CHEN 4470 Process Design Practice

Dr. Mario Richard Eden

Department of Chemical Engineering
Auburn University

Lecture No. 7 Overview of Mass Exchange Operations
January 31, 2013


Mass Integration
What is a Mass Exchanger?
Mass Exchanger
Outlet
Composition: y
i
out
Lean Stream (MSA)
Flowrate:L
j

Inlet Composition: x
j
in
Outlet
Composition: x
j
out
Rich (Waste) Stream
Flowrate:G
i

Inlet Composition: y
i
in
Mass Exchanger
A mass exchanger is any direct-contact mass-transfer
unit which employs a Mass Separating Agent (or a
lean phase) to selectively remove certain components
(e.g. pollutants) from a rich phase (e.g. a waste
stream).

Absorption, Adsorption, Extraction, Ion Exchange, .
Generalized Description
The composition of the rich stream (y
i
) is a function of
the composition of the lean phase (x
j
)




Dilute Systems
For some applications the equilibrium functions may be
linearized over the operating range



Equilibrium 1:4
* *
( )
i j j
y f x =
*
i j j j
y m x b = +
Special Cases
Raoults law for absorption




Henrys law for stripping





Equilibrium 2:4
0
*
( )
solute
i j
Total
p T
y x
P
=
*
i j j
y H x =
Mole fraction of solute in gas
Vapor pressure of solute at T
Mole fraction of solute in liquid
Total pressure of gas
solubility
0
( )
( )
Total
j i
solute
P
H y T
p T
=
Mole fraction of solute in gas
Mole fraction of solute in liquid
Henrys coefficient
Liquid-phase solubility
of the pollutant at
temperature T
Special Cases
Distribution function used in solvent extraction



Interphase Mass Transfer
For linear equilibrium the pollutant composition in the
lean phase in equilibrium with y
i
can be calculated as:


Equilibrium 3:4
*
i j j
y K x =
Solute composition in liquid
Solute composition in solvent
Distribution coefficient
*
i j
j
j
y b
x
m

=
Interphase Mass Transfer (Continued)
For linear equilibrium the pollutant composition in the
rich phase in equilibrium with x
j
can be calculated as:



Rate of Mass Transfer




Equilibrium 4:4
*
i j j j
y m x b = +
( )
( )
*
pollutant
*
y i i
x j j
K y y
N
K x x

Overall mass transfer

coefficient for rich
phase
Overall mass transfer
coefficient for lean
phase
Correlations for estimating overall mass transfer coefficients can be found in McCabe et al.
(1993), Perry and Green (1984), King (1980) and Treybal (1980).
Multistage Contactors
Multistage countercurrent tray column


Mass Exchangers I 1:2
Light Phase Out
Heavy Phase In
Light Phase In
Heavy Phase Out
Shell
Perforated
Plate (Tray)
Weir
Downcomer
Multistage Contactors (Continued)
Multistage Mixer-Settler System


Mass Exchangers I 2:2
MSA
out
Waste
in
MSA
in
Waste
out
Stagewise Columns
A generic mass exchanger






Schematic of a multistage mass exchanger

Modeling I 1:5
Mass Exchanger
Outlet
Composition: y
i
out
Lean Stream (MSA)
Flowrate:L
j

Inlet Composition: x
j
in
Outlet
Composition: x
j
out
Rich (Waste) Stream
Flowrate:G
i

Inlet Composition: y
i
in
1 2
n
N-1
N
y
i,1
=y
i
out
x
j,0
=x
j
in
x
j,1
x
j,2
y
i,2
y
i,3
y
i,n
x
j,n.1
x
j,n
y
i,n+1
y
i,N-1
y
i,N
x
j,N-2
x
j,N-1
x
j,N
=x
j
out
y
i,N+1
=y
i
in
Stagewise Columns (Continued)
Operating line (material balance)



The McCabe-Thiele diagram

Modeling I 2:5
y
out
x
in
y
in
x
out
L
G
( ) ( )
in out out in
i i i j j j
G y y L x x =
y
i
in
y
i
out
x
j
in
x
j
out
x
j
y
i
Operating
Line
Equilibrium
Line
L
j
/G
i
Stagewise Columns (Continued)
The Kremser equation
Isothermal
Dilute
Linear equilibrium





Modeling I 3:5
ln 1
ln
in in
j i i j j j j i
out in
j i j j j j
j
j i
m G y m x b m G
L y m x b L
NTP
L
m G
(
| || |

+
( | |
| |

(
\ .\ .

=
| |
|
|
\ .
Stagewise Columns (Continued)
Other forms of the Kremser equation

Modeling I 4:5
,*
,*
ln 1
ln
in out
j i j
i
out out
j i j j j i
j i
j
L x x
L
m G x x m G
NTP
m G
L
(
| || |

+
( | |
| |

(
\ .\ .

=
| |
|
|
\ .
,*
in
i j
out
j
j
y b
x
m

=
NTP
in out
i j j j j
out in
i j j j j i
y m x b L
y m x b m G
| |

=
|
|

\ .
Stagewise Columns (Continued)
Number of actual plates



Stage efficiency can be based on either the rich or the
lean phase. If based on the rich phase, the Kremser
equation can be rewritten as:



Modeling I 5:5
o
NTP
NAP
q
=
ln 1
ln 1 1
in in
j i i j j j j i
out in
j i j j j j
j i
y
j
m G y m x b m G
L y m x b L
NTP
m G
L
q
(
| || |

+
( | |
| |

(
\ .\ .

=

(
| |

+
( |
`
|
(
\ .

)
Differential (Continuous) Contactors
Countercurrent packed column
Mass Exchangers II 1:3
Light
Phase in
Heavy
Phase In
Packing Restrainer
Random
Packing
Heavy-Phase
Re-Distributor
Heavy
Phase Out
Packing
Support
Shell
Light
Phase Out
Random
Packing
Differential (Continuous) Contactors (Continued)
Spray column
Mass Exchangers II 2:3
Light
Phase Out
Heavy
Phase In
Light
Phase In
Heavy
Phase Out
Shell
Differential (Continuous) Contactors (Continued)
Mechanically agitated mass exchanger
Mass Exchangers II 3:3
Light Phase
Out
Heavy
Phase In
Light
Phase In
Heavy Phase
Out
Shell
Mixer
Continuous Mass Exchangers
Height of a differential contactor









Modeling II
y y
H HTU NTU =
x x
H HTU NTU =
*
log
( )
in out
i i
y
i i mean
y y
NTU
y y

( )
( ) ( )
*
log
ln
in out out in
i j j j i j j j
i i
in out
mean
i j j j
out in
i j j j
y m x b y m x b
y y
y m x b
y m x b

=
| |

|
|

\ .
Which Car is Cheaper?
Fixed cost: The car itself, i.e. body, engine, tires, etc.
Crash Course in Economics 1:5
$500 $21,000
Which Car is Cheaper? (Continued)
Annual Operating Cost (AOC): How much to run
and maintain the car.
Crash Course in Economics 2:5
$4,000/year $700/year
$ vs. $/year ???

We need to annualize
the fixed cost of the car
Which Car is Cheaper? (Continued)
Annualized Fixed Cost (AFC)





Total Annualized Cost (TAC)
Crash Course in Economics 3:5
Initial Fixed Cost Salvage or Resale Value
AFC
Useful Life Period

=
TAC Annualized Fixed Cost Annual Operating Cost = +
Which Car is Cheaper? (Continued)
Crash Course in Economics 4:5
Useful Life: 2 Years
Salvage Value: $200
AFC = ($500-$200)/2 yr = $150/yr
Useful Life: 20 Years
Salvage Value: $1000
AFC = ($21,000-$1,000)/20 yr =
$1000/yr
Which Car is Cheaper? (Continued)
Crash Course in Economics 5:5
TAC = $4,000 + $250 =
$4,250/yr
TAC = $1,000 +$700 =
$1,700/yr

Total Annualized Cost of Mass Exchange System
Fixed cost: Trays, shell, packing, etc.
Operating cost: solvent makeup, pumping,
heating/cooling, etc.



Driving Force
Minimum allowable composition
difference
Must stay to the left of
equilibrium line
Minimizing Cost of MENs 1:3
TAC AOC AFC = +
x
j
Equilibrium
Line
y
c
j
c
j
Practical Feasibility Region
Practical Feasibility
Line
x
*
j
= (y - b
j
)/m
j
Driving Force (Continued)
Minimum allowable composition difference at rich end
of mass exchanger
Minimizing Cost of MENs 2:3
Fig. 2.9. Minimum Allowable Composition Difference at the
Rich End of a Mass Exchanger
x
j
out, max
x
j
out, *
x
j
in
y
i
out
y
i
in
Operating
Line
Equilibrium
Line
x
j
y
i
c
j
When the minimum allowable
composition difference
j

increases, then the ratio of
L/G increases.

AOC increases, due to
higher MSA flow

AFC decreases, due to
smaller equipment, e.g.
fewer stages
Driving Force (Continued)
Minimizing Cost of MENs 3:3
0.0020 0.0030 0.0040 0.0050
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
Fig2.13. Using Minimum Allowable Composition Difference to
Trade Off Fixed Versus Operating Costs
0.0000 0.0010
c
$
/
y
e
a
r
TAC
Annual Operating
Cost
Annualized
Fixed Cost
Minimum Allowable Composition Difference,
OPTIMUM

Trade-off between
reducing fixed cost and
increasing operating
cost

Composition driving
force, becomes a
optimization variable
Next Lecture February 5
Synthesis of mass exchange networks part I
SSLW pp. 297-308
Other Business