _ (rounded off to one decimal place).

44. Consider the reactor-separator-recycle process operating under steady state conditions as shown in the
figure. The reactor is an ideal Continuous-Stirred Tank Reactor (CSTR). Where the reaction A + B → C
occurs assume that there is no impurity in the product and recycle streams. Other relevant information is
provided in the figure. The mole fraction of B(xB ) in the reactor that minimizes the recycle rate is _ _ _ _
_ _ (rounded off to two decimal places).
2020 IIT Delhi

45. A tank initially contains a gas mixture with 21 mol % oxygen and 79 mol % nitrogen. Pure nitrogen enters
the tank, and a gas mixture of nitrogen and oxygen exits the tank. The molar flow rate of both the inlet
and exit streams is 8mols −1 .
In addition, use the following data and assumptions
• Assume the tank contents to be well mixed
• Assume ideal gas behavior
• The temperature and pressure inside the tank are held constant
• Molar density of the gas mixture in the tank is constant at 40molm−3
If the volume of the tank is 20m3 , then the time (in seconds) required for oxygen content in the tank to
decrease to 1 mol % is
(A) 100.45
(B) 30.45
(C) 3.445
(D) 10

46. A feed stream containing pure species L flows into a reactor, where L is partly converted to M as shown
in the figure.

The mass flow rate of the recycle stream is 20 % of that of the product steam. The overall conversion of
L (based on mass units) in the process is 30 %. Assuming steady state operation, the-pass conversion of
L (based on mass units) through the reactor is
(A) 34.2%
(B) 30%
 (C) 26.3%
(D) 23.8%

2021 IIT Bombay

47. Formalaldehyde is produced by the oxidation of methane in a reactor. The following two parallel reactions
occur.

CH4 + O2 → HCHO + H2 O

CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2 O

Methane and oxygen are fed to the reactor. The product gases leaving the reactor include methane, oxygen,
formaldehyde, carbon dioxide and water vapor. 60 mol s-¹ of methane enters the reactor. The molar
flowrate (in mol s-¹) of CH4, O2 and CO2 leaving the reactor are 26, 2 and 4, respectively. The molar
flowrate of oxygen entering the reactor is _ _ _ _ _ _ mol/s

2022 IIT Kharagpur

48. Consider the process in the figure. The liquid phase elementary reactions

A+B→P −rB1 = k1 xA xB
P+B→S −rB2 = k 2 xp xB
S + A → 2P −rS3 = k 3 xS xB
Occur in the continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), where 𝑥j is the mole fraction of the jth component (j =A,
B, P, S) in the CSTR. It is given that k2 = k3. All process feed, process exit and recycle streams are pure. At
steady state, the net generation rate of the undesired product, 𝑆, in the CSTR is zero. As 𝑞=𝑥A/𝑥B is varied at
constant reactor temperature, the reactor volume is adjusted to maintain a constant single-pass conversion of
𝐵. For a fixed product rate and 90% conversion of B in the reactor, the value of 𝑞 that minimizes the sum of
the molar flow rates of the A and S recycle streams is _ _ _ _ _ _ (round off to one decimal place)
49. Consider the process flow sheet in the figure. An irreversible liquid-phase reaction A → B (reaction rate
−𝑟A = 164 𝑥A kmol m-3h-1) occurs in a1m3continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR), where 𝑥A is the mole
fraction of 𝐴. A small amount of inert, I is added to the reactor. The reactor effluent is separated in a perfect
splitter to recover pure 𝐵product down the bottoms and a 𝐵-free distillate. A fraction of the distillate is
purged and the rest is recycled back to the reactor. At a particular steady state, the product rate is100 kmol
h-1, the recycle rate is 200 kmol h-1 and the purge rate is 10 kmol h-1 Given the above information, the
inert feed rate in to the process is _ _ _ _ _ _ kmol h-1 (rounded off to twodecimal places).
2023 IIT Kanpur

50. An isothermal jacketed continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) operating at 150oC is shown in the figure
below. The cold feed entering the system at 30oC is preheated to a temperature T (T<150oC) using a heat
exchanger HX1. This preheated feed is further heated to 150oC using the utility heater HX2. The mass
flow rate and heat capacity are same for all the process streams, and the overall heat transfer coefficient
is independent of temperature. Which one of the following statements is the CORRECT action to take if
it is desired to increase the value of T?

(A) Increase both heat transfer area of HX1 and heat duty of HX2.
(B) Decrease both heat transfer area of HX1 and heat duty of HX2.
(C) Increase the heat transfer area of HX1 and decrease the heat duty of HX2.
(D) Decrease the heat transfer area of HX1 and increase the heat duty of HX2.

51. Burning of methane in a combustor yields carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and water vapor. Methane
is fed to the combustor at 100 mol.hr−1, of which 50 % reacts. The theoretical oxygen requirement (in
mol.hr−1) is _ _ _ _ _ _ (rounded off to one decimal place).

2024 IISc Bangalore

52. Methane combusts with air in a furnace as CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O. The heat of reaction 𝛥H𝑟𝑥𝑛 = −880
kJ per mol CH4 and is assumed to be constant. The furnace is well-insulated and no other side reactions
occur. All components behave as ideal gases with a constant molar heat capacity of 44 J mol −1 ℃−1. Air
may be considered as 20 mol% O2 and 80 mol% N2. The air-fuel mixture enters the furnace at 50 °C. The
methane conversion X varies with the air-to-methane mole ratio, r, as
X = 1−0.1 𝑒−2(𝑟−𝑟𝑠) with 0.9 𝑟𝑠 ≤ 𝑟 ≤ 1.1 𝑟𝑠
where 𝑟𝑠 is the stoichiometric air-to-methane mole ratio. For 𝑟=1.05 𝑟𝑠, the exit flue gas temperature in
℃, rounded off to 1 decimal place, is _ _ _ _ _ _

53. Consider the process in the figure for manufacturing B. The feed to the process is 90 mol% A and a close-
boiling inert component I. At a particular steady-state:
• B product rate is 100 kmol h−1
• Single-pass conversion of A in the reactor is 50%
• Recycle-to-purge stream flow ratio is 10 The flow rate of A in the purge stream in kmol/h, rounded off
to 1 decimal place, is _ _ _ _ _ _
 1 Marks Answer (CH)

1. D 2. B 3. B 4. A 5. B
6. B 7. A 8. C 9. C 10. D
11. B 12. 0.170 to 13. D 14. A
0.200

2 Marks Answer (CH)

1. C 2. B 3. D 4. B 5. D
6. C 7. D 8. B 9. D 10. B
11. A 12. D 13. A 14. B 15. C
16. B 17. D 18. A 19. C 20. D
21. D 22. A 23. C 24. B 25. C
26. B 27. D 28. B 29. D 30. C
31. B 32. A 33. A 34. B 35. A
36. B 37. 34.6 38. 10 39. 45.53 40. A
41. D 42. 200 43. 17.8 44. 0.10 45. B
46. C 47. 34 to 35 48. 3 to 3 49. 0.95 to 50. C
1.05
51. 199.5 to 52. 1720.0 53. 18.1 to
200.5 to 18.3
1730.0