CN3135 PYP Sem 1, 2010/2011

Question 1.
(a) From table 2-8 (P58), TLV-TWA for nitrogen dioxide in the unit of ppm
ppm
ppm
Source term model: vapor flow from an orifice
From P133, for nitrogen dioxide, which is a triatomic gas,
.
Assume the flow is choked,
.

choked

From question, P0 = 105 bar = .

Thus,
.
.

Pa
.

Pa.

An external pressure less than 805.28 psia will result in choked flow through the
leak. Because the external pressure is atmospheric in this case, choked flow is
expected and Equation (4-50) applies.

The discharge coefficient

is assumed to be 1.0. Also,

. mm
.

.
.

,
.

J/g-mol K
kg m/s 2 /N
kg/g-mol
g/g-mol
.
kg/s
Box model
Use equation 3-9

Therefore,
ppm

From Table (3-12), for excellent ventilation and a vapour concentration of 10ppm,

.
Therefore,

.

g/g-mol

J/g-mol K

. m3 /s
(b) From Probit model, to get a 1% probability of death, Y=2.67
Probit variable Y
For nitrogen dioxide deaths
.

Therefore,

.
.
when the ventilation fan only delivers 10% of the required ventilation rate,

We could notice the QV is 1/10 as before, and k decrease from 1/6 to 1/8

ppm
Therefore,
. mins
(c) A. Suggest workers to wear proper PPE.
B. Install an alarm to remind technicians when the ventilation fan is faulty.
C. Install spare ventilation fan to guarantee the ventilation system runs well.
D. Re-design the laboratory layout and arrange the equipment properly so that the
condition of ventilation stay excellent.
(d) The nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons will form photochemical smog under the
influence of sunlight, NOx + uv + VOC NO + ozone, PAN, acrolein, which would
cause severe eye irritants and it also destroys lung tissue and chlorophyll in plants.
SO2 and NOx could react with water vapor in the air in the presence of oxidising
agents to form sulphuric and nitric acids. This would cause acid rain. This is
corrosive to structures and highly damaging to forest and fresh water ecosystems.

Question 2
(a) A gaseous mixture of CH4 and CO leaks from the storage tanks suddenly, puff model
is chosen.
From P190,
The puff concentration directly downind along the cloud centerline is given by
equation (5-41)

, , ,

kg as given in the question

This happened on a clear night with 2m/s wind speed, stability class is F from table 51 to be more conservative.
For stability class E puff, from Table 5-3,
.
.
.
.
The mole fractions on a fuel-only basis are calculated in the following table. The UFL
data are obtained from appendix B.
Mass
Mole
Mole fraction
UFLi (vol. %)
CH4
160
10
66.7%
15.0
CO
140
5
33.3%
74
Equation (6-2) is used to determin the LFL of the mixture:

% by volume total combustibles

Convert to concentration units (see example 7-10, P341, but note the molar volume is
24.0 m3/kmol for 25C, instead of 22.4 for 0C)

.
.

m3 mixture
m3 air
g/m3
.

g-mol mixture
m3 mixture
3
kg/m

. %
. % g mixture
g-mol mixture

Thus,

Solve for x,

, , ,
. m

Therefore,

(b) The mole fractions on a fuel-only basis are calculated in the following table. The LFL
data are obtained from appendix B.
Mass
Mole
Mole fraction
LFLi (vol. %)
CH4
160
10
66.7%
5.3
CO
140
5
33.3%
12.5
Equation (6-2) is used to determin the LFL of the mixture:

% by volume total combustibles

Convert to concentration units (see example 7-10, P341, but note the molar volume is
24.0 m3/kmol for 25C, instead of 22.4 for 0C)


.
.

g-mol mixture
m3 mixture
m3 mixture
m3 air
3
3
.
kg/m
g/m

. %
. % g mixture
g-mol mixture

For the isopleth,

, , ,
, , ,
when

. m,

Therefore, the radius of the cloud

.

.
Therefore, the diameter of the cloud is 25.42 m.
(c) When the concentration equals LFLmix

Solve for x,

.
Therefore, x = 1431.28 889.9 = 541.38 m.

, , ,

No. The toxic effects of this cloud must also be considered. The cloud contains CO,
which is a gas would cause people to have respiratory problems. To be more
conservative, all the people should stay further away where the concentration of CO
is smaller than its TLV value.

Question 3
(a) Refer to the following figure

(b) Control system failures contains B, C; Protective system failures contain A, D, and E.
Fault tree:

(c)
(d) T = (0.6 + 0.1 + 0.2)(0.05 + 0.01) = 0.054.
(e) There are several considerations we need to take account when we proof-test. (1)
What is the failure rate? If it is very high, we should consider to test. (2) What is the
repair time? If it is very difficult to repair, i.e. repair time is long, we should consider
to test. (3) What is the expenditure of a new component? If it is very expensive, we
should consider to test to reduce the costs.
Since we dont have enough information, I would recommend testing on the agitator
motor and temperature sensor/transmitter.