Question 4.P.2: Nitrogen at 12 MN/m² pressure is fed through a 25 mm diamete...
Nitrogen at 12 MN/m² pressure is fed through a 25 mm diameter mild steel pipe to a synthetic ammonia plant at the rate of 1.25 kg/s. What will be the pressure drop over a 30 m length of pipe for isothermal flow of the gas at 298 K? Absolute roughness of the pipe surface = 0.005 mm. Kilogram molecular volume = 22.4 m³. Viscosity of nitrogen = 0.02 mN s/m².
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Molecular weight of nitrogen = 28 kg/kmol.
Assuming a mean pressure in the pipe of 10 MN/m², the specific volume, vm at 10 MN/m² and 298 K is:
vm=(22.4/28)(101.3/10×103)(298/273)=0.00885 m3/kmol
Reynolds number, ρud/μ=d(G/A)/μ).
A=(π/4)(0.025)2=4.91×10−3 m2.
∴ (G/A)=(1.25/4.91×10−3)=2540 kg/m2s
and: Re=(0.025×2540/0.02×10−3)=3.18×106
From Fig. 3.7, for Re=3.18×106 and e/d=(0.005/25)=0.0002,
R/ρu2=0.0017
In equation 4.57 and neglecting the first term:
(P2−P1)/vm+4(R/ρu2)(l/d)(G/A)2=0
or: P1−P2=4vm(R/ρu2)(l/d)(G/A)2
=4×0.00885(0.0017)(30/0.025)(2540)2
= 466,000 N/m² or 0.466 MN/m²
This is small in comparison with P1=12 MN/m2, and the average pressure of 10 MN/m² is seen to be too low. A mean pressure of 11.75 kN/m² is therefore selected and the calculation repeated to give a pressure drop of 0.39 MN/m². The mean pressure is then (12+11.61)/2=11.8MN/m2 which is close enough to the assumed value.
It remains to check if the assumption that the kinetic energy term is negligible is justified.
Kinetic energy term =(G/A)2ln(P1/P2)=(2540)2ln(12/11.61)=2.13×105kg2/m4s2
The term (P1−P2)/vm, where vm is the specific volume at the mean pressure of 11.75 MN/m2=(0.39×106)/0.00753=5.18×107 kg2/m4s.
Hence the omission of the kinetic energy term is justified
and the pressure drop =0.39 MN/m2