THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING: LEVEL CD EXAMINATION

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING

CIVL1012 Environmental Engineering and Fluid Mechanics

DATE: December 21,2012 TIME: 2:30- 5:30p.m. (3 hours)

Sections A and B carry 50 marks each. Use a separate answer book for each section.

Use of Electronic Calculators:

Only approved calculators as announced by the Examinations Secretary can be used in this
examination. It is candidates' responsibility to ensure that their calculator operates satisfactorily,
and candidates must record the name and type of the calculator used on the front page of the
examination script.

Section A (Environmental Engineering)

Answer ANY (and ONLY) 25 out of the following 30 questions, all of which carry equal marks.

conversion factors: 1 W= 1 J/s, 1 cal=4.18J

atomic weights: H 1; C 12;N 14; 0 16; S 32; P 31;Ca40;Mg24.3;andA127.

1. What is the closest value ofk (reaction rate constant) for a wastewater sample which has a BOD2 of 130
mg/1 and a BOD5 of200 mg/1: (a) 0.2, (b) 0.3, (c) 0.4, or (d) 0.5.
2. A room with volume 500 m3 has 50 smokers in it, each smoking two cigarettes per hour. An individual
cigarette emits about 1.4 mg of formaldehyde (HCHO). Formaldehyde converts to carbon dioxide with a
reaction rate coefficient ofK = 0.40/hr. Fresh air enters the room at the rate of 1000 m3/hr, and stale air
leaves at the same rate. Assuming complete mixing, what is the steady state concentration of
formaldehyde in the air at 25C: (a) 0.080 ppm, (b) 0.085 ppm, (c) 0.090 ppm, or (d) 0.095 ppm.
(Atomic weight: C 12; 0 16; HI)
3. Living organisms in nature store food in cells in the form of polysaccharides, of which starch is the most
abundant in plants and glycogen in animals. Polysaccharides have the chemical formula of (C 6H 10 0 5)no
where n is the number of repeated units. Based on this chemical formula, what is the closest estimate of
theoretical oxygen demand for each gram of starch: (a) 1.0 g, (b) 1.5 g, (c) 2.0 g, or (d) 2.5 g.
4. There are four sources of noise with respective levels of 68, 75, 79 and 84 db. What is the combined
level of these four noises: (a) 86 db, (b) 153 db, (c) 306 db, (d) 1223 db?
5. A 1000-MW coal-fired power plant in Hong Kong has an efficiency of33.3% with 15% of the waste heat
being released to the atmosphere as stack heat and the other 85% taken away in the cooling water. If the
cooling water is allowed a rise in temperature by 8.0C, what flow rate would be required, in m3/s: (a) 40.8,
(b) 50.8, (c) 60.8, or (d) 80.8.
6. The same 1000-MW coal-fired power plant, without air pollution control, would generate 216 t/d of sulphur
emissions. Assuming 85% efficiency of the sulphur emission control system, how many cubic kilometres of
clean air volume will be required daily for dilution in order to meet the air quality objective of 80 f1g/m3
sulphur dioxide: (a) 8.1, (b) 81, (c) 810, or (d) 8100. (Atomic weight: S 32,0 16).
7. Which oue of the following descriptions of aluminum is false: (a) an element rich in soil, (b) tri-valent
aluminum ion is toxic, (c) it is an element crucial to many enzymatic activities, (d) many minerals rich in
aluminum have buffering capacity at low pH.
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8. Calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+) and aluminum (All+) are among the most common cations found in
groundwater. Which of the following waters has the highest degree of hardness as expressed by CaC03
equivalent? Water (a) containing 100 mg/1 of Ca2+, or (b) containing 50 mg/1 of Ca2+ and 50 mg/1 of
Mg2+, or (c) containing 35 mg/1 of Ca2+, 35 mg/1 of Mg2+ and 35 mg/1 of Ai3 +, or (d) containing 50 mg/1
ofMg2+ and 50 mg/1 of Al 3+. (Atomic weights are: Ca 40; Mg 24.3; and Al27.)
9. Ammonia (NH3) dissolves in water forming NH/ and OIL The equilibrium constant for this reaction is
1.82 x 105 In order to remove NH/ from water by stripping, the pH of the water has to be adjusted. At
which of the following pH levels that over 99.8% ofNH/ becomes NH3 : (a) 10.5, (b) 11, (c) 11.5, or (d)
12.
10. A sample of groundwater has 100 mg/L of Ca2+ and 10 mg/L of Mg2+. (Atomic weights: Ca 40.1; Mg
24.3; C 12; 0 16). What are the hardness expressed in meq/L and mg/L as CaC03 : (a) 5.8 meq/L and 291
mg/L; (b) 2.9 meq/L and 291 mg/L; (c) 5.8 meq/L and 146 mg/L; or (d) 2.9 meq/L and 146 mg/L.
11. Which of the following elements is of least significance for the growth of living organisms: (a)
phosphorus, (b) nitrogen, (c) sulphur, or (d) bromide.
12. A wastewater is discharged into a river and mixed immediately with the river water. The river is rather
flat and straight with an average flow velocity of 0.1 m/sec. Just downstream from the discharge point,
the river has an ultimate BOD of 12 mg/L and a DO of 6 mg/L. The BOD degradation reaction rate (mg
0 2/L-d) can be described by d%t = -0.5L (L = BOD). Ifre-aeration and other processes are neglected,
from the discharge point the DO of the river would decrease to zero after about (a) 10,000, (b) 11,000 (c)
12,000, or (d) 13,000 m.
13. Nitrogen is municipal wastewater is mainly present in the form of organic-nitrogen or ammonia. Which
of the following statement regarding ammonia is false? (a) it can be stripped from wastewater by !owing
the pH, (b) it has a pungent odor, (c) it is highly toxic to aquatic life, or (d) its solubility in water follows
the Henry's Law.
14. Which one of the following descriptions for a secondary sewage treatment plant is false: (a) suspended
solids in the sewage accounted for over 1/3 of total BOD, (b) solids removed from the primary settling
tank are mostly mass of microbial cells, (c) sludge handling and disposal are as expensive as aeration, or
(d) chlorination of treated effluent is not required in Hong Kong.
15. Disinfection is the final treatment process in many water treatment plants. Although chlorination is the
most commonly used, there are many other disinfection processes being used. Identify the process in the
following which is not a disinfection process: (a) coagulation-flocculation, (b) reverse osmosis, (c)
ozonation, or (d) UV irradiation.
16. Activated carbon is effective for the removal of (a) bacteria, (b) Ca2+ and Mg2+, (c) Al3+ and Fe3+, (d)
organic pesticides.
17. Which one of the following statement regarding coagulation is false: (a) it always followed by the
flocculation process, (b) it always requires addition of chemicals, (c) it requires only a very mild mixing,
and (d) it is used for both water and wastewater treatment in Hong Kong.
18. Nearly all the wastewater collected at both sides of the Victoria Harbour is presently treated at the
Stonecutters Wastewater Treatment Works using a chemical enhanced primary treatment (CEPT)
process. What is the chemical used currently in this process: (a) ferric chloride, (b) aluminium sulfate,
(c) calcium carbonate, or (d) calcium bicarbonate.
19. Which one of the following description is a false description of dissolved oxygen (DO) which is one of
the most critical parameter on water quality: its solubility in water decreases with (a) the increase of pH,
(b) increase of altitude, (c) increase of temperature, or (d) increase of salinity.
20. A reverse osmosis plant treats daily 5000 tons of feedwater containing 1500 mg/L of salt, and yields
3000 tons of product water with 75 mg/L of salt. What is the salt concentration in the rejected brine: (a)
3 600 mg/L, (b) 2600 mg/L, (c) 1600 mg/L or (d) 600 mg/L?
21. A typical coal burned in power plant has an energy content of about 24 kJ/g and an average
carbon content of about 62%. The emission standards limit sulfur emission to 260g of S0 2 per
million kJ of heat input to the plant (130g ofS per10 6kJ), and restrict particulate emissions to 13
6
g/10 kJ. Suppose the average plant burns fuel with 4% Sand 10% ash. About 90% of the ash is
released to the air and 10% settles as bottom ash. Assuming an energy conversion efficiency of
33.3%, how efficient must the sulfur emission control system be to meet the S emission
limitations: (a) 92%, (b) 90%, (c) 88%, or (d) 85%?

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22. For the above question, how efficient must the particulate control system be to meet the
particulate emission limit: (a) 99.9%, (b) 99.7%, (c) 99.5% or (d) 99.3%?
23. For the above question, what is the carbon emission for each kW-h of electricity produced: (a)
450 g-C, (b) 280 g-C, (c) 120 g-C, or (d) 76.4 g-C?
24. The concentration of a pollutant was reduced from 250 mg/1 to 125 mg/1 in 23 days at 25C
under 1 atm. To your best estimation, the degradation coefficient of this pollutant is about (a)
0.03 day" 1, (b) 0.05 day 1, (c) O.D7 day"\ or (d) 0.10 day" 1
25. Most people rely on surface water (i.e. water in rivers and lakes) for their fresh water supply. It
has been estimated that the Planet Earth has a total of 1.384xl 09 km3 water. Of which, how
many percent is the fresh surface water: (a) less than 0.01%, (b) O.Dl-0.05%, (c) 0.05-0.10%, or
(d) 0.10-0.50%.
26. An industrial wastewater (BODs = 1,000 mg/L, total nitrogen= 10 mg/L, flow rate= 1 Lis) is
discharged into a public sewer and mixed with domestic sewage (BOD 5 = 200 mg/L, total nitrogen
= 40 mg/L, flow rate= 1,000 m 3/d). What is the ratio ofBOD 5 to total nitrogen of the mixture: (a)
5:1, (b) 6:1, (c) 7:1, or (d) 8:1.
27. A wastewater is discharged into a river and mixed immediately with the river water. The river is
rather flat and straight with an average flow velocity of 0.1 m/sec. Just downstream from the
discharge point, the river has an ultimate BOD of 12 mg/L and a DO of 6 mg/L. The BOD
degradation reaction rate (mg-02/L-d) can be described by d%t = -0.5L (L = BOD). If re-
aeration and other processes are neglected, from the discharge point the DO of the river would
decrease to zero after about (a) 10,000m, (b) 11,000m (c) 12,000m, or (d) 13,000 m.
28. Stumm and Morgan found in 1981 that all algae have a common chemical composition as
Cw6H2630noNI6P. Based on this information, which of the following is false: A water body is
considered P limited if it has a NIP ratio (by weight) of (a) 16, (b) 12, (c) 10, or (d) cannot tell due
to insufficient information.
29. Based on the information in the last question, each gram (dry weight) of dead algal cells would
have a chemical oxygendemandof(a) 1.24 g, (b) 1.10 g, (c) 0.88 g, or (d) 0.65 g.
30. Which of the following statement is false? Groundwater often (a) contain calcium, (b) contain
chromium, (c) is cleaner than surface water, or (d) requires aeration as the first step of treatment
before being distributed to households.

Section B (Fluid Mechanics)

Answer TWO out of the following three questions.

Each question carries 25 marks.

Density of water= 1000 kg/m3

Kinematic viscosity of water = 1 x 10-6 m2/s
Acceleration due to gravity, g = 9.81 rn/s 2

1. (a) Water flows from a 10-cm diameter pipe to a 5-cm diameter pipe through a transition
section (see figure). Calculate the discharge (in m3/s) through the pipe when the water level
difference in the two piezometers is 30 cm. The piezometric height in the 5-cm pipe is 80
cm. (8 marks)

(b) Do you think the actual discharge through the pipe will be the same, lower or higher than
the value you calculate in (a)? Explain why you think so. (3 marks)
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 (c) Estimate the force which the flow exerts on the transition section. (8 marks)

(d) The Bemoulli Equation is written below in the pressure unit. Rewrite the equation in a
non-dimensional form using a characteristic length (L) and a characteristic velocity (V) of the
flow. Explain the meanings of the each term in the resulting non-dimensional equation.
Identify the relevant flow number in each term. Explain why the Reynolds number is not
involved. (6 marks)
p + ypu' + pgz = constant

t 30 cm
80cm
Q=?

2. (a) Name one instrument for each ofthe following measurements:

(i) wind speed in the field;
(ii) fluctuating flow velocity inside a wind tunnel;
(iii)discharge of water in an open channel. (3 marks)

(b) The following instruments can be used for discharge measurement in a circular
pipe: (i) venture meter; (ii) orifice plate; (iii) rotameter. Briefly describe their measurement
principles and discuss their advantages and disadvantages. (6
marks)

(c) Water overflows from a reservoir at a discharge Q down a spillway of height H. The
driving mechanism for the flow is gravity and the water level at the spillway crest is at a
depth h above the crest. Which flow parameter governs the similarity of this flow? How
will h change with Q? (8 marks)

(d) A 1:25 scale model is used to study the spillway flow in part (b). The prototype spillway
is 10 m tall and the discharge is 320 m 3/s. What value of discharge should be used in the
model so that dynamic similarity can be achieved? The velocity of water above the crest
of the spillway is measured to be 0.25 m/s in the model. What will be the corresponding
flow velocity in the prototype spillway? (8
marks)

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3. (a) A reservoir A discharges water to a lower reservoir B through a 3600 m long pipe of
diameter 600 mm. The flow is due to gravity and the difference in surface water levels in
A and B is 13 m. Reservoir A is now required to supply water also to a third reservoir C,
the water surface of which is 15 m below that of A. The discharge to C is to be made
from a 1200 m long branch pipe which is tapped from the 600 mm diameter main pipe
(from A to B) at a location 900 m from its entrance from reservoir A. What diameter
should be used for the branch pipe so that the discharges into both lower reservoirs (B
and C) will be the same?
(15 marks)

(b) Calculate the total discharge from reservoir A in part (b) while supplying water to both
lower reservoirs. What is the original discharge when A is supplying water to B only? (4
marks)

1200m
B
c

(c) A four-sided ring main ABCD has a supply of 0.5 m3/s of water at A and delivers to other
pipes at B, C and D where water is extracted at a rate of 0.33, 0.1; and 0.07 m%
respectively. The characteristics of all pipes (AB, BC, CD and DA) are given. Explain
briefly how you can estimate the discharges through each of the pipes in the ring? (6
marks)

QIN =0.5 0.33

A
,. B
QoA/;
QAB

\:c
.., Qco
0.07 D
0.1

2
[ Head loss equation for pipe flow: h1 = fl u ]
d 2g

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