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MP4D06
NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
SEMESTER 2 EXAMINATION 2009-2010
MP4D06 - CLEAN TECHNOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
April/May 2010

Time Allowed: 2 hours

INSTRUCTIONS
1.

This paper contains FOUR (4) questions and comprises FOUR (4) pages including
an Appendix.

2.

Answer ALL FOUR questions.

3.

All questions carry equal marks.

4.

This is a CLOSED-BOOK examination.

1 (a)

Industrial ecology is not limited to industrial production but to the actions of human
beings in mining, agriculture, forestry, fishery, construction, energy generation and
utilisation, transportation, product use and waste disposal, to name a few. What then
are the goals of Industrial Ecology?
(4 marks)

(b)

ISO 14000s Environmental Management System outlines a continual cycle of


planning, implementing, reviewing and improving the processes and actions of an
organisation as it realises its business and environmental goals. This can be achieved
through an environmental audit and environmental performance evaluation.
Briefly explain what each entails.
(4 marks)

(c)

A strategy for waste minimisation is to mitigate the impact of waste disposal. For
instance, more products can be made of bio-degradable materials such as starch.
Waste that is not bio-degradable can be disposed off in three environmentally
acceptable ways (i) composting, (ii) incineration and (iii) landfill.
List down the merits and drawbacks of each.
(8 marks)

Note: Question 1 continues on page 2.

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MP4D06

(d)

Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) evaluates the environmental impact of a product from its
design to end-of-life disposal.
(i)

What are the FOUR (4) primary phases of any LCA?

(ii)

In the life cycle of an energy system,

(4 marks)
(a)

what is a functional unit?


(2 marks)

(b)

primary energy carriers deliver energy which provide energy functions.


Give examples of energy carriers and energy functions.
(3 marks)

2 (a)

Describe and show the chemical reactions that lead to the formation of photochemical
smog.
(10 marks)

(b)

Derive and show that the efficiency of a gravity settler using the block model is
given by
LVt
=
HV
avg

where Vt is the particle terminal settling velocity due to gravity, Vavg is the average
gas velocity in the gravity settler, and L and H are the length and height of the gravity
settler, respectively.
(3 marks)
(c)

Based on the efficiency of the gravity settler as given in Part 2(b) above, derive the
efficiency for the electrostatic precipitator. It can be assumed that the resistance to
the electrostatic force for particle capture is the Stokes drag force.
Dust particles dispersed in an air stream are captured on the collection plates of an
electrostatic precipitator. The average horizontal air velocity through the plates is 1.5
m/s. The particles are 1 m in diameter and have a dielectric constant of 6.5. The
width of the collection plate that is aligned to the air flow direction is 2 m and the
distance from the wire to the plate is 0.15 m. The applied voltage to the wires is 40
kV. The permittivity of free space is 8.85 10-12 C/(Vm) and the dynamic viscosity
of air is 1.8 10-5 Ns/m2. Determine the efficiency of the electrostatic precipitator.
(12 marks)

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MP4D06
3 (a)

Derive and hence calculate the dry adiabatic lapse rate.


Given: g = 9.81 m/s2 ; for air, k = 1.4 and R = 287 J/kgK .
(6 marks)

(b)

Explain, with the aid of a diagram, how atmospheric inversion prevents the vertical
dispersion of air pollutants. Name the various forms of atmospheric inversion and
explain how the inversions are formed.
(6 marks)

(c)

An initially clean river connecting to the sea was dammed to create a fresh water
recreational area. Due to the increase in the depth of water and the removal of tidal
flushing of the river, it began to emit unpleasant odour in which H2S was a
component. In a good clear day with strong sun light (class A stability), the H2S
measured on the ground floor of a condominium, 0.4 km away from the river, was
0.065 g/m3 with a 2 m/s wind blown perpendicular to the river and towards the
condominium. If the river emission rate of H2S remained the same, what would the
H2S concentration be at the same location if the wind speed in the same direction is 1
m/s and the atmospheric stability is in the most unfavourable condition.
(13 marks)

4(a)

Describe, in detail, how the three major pollutants are formed and emitted from
automotive spark ignition engines.
(12 marks)

(b)

Surface water has to be pre-treated before it is used as feed water for an ultrapure
water primary treatment system. Describe, in detail, the processes to be carried out in
the pre-treatment system.
(13 marks)

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MP4D06
Appendix I
Equations:
Point Source on Ground Level
C ( x, y , z ) =

1 y 2 z 2
exp 2 + 2
u y z
2 y z
Q

Point Source at Elevation H above Ground Level (no reflection)


1 y 2 ( z H )2
Q
C ( x, y , z ) =
exp 2 +

2 u y z
z2
2 y

Point Source at Elevation H above Ground Level (with reflection)


Q
C ( x, y , z ) =
2 u y z

( z H )2
( z + H )2

y 2
+ exp

exp 2 exp
2
2
2
2
2

y
z
z

Line Source on ground level


C(x,z) =

z2
2Q
exp
2
2 u z
2 z

Line Source at Elevation H above Ground Level (with reflection)

Q
C ( x, z ) =
2 u z

( z H )2
( z + H )2
+ exp

exp
2
2
2 z

2 z

Table 1: Approximate Values of y and z as a Function of


Downwind Distance For Various Stability Classes In Metres
Distance
(km)
0.1
0.2
0.4
0.7
1.0
2.0
4.0
7.0
10.0
20.0

Stability Classes and y Values


A
B
C
D
E
27
19
13
8
6
50
36
23
15
11
94
67
44
29
21
155
112
74
48
36
215
155
105
68
51
390
295
200
130
96
550
370
245
180
880
610
400
300
1190 840
550
420
2150 1540 1000 760

F
4
8
14
24
34
64
120
200
275
500

Stability Classes and z Values


A
B
C
D
E
14
11
7
5
4
29
20
14
8
6
72
40
26
15
11
215
73
43
24
17
455
110
61
32
21
1950
230 115
50
34
500 220
77
49
780 360 109
66
1350 510 135
79
2900 950 205
110

End of Paper
4

F
2
4
7
11
14
22
31
39
46
60

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