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\te r

CHAPTER 9

Absorption
': fk

\'lj\

Hill

developedin Chapter8 The most common use of the massfransfercoeffcients processes like gas absorptionand is the analytical descriptionof large-scaleseparation liquid-liquid extraction. These mass transfercoefficientsdescribethe absorptionof a solutevapor like SOz or NH3 from air into water. They describethe extractionof waxes from lubricatingoils, the leachingof copperfrom low-gradeores,and the efficiencyof the distillation of xyleneisomers. they describehow fast theseseparations Mass transfercoefficientsare useful because which establishes the maximum a stepbeyondthermodynamics, occur. They fhusrepresent using diffusion coefficients, separations that arepossible.They are a stepshortof analyses enough are accurate basis.Mass transfercoeffcients which havea more exactfundamental equipment, and they providethe resultsfrom industrialseparation to conelateexperimental basisfor designingnew equipment. but to differentdegrees. areaffected by masstransfercoefficients All industrialprocesses what is called "differential is example of Gas absorption,the focus of this chapter, an Distillation, the focusof the directly on masstransfercoefficients. contacting"and depends "stage-wise is lessinfluenced and contacting" next chapter,is an exampleof what is called 11-12, may be Chapters by mass transfer. Extraction and adsorption,the subjectsof effectedin either differentialor stagedcontactors. is usually This understanding is the key to all fbur operations. absorption Understanding all terms. All chemistryand simple the ideascompletelyin algebraic cloudedby presenting everystepof limits areimplied ratherthanexplained.As a result,novicesoften understand we of the overallproblem. To avoidthis dislocation, the analysis but havea poor perspective and the liquid solvents to be absorbed begin,in Section9.1, with a descriptionof the gases that absorbthem. A few of theseliquids dependonly on the solubility of the gas; many of the gas. more liquids reactchemicallywith the components we turn, in Section9.2, to the physicalequipment Once this chemicalproblemis stated, of the by the fluid mechanics used. This physicalequipmentis simple,but it is constrained largely by gas and liquid flowing past eachother. Theseflows are complicated,described empirical correlations.The best strategymay be to follow the turnkey procedureto solve the fluid mechanics. In Section9.3 we turn to the simple caseof dilute absorptionand in Section9.4 to the parallel caseof concentrated absorption.For the dilute solution case,we assumea linear isotherm, that is, that a solute's solubility in liquid is directly proportionalto its partial case, pressurein gas. This leads to a simple analytical solution. For the concentrated we do not assumethe isotherm is linear and we recognizethat the liquid and gas flows changewithin the equipment. Now the solution requiresnumerical integration. These two sectionsmirror our earlier discussionof diffusion, where the simple case of dilute and more generalresultsin Chapter3. diffusion in Chapter2 gaveway to the concentrated case. Understanding the dilute caseis the key to the concentrated

245

246
9.L The Basic Problem

9 / Absorptiott

9l'T:,B.

pa is the lights' When you drive by a chemicalplant at night, the most impressive you can often see closely, more you look They outline every piece of equipment. When are described which columns, The tallestare the thin distillation threetypesof silhouettes. are the subject which columns, in the next chapter.The next tallestarethe fat gasabsorption with charged reactors, chemical are the of this chapter.Ironically, the shortestsilhouettes to make the desiredproducts. reagents This relative size has a moral: while the chemical plant would not exist without the the chemical reactors,the biggestexpense- the biggest equipment will often be in gas absorption, and on distillation centers equipment equipment.This separation separation is The analysisand the designof theseoperations the two most importantunit operations. centralto the entirechemicalindustry' than gasabsorption.I believethat this I havefound that distillation is betterunderstood ethanolfrom water: Disknowsthat distillationis how you concentrate everyone is because is for' few know what gasabsorption tillation is how you turn wine into brandy. In contrast, happens What gases? anyway?What liquids absorbthe What specificgasesare absorbed, environmental of increased to the lquids afterwards?I find this ignoranceironic because pollution, yet air concerns. Gas absorptionis the chief method for controlling industrial remain ignorantof its nature' interests many with environmental that we In this section,I want to begin to removethis ignorance'I want to list the gases I most often seekto removeand to give rough limits for the inlet and exit concentrations. without equations; want to explainwherethesegasmixturesoccur. I will do so qualitatively, one point now to make want I do later sections. in equations enough than more are there the cost of absorptionis usually log linear' It coststwice as about cost. ln thesesystems, tt much to remove 997oas it doesto 907o,and it coststwice as much to remove 99'97cas legislation' cost shouldbe a key in environmental doesto remove997o. Thts increasing

Prtrce.:

Ammrrntrn-.. C o a lS a . H r g hB t u ; .
LLr\\ BIu :- j

Ethrlenen-r.: F l u es l r d e . , . Hr drtrqen n'.. \atural sr. :: Orlde:ulu:. R e n n e qd e - , S rn g a : t , , r . --

9.1. The
:11\ture ilnd l - r.-h nprh ,n.
'''--"' t -""'t Lr.rffilCIi\ r- .l

- LrflCehIftltl-. l;rI. f\ tf.l I

::l!'ITed trr;. .: .' nlA\ ba I

::o,iuce rtrliJ

T h e r eS : : . il:. ,:ntrated
-:ihtrilte .

9.1.1 Which GasesAre Absorbed of acidicimpuritiesfrom mixedgasstreams' aimsat separation Mostgasabsorption (COz), hydrogensulfide(H2S),sulfur dioxTheseacidic impuritiesincludecarbondioxide of theseare CO2 and H2S, important ide (SOz),and organicsulfur compounds.The most sulfur compoundsinThe organic of five to fifty percent. which occur at concentrations with a sulfur atom alcohols which are like clude carbonyl sulfide (COS) and merceptans, for is responsible merceptan stink: For example,butyl in placeof the oxygen. Merceptans the stenchof skunks. Other impurities vary widely. One common impurity is water,which can be removed by either absorptionor adsorption. Another is ammonia (NH:), which is basic, rather (NO*) are of than acidic. Sulfur trioxide (SOr), prussicacid (HCN), and nitrogen oxides from some removed of their high chemicalreactivity. Oxygen must be concem because gas. to upgradenatural and nitrogencan be absorbed reagentstreams, The occurence of these streamsand the targetsfor their removal are summarizedin of H2S reflectsthe fact that fossil fuels' especially Table 9. I -l . The ubiquitouspresence more containlargeamountsof sulfur. Moreover,as the world becomes coal and petroleum, gas, which This is particularlytrue for SO2in flue the targetswill decrease. industrialized, o l ' a c i dr a i n . i s t h es o u r c e

l "i - , 1 . 1 . 1 1 1 p 11r1 -::llinC

-:'i*L

!rll_1 .

: \ \ J : . , i -

..-..::l\ 3 rl. Q ,r; '.-- . - ' j \ : \ \ r i j

rl)Itotl

9.1 / The Basic Problem

141

Table 9. 1- 1. Gas treating in major industrial processes

:-:-lights. :lensee -:..ribed - r' .ubject with .:_:e,i : 1 l r u tt h e .: rn the -.,'rption, S : : , r l i o n is , hitthis - . : i f :D i s . :r is fbr.
': nnenq ' 'l f r'""

Process Ammonia manufacture Coal gas High Btu gas Low Btu gas Ethylenemanufacture Flue gas desulfurization Hydrogen manufacture Natural gas upgrading Oil desulfurization Refinery desulfurization Syn gas fbr chemicalsfeedstock

Gasesto be removed co2, NH3, H2S

Common targets (7oAcid gas) <16 ppm CO2 500 ppm COz; 0.01ppm H2S 100ppm H2S <l ppm H2S, I ppm CO2 90Varemoval <O.lVcCO2 < 4 p p m H 2 S ; < l 7 oC O z 100ppm H2S l0 ppm H2S <500 ppm CO:;<0.01 ppm H2S

co2,H2s, cos
HzS H2S,CO2 SO: Coz H2S,CO2,N2, RSH HrS

co2,H2s, cos co2,H2s

9.1.2 What Are the Absorbing Liquids? The choice of a liquid absorbent dependson the concentrations in the feed gas mixture and on the percentremovaldesired.If the impurity concentration in the feedgasis high, perhaps ten to fifty percent,we canoften dissolvemostof the impurity in a nonvolatile, nonreactive liquid. Such a nonreactive liquid is called a physical solvent. If the impurity concentration is lower, around one to ten percent,we will tend to use a liquid capableof f'ast,reversiblechemical reactionwith the impurity. Such a reversiblyreactiveliquid is refened to as a "chemical solvent." If the impurity concentration in the feed is lower still, we may be forced to use a liquid that reactsirreversibly,an expensive alternative that may producesolid waste. Thesegeneralizations may be clearerif we considerthe caseof H2S. If we havea concentrated feed stream,we can dissolvethe H2S in liquids like ethyleneglycol or propylene carbonate, which are physical solvents. At lower feed concentrations of H2S, we would commonly use aqueoussolutionsof alkylamines. One common exampleis monoethanol amine H2NCH2CH2OH As you can see, this is like ammonia but with one proton replacedwith ethanol. Such species react reversiblywith acid gaseslike H2S, so their aqueoussolutionsare chemical solvents.Finally, if the HzS is presentonly in traces,we can removethesetraceswith an aqueous solutionof NaOH. This will producea wastestreamof NaHS, which is discarded. Gasabsorption processes producea liquid containinghigh concentrations of theimpurity. Ths commonly is removed- stripped- by heatingthe liquid so that the impurity bubbles out. Often, this removal is accelerated by pumping an inert gas - a sweep stream through the hot liquid. Recently,chemical companieshave been borheredby the high cost of heating the large volumes of absorbingliquids. To avoid thesecosts,they have begunusing absorbants whosechemicalreactivityis pressure sensitive.Because swingsin pressure can be lessexpensive than swings in temperature, I expectthe switch to pressure sensitive absorbants will continue. Both temperature and pressure swingsyield a concentrated impurity requiringdisposal. The disposal is againillustratedby the exampleof H2S. The H2S is normally strippedfrom

::ntental . . , : t \ r ny .et r - ihatwe I. ::.,ltCtnS


: .--lJtlOflS,

: lnl now tce as :- :.,r '-.tiasit


'.rt1tlO.

-:. .tfilllS.

diox-.:.rr - . , ; l dH 2 S , : .ndsin- ::rr atom , ' . i b l ef o r


,:' :i lllOVed

:-:.. rather , ,,areof


:: :ll SOme - ,:r-1zed in : . recially
'-';': lTOfe

. - : - .r i h i c h

248

9 / Ahsorption

Gos in Liquid oul

the bottomof the A gasmixtureenters towerusedfor gasabsorption. Fig. 9.2-I . A packed countercurrently, flowing liquid by is absorbed towerandflowsout the top. Partof'thismixture from toP to bottom. stream is burned: amines by heating; the concentrated HzS stream is split into two. The first
a

H2S +

io,

--, Soz* Hzo

This productgas is reactedcatalyticallywith the remainingH2S: SOz*2H2S+35+2H2O into solid sulfur, which can be sold. This "Claus process"has been The H2S is converted the key to sulfur recoveryfor almosta century. into a liquid' Thus gas absorptioncenterson removing an impurity from a gas stream for this equipment of design and analysis the will discuss ln the reit of this chapter,we liquids' nonreactive is, on that solvents, physical on will be entirely task. our discussion in absorption than less common times twenty almost is in physicalsolvents Gas absorption solvents physical on discussion our focus We liquids. chemicaliolvents,that is, in reacting they are much simpler;we will explorechemicalsolventsin chapter 16. because

EquiPment 9.2 AbsorPtion


in packedtowers at an industrialscaleis most commonly practiced Gasabsorption set on its end and a pieceof pipe like that shownin Fig. 9.2-I . A packedtower is essentially the tower trickles filled with inert materialor "tower packing." Liquid pouredinto the top of countercurrently down throughthe packing;gaspumpedinto the bottom of the tower flows effectsthe gas way this in achieved liquid gas and between contact upward. The intimate absomton. The mass Analyzing a packedtower involvesboth masstransferand fluid mechanics. the height of the packedtower' This detailedin the following section,determines transf'er, that often of the chemicalreactions asmolr flows, partly because masstransfri s described area the cross-sectional describedin this section,determines occur. The fluid mechanics, of as massflows, a consequence the is described of the packedtower. The fluid mechanics

ft-DcJ
f l f f , . - *

.-r:

;ll

h "

rE*
n{!H lry&6. pJltr-.-

:--

,trptton

9.2 / AbsorptionEquipment

249

P L--J
Raschig Ring Pall Ring

%@
A \4
Bing Nunsr

@@
- .,f the -::iUrrently,

goalsof the conflictng packing.Thesepackings aim to resolve Fig. 9.2-2.Sx typesof random fast flow and largeinterfacialareas.

physics that control the process. To describe the physics, we discuss the tower packing, the flows themselves, and the estimation of the tower's cross section.

:' burned: :--.

9.2.1 Tower Packing in the packedtower is dominatedby the inert materialin the The fluid mechanics packedtower. This material can be small piecesdumped randomly or larger structures carefully stackedinside the tower. Randompacking is cheaperand more common; strucbut more efficient. The efficiencyis typically improvedby ruredpackingis more expensive aroundthirty percent,a significantgain when producingcommodity chemicalsat very low packingsvary widely, we will stressthe more common structured margins. Still, because randompackingshere. Typical random packings, shown in Fig.9.2-2, replacethe crushedmaterial used in early chemical processing. These packings try to permit both high fluid flow and high interfacialarea betweenthe gas and the liquid. These goals are in conflict: High fluid flow implies a few large channelsthrough the tower, and high interfacial area requires with eighty years developed many small channels.Thus tower packingsare compromises, as firstdescribed Berl saddles are the Raschigrings and the of empiricism. Sometimes, Nutter generation. and the andPall rings aresecond packings, the Intalox saddles _seneration All aim at the samegoal: fast flow with big area. rings are third generation. 9.2.2 Tower Flui.d Mechanics The liquid and gas flows throughtheserandompackingscannotbe arbitrarily set but mustrestwithin a narrow,empiricallydefinedrange.To seewhy this rangeis important, imagineyou havea tall glassfilled with ice. You blow air into the bottomof theglassthrough a straw,and you pour cola into the glassat the sametime. You watch what happens. If you pour the cola at a very slow rate,it won't flow evenly downwardthroughthe ice but will run down in only a few places. Such a flow, called "channeling,"occurs when the gas or liquid flow is much greaterat some points than at others. Such channelingis reduceinterfacialareaand hencemasstransfer. lt is undesirable, for it can substantially random usuallyminor in crushedsolid packing and is minimal in commerciallypurchased packing,exceptat very low liquid flows.

' - - h a sb e e n -:,,uhquid. - ::it tbr this -: .: liquids. --.,irption in . - , : r o l v e n t s

', \3d towers : t \ e n da n d .i : er trickles .- :: r-c urrently t h eg a s ::,'Jrs The mass ,uer. This - . thatoften . : , : r o n aa l rea of the - --::rce -

250

9 / Absorption

-'

1,

If you now pour the cola faster (rememberto keep blowing), you get a casewhere the cola flows through all the ice more evenly,with your breathbubbling up through ir. The conditionswheretheserelativelyevenflows begin is calledloadingand is a requirement for good masstransfer.When loadingbegins,the flows may slightly decrease, but the dramatic increase in the gas-liquid areameansthat masstransferis fast. Yorr almost alwayswant to operatea packedtower in this loadedcondition. However,if you now begin blowing much harder,you will push in so much air that the cola can't flow into the column, but splashes backward,out of the top of the glass. This conditionis called"flooding." It not only reducesmasstransferbut also decreases the cola that is flowing into the glass. Thesesamethree conditions- sfinnnsling,loading, and flooding - can exist inside of any packed tower. You will want to use liquid flows that are high enough to avoid channelingand achieveloading. You will want to use gas flows that are low enough to avoid flooding. But you will also want flows that are large enoughfor a specifictask, for example,largeenoughto treat 6000ft3/min of flue gas. You must choosethe packing and the shapeof the packedtower to allow theseflows without floodine.

CD

(\ ^
or

u_

9.2,3 Tower Cross-Sectional Area At this point, we should restateour objective. We aim to analyzeindustrialgas absorptionin packedtowers. This analysisdependsmost strongly on massbalances and rate equationsgiven in subsequent sectionsof this chapter. It also dependson the fluid mechanics within the tower, which is the subjectof this section. In most cases, the absorption processthat interests us will have specifiedflows of gases and liquids. Theseflows must load but not flood the tower. We achievethis by changing the tower's cross-sectional area.This changes the gasand liquid fluxes,that is, the amount of fluid per cross-sectional areaper time. By increasing the cross-sectional areaat constant flows, we decrease the fluxesandthe velocitiesof the gasandliquid flowing pasteachother. The empiricalcorrelations mostoften usedfor estimating tower crosssections areshown in Fig. 9.2-3. This figure is tricky, a mixture of dimensionless and dimensionalquantities. The abscissa, often called the flow parameter is dimensionless:
- l ^ ' \ l

u '',1 Pt

L' fO; - 1-

"

' l l

u f I t,p, l
r I

'/' (e.2-t)

Ll?cu'6 1

whereL'(: pluv) andGt(: p6u6) arethe massfluxesof liquid andgas,respectivery; pl and p6 are the corresponding densities;and u7-and u6 are the superficialvelocities. Two points about this abscissa merit mention. First, while L' andG' are massfluxesand hence dependon the tower's cross-sectional area,their ratio L' f G' doesnot dependon this area. Second,the flow parameter is a measure of relativekinetic energy: It is the square root of the ratio of the liquid's kinetic energyto that in the gas. The ordinatein Fig. 9.2-3 is more difficult. First of all, it is dimensional,not dimensionless. In particular,the gas flux G' is given in poundsper squarefoot per second;the p6 andpL are given in poundsper cubic foot; the viscocity trris that of the liquid, densities expressed in centipoise;ry' is the ratio of the density of water to the density of the liquid; the gravitationalconstantg,. is 32.2; and the packing factor F is roughly inverselyproportional to the packing'ssize. Valuesfor F are listed for common packingsin Table 9.2-I .

rl)tLon

9.2/ Absorytictn Equipment

251

. :'..'rrthe : rr. The r : l . n tf b r ri:Jt-natic


' ,:i : WA[t : rhat the ,,.' This r - : h ec o l a , :-: inside - . , a\,oid :: .ugh to - ..1.k.for . -r l l l ! a n d

0.20

o ct)

0.10 0.060 (5 0.040 0.020 0.010 0.006 0.004 0.002 r0.001 0.01 0.04 0.1 0.4 1.0 4.O

q c,
I

l'|. (\

L/G (po/p.)1/2
Fig 9.2-3.Correlation for estimating towercrossseotional area.The conelation impliesa mixtureof specific units,asexplained in the text.

Table9.2-1.Packing.factorsFandareaspervolume(pert'ot)forrandompackings

-.:nrl gas
-:" -c'S Olld

Nominal packing size (in.)

::ta fluid , ' ' gases


noInO - "r " "'

| 1/4
Raschig Rings rCeramic) Raschig Rings ' li32 in. Metal) RaschigRings i/16in. Metal) Berl Saddles Ceramic) PallRings \ letal) Pril Rings Pastic) lntaloxSaddles Ceramic) H1 Pak Rings \letal )

I t/2 93 (38) 83 (41) 65 (44) 40 (3e) 40 (3e) 52 (60) 29 (12) 65 (28) 37 (1e)

: r .tlnount
:i ,,rllSt0lt

580 (ril) 300 (128) 410

380 (100) t70 300

( rr 8 )
240 (142)

255 (80) r55 (84) 220 (72)

t79 (58)
tl)

(s7)
t10 (76) 56 (63) 55 (63) 92 (78) 45 (69)

(63) 144

. ,,.h other. ::.' \hOWn -.,,rntities.

n0
(82) 8l (104) 95 (104)

e . 21 -)
; I. - : . . 1 ) ,p ' .'.. Two .' J hence
- :l\ afea. :::' fOOt Of

200 (r90)

145 (102)

57 (31) 45 (32) 2'7 (31) 26 (3I ) 40 (36) 26 (33)

-)L

(21)

l8 17 (26) 22

(3r)

I6

\irtr'.'The pervolume areas aregivenin parentheses (abstracted fom Strigle, lagT).

: dimen. : - , r n dt:h e 'r-'1iquid, -: iquid; : . fropor. , -t 9 . 2 - 1 .

This melangeof mixed metric and English units is a historicalartifact born in the largely \nrerican development of the petrochemical industry. The physical significance of the ordinateis also obscure.we recosnizethat it is domi:.ited by the ratio
(G)2 F Pc QtSc

)o o 'l
p1.q.(packing size)

(e.2-2)

252

9 / Absorpton

\lrsorption r

asthe ratio of the kinetic energyin the gas This suggests that the ordinatecanbe regarded to the potentialenergyin the liquid. The other factors,like p0 2, arejust later empiricisms. The history of correlationin Fig. 9.2-3 is curious. The original form, due to Sherwood Shipley and Nolloway (1938), was limited to the flooding curve. The curvesat constant pressure drop were addedby Leva (1954). More recently,many have quarreledover the would be physicalsignificance form, correctlyfeeling that somethingwith a better-defined prefrable.While I agree,I recognizethat Fig. 9.2-3 is the startingpoint for most who are w o r k i n go n a b s o r p t i od ne s i g n . area,we must first know the gas To use Fig.9.2-3 to find the tower's cross-sectional and liquid flows and hencethe flow parameteron the figure's ordinate. After we choose drop in the tower. In a packing from the myriad available,we want to choosea pressure pressure drops of 0.2 to 0.6 practice, to operate at absorbers are designed conventional we can Alternatively, foaming. per pressure drop will minimize foot. The lower inch H2O at a gas to operate performance arbitrarily choose at flooding and calculatethe column's previous we must one, and the flux equal to half the flooding value. In both this method gas liquid and flows of make sure to design the tower for the point where the maximum this is normally at the tower's bottom; for stripping,it's normally at occur. For absorption, the top. thoughcomUsing Fig. 9.2-3 for estimatingthe tower'scrosssectionis straightforward plicated. Rememberthis figure has two major limitations. First, it implies that at large gas flows, the cross sectionalarea should vary with liquid density and velocity. In fact, of these. Second,this figure is largely basedon iquid and gas it should be independent for like thoseof water and air. Thesetendto give optimistic predictions densitydifferences (i.e., smallerthan optimal tower crosssections).Thus in nonaqueous systems nonaqueous systems,like those involving ethyeneand propylene,you may need different methods. with the methodsin this section,and then discussyour case Again, make early estimates with equipmentsuppliers.

F : : h el l i n c h R

(c')(9

u
G':0.

Thu: the tower I .7 feet. For t of -5 Horrever,while t is a considerab

9.3 Al

We nor we will wantto t to use our analr we will bu case, allowedestimat To simplift c from a gas into Becau clearest. e both constants key equations:

Example 9.2-1: Estimating a tower cross-section You are planning to reducethe two in percentcarbondioxide in 23 poundsper secondof a naturalgasstreamusing absorption 1 j inch to use either You want per pounds second. 40 diethylamineflowing out at aqueous drop of Raschigrings or I j inch Pall rings. In eithercase,you want to designfor a pressure 0.25inch H2O per foot, so that foaming is minimized.-Underthe operatingconditions,the the liquid's viscosity of the gasand the liquid are 2.8 and 63 lbs/fti, respectively; densities is 2 centipoise. areabe? What shouldthe tower's cross-sectional the routineuseof Fig. 9.2-3. We frst calculate Solution This problemillustrates the flow parameter:

(1) a solu (.2) a solu (3) a solu

Thesethree ke' respe equation. rt: W eb e g t n e tou smali a on

>o 1 I rr'. \
G {

L, P;
G'\ p,

4otbs/sec E.Slbtlftt

xtbvr*V 63lbr/f

From Fig. 9.2-3,the capacityfactor is thus

'.\hL-re and l rr the r t-r1unt:

( G ' f n Pp o z
Pc PL.8c

: 0.015

\D\orptrcn

9.3/ Absorptionof a Dilute Vapor

253

: \ i n t h eg a s :piricisms. Sherwood
,rt cOlSt&tlt

For the I 2 l n c n Raschigrings, the packingfactor F is given in Table9.2-1 as 93, so

(3 Y)\ r " (c')(e


\ o J , /

iJ over the -: \\ ould be ,rt$ho are :,,\\ the gas - '',,. choose ::.' lowef. In : r ) . 1t o 0 . 6 : , : ' l \ .w e c a n
::,:i3 Ct O $0S '.:'. \\e [lUSt

:0.015

2.8(63)32.2 G ' : 0 . 9 0 l b s / f t :s e c to a diameter of (2310.90:)26fe. This corresponds Thus the tower has a crosssection of 5.7 feet. For rhe Pall rings, the packingfactor is 40, so the diameteris smaller,4.6 feet. However.while thereis little differencein the tower diameterfor thesetwo packings,there changein the tower height,as shownin the next section. is a considerable

,. .:ndliquid . -rlrnally at ::. Jughcom::.1t at large - :t, In fact, -i..J and gas :: i:ctions for - -.,rnqueous :r:ti nethods. -.. \ our case

9.3 Absorptionof a Dilute VaPor


in a packedtower. In many cases, We now returnto the analysisof gasabsorption we will want the tower's height. In othercases, ri'e will want to usethe analysisto estimate In any coefficients. resultsas masstransfer to use our analysisto organizeexperimental that a description in the earliersection, described we will build on the fluid mechanics case. allowedestimatingthe tower's crosssection. To simplify our analysis,we will begin with the caseof a dilute solutevapor absorbed fom a gas into a liquid. This focus on the dilute limit makes the physical significance the vapor is dilute, the molar gas flux G and the molar liquid flux L are clearest.Because within the tower. With this simpliflcation,we then needthree everywhere both constants key equations: ( 1) a solutemole balanceon both gas and liquid, (2) a soluteequilibrium betweengas and liquid, and (3) a solutemole balanceon either gasor liquid. Thesethree keys are traditionally called an operatingline, an equilibrium line, and a rate equation,respectively. on the solutein both gasand liquid. We makethis balance We begin with a mole balance on a small tower volume AAz locatedat position z in the tower:

: i - . J e t h et w o in : .,.'(rrption
, l

- .:r'f l;

llCll

': - - .rr dioPof ': the irtions, . -i.\iscosity

: 'r:.t calculate

entering entering 7 solute \ / solute \ : leavingI minus ( leaving minus I | in liquid / \ in gos / \
G A ( - v l . + n-. ) ' 1 . ): L A ( x 1 4 6 , - r l , )

(e.3I)

rvhere,v and x are the mole fractionsin the gas and liquid, respectively.When we divide bv the volume ALz.,we find dv G--: d:. dx L , oz

(9.3-2)

) </1

9 / Absorption

9.3/ Absor

Rearanging, d x G d y L

(e.3-3)

We nog with the eqL

subjectto (at z : 0), ,y : .r'o ,l : .trO

i =

(e.3-1)

where/ is rf
t -

wherethe subscript0 indicatesthe streams at the bottom of the tower. Rememberthat the gasis entering and the liquid is leavingat this position.Integrating, G r:-ro*7(l'-.ro)

(e.3-s)

The impona

The first key equation,which is nothing more than a mole balance,is calledthe "operating line." The second key equation for analyzingabsorption is an equilibriumrelationfor the solute in the gas and in the liquid. Because the soluteis dilute, this has the form \'* : mx

t -

(e.3-6)

where m is closely relatedto a Henry's law constant. This relation, briefly discussed in Section8.5, is a frequentsourceof error because the units of the constantare not carefully considered. Remember alsothat -'),* doesnot exist at the sametower positionasx. In fact,x is the actualliquid mole fraction,-y*is the gasmole fractionwhich would be in equilibrium with that liquid, and ,r,is the actualgas mole fraction. This secondkey equationis called the "equilibrium line." The third key relation,the rate equation,is found by anothersolutemole balanceon the differentialvolume A Au but on the sas onlv: solute soluteflow \ / \ _ - / a c c u m u l a r i o r i \ / \ n m i n u so ) In symbolic terms,this can be written as 0: G A ( . y 1. . ' ! [ + a : ) - K 6 a ( A L z . ) ( c r- c i ) / solurelosr \ \ b y a b s o r p t i o/n

(e.3-1)

(e.3-8)

in which d represents the packing areaper volume and K6; is the overall gas phasemass transfercoefficient. Valuesfbra.inft2/ff.aregiveninparenthesesforavarietyofcommon packingsin Table 9.2-l (in the previoussection). The concentration c1 is that in the bulk gas,and the concentration cf is the value that the gas would have if it were in equilibrium with the liquid. Again, we divide this equationby the volume AAz and take the limit as this volume goesto zero; we also recognizethat the tota molar concentration c of the gas is constant.Thus c1 equalsc,tr, cf equalsc-.1,*, and

: ' *-)r # o: -r# - K6ac(y-,r

K , a (y. r ' * )

(e.3-e)

This rate equation,a mole balanceon that part of the solutethat is in the vapor,is the third key in our analysis.

rl)tton

9.3/ AbsorptionoJ a Dilute Vapor 'We

255

e 3-3)

now completeour analysisby integratingEq. 9.3-9. To do so, we first combine it with the equilibrium line in Eq. 9.3-6 and rearrange the result:

r:I,d,:-h f*:-h l:,:^ 1,,',

(e.3r0)

e.3-4)
i : r h a tt h e

where / is the tower height. Vy'e further combinethis with the operatingline, Eq. 9.3-5

':-*1.,"

ay

l } + t ( ,c j'-*lx v - , 1 0l ) l

(e.3l l)

rl l-5) :aratlng ::!'\0lUte

The importantresult can be written in a variety of usefulforms:

(vo-'\l ,:r,uLt,;T,/ r : s l ( - ' \ ,,"(,;=i]


G K,,a

e.3-6) . - . \ \ e d i n : ,.:rcfully I: f act.,r -...:Lrbrium ': :. called " , : o nt h e

,"{+-x)] t',+l
\ ' L /

(9.3-12)

e.3_7)

Solving for the height / is as easyas plugging in the numbers. This result merits reflection. First, although the analysisrepeatedlyexploits the assumptionof dilute solution, the extensionto concentrated solutionsshould be relatively straightforward.Second,we have implied masstransferof a solutevapor from a gas into a liquid; such a processis called gas scrubbing. We can repeatthe identical analysisfor masstransferof a vaporfiom a liquid into a gas;sucha reversed process is calledstripping. Third, we havewritten the proceeding equations in terms of gas-phase mole fractions;we could write completelyanalogous equations for liquid-phasemole fractions:

, : * [ (
i9.3-8)
I:'.:.t ll1OSS

, trlllllOll

" :hc bulk .--.,.rlbrium . - : l i m i ta s i the gas

Note that the overall masstransfercoefficientis different in thesetwo equations.Understandingthe difTerence betweenthe coefficients takescare. Equations 9.3-l2 and9.3-l3 arethebasisof mostmodemanalyses of diluteabsorption. They are especiallyappropriate for chemical solventsbecause reactionsof the absorbing solutecan be incorporated into the overall masstransfercoetcient. However,especially in the older literature,a relationlike Eq. 9.3-12 is sometimes rearranged as

+)'"e:#)l
D G

(e.313)

l : H T U. N T U
r9.3-9) - :hethird

(e.3-14)

where HTU is a height of a transfer unitdefned as HTU :


G

"a

Kca

( 9 . 3l-5 )

256
and NT U is a "number of transferunits" given by

9 / Absorption

NTU: I
:

[]rt

dtt

J,,

.'l

-)"

I l _ _

MU

^ln

\ v,-,,,n )

/lo

-rnxs\

( 9 . 31 -6)

Other definitions of HTU and NTU can be basedon other forms of the overall mass transfercoefficients.The useof "transferunits" is a rough parallelwith the useof "stages" in distillation or the term "theoreticalplates" in chromatography. As such, it seemsa in the directionof the older historicalgenuflection by the more recentabsorptionanalyses equilibrium theoriesof distillation. The use of HTUs and NTUs doeshave a soundphysicalinterpretation.The NTUs are of the difficulty of the separation, of the distancethe final streamswill be from a measure is hard. The HTUs, on the other hand, equilibrium. If the NTUs are large, the separation give an idea of the efficiency of the equipment. A small HTU is a sign of a good tower, implying, for example,a largesurface the overallmass areaper volume. Moreover,because of transfercoefficientoften depends on the velocity, the HTU can be largely independent flow over the practicalrange: It tendsto be between0.3 meterand 1.0meters.Learn to use F,q.9.3-12and the idea of an HTU interchangeably.

ll

Fi

Example 9.3-1: Carbon dioxide absorption A packedtower usesan organicamine to absorbcarbondioxide. The enteringgas,which contains L26molTo CO2, is to leavewith only 0.04molToCO2. The amineenterspure,without COz. If the amineleft in equilibrium with the enteringgas (which it doesn't),it would contain0.80 molToCO2. The gas flow is andthe 2.3 gmol/sec.the liquid flow is 4.8 gmol/sec,the tower'sdiameteris 40 centimeters, overall masstransfercoefficienttimes the areaper volume K,,a is 5 . 10 5gmol/cmrsec. How tall shouldthis tower be? Solution We first make an overall carbon dioxide balanceto find the exitins liouid concentration: GA(Yo-)t): LA(xs*x1) smol 2 . 3: . i 0 . 0 t 2 6 sec "ro: 0'00585 N e x tw e f i n d t h ee q u i l i b r i u m constant smol _ 0 . 0 0 0 4: ) 4.8" ( x o_ 0 ) sec

F*m-

R r',-' f t : . r : :- ' " ' bun:


htt*:,'

n--

'nb'fr

lo: mr : n(.0080) 0.0216 m : 1.58


if !!u -:

)rplon

q .l / Absorption of a Dilute Vapor

257

\ow we insertthe values giveninto Eq. 9.3-12: 2.3gmol/sec


r7T

s . l o - t- : l ; t40cml |2 L+ I e . 3I-6 ) :32m

mol

CmiSeC

L\'-

'( fl=*-)
4.s /

- 1.s8 0.0126 ( 85) 0.005 0.0004 t . s8(0)

)l

fhe simplicity of thiscalculation is typicalof dilutesolutions.


:':ill mass : .tages" : r e e m sa : ::l!'Older \TUs are be fiom ::-.:'r hand, J tower, ::.rllmass ::rJent of
::ll tO USO

Erample 9.3-2: oxygen stripping you are testinga new packedtower to strip oxygen :rt)m water using excessnitrogen. The oxygen-freewater is to be used in microelectric :nanufacture.Your tower is small, about 2 metershigh and 0.6 meter in diameter,filled 'i ith I inch Hy-Pakrings. You expectthe valueof lnG for oxygenis large andthe dominant .ransfr coefficient in the liquid witl be 2.2 .10 3 centimeters per second.The waterflow :' to be 300cm3/sec. How much oxygencan we removewith this tower? Solution To begin,we recognize that because the nitrogengas flow is in excess, andy7 arezero,and(L I mG) is much lessthanone. As a result,Eq. 9.3_ l3 becomes

- L f,-/*o\l ,: K oL ' " \;/l


From Thble 8.2-2 andthe fact that masstransferin the liquid is controlline. Kr:k*:kr'l

- -:llilDe tO

--.:r e with - - : Ii b r i u m - - , . t l o wi s ::.. .rnd the r . nl sec.


'-. -ritino

FrornThbf e 9.2-1,a is 60ft27ft3, or 2.26cm2 /cm3. Thus

200cm:

3oot'3.. sec

[ (60 cm)22.2.l0-3cm . secc7_ L

l* al
xt)

1 : o.ol
-r0 '\'e'reremovingover ninety-eight percentof the oxygen. An interesting exercise is to check rL' nitrogenflows implied by this calculation.

Erample 9.3-3: Alternative forms of absorption equations show that Eq. 9.3-l2 can -.' rewrittenin the form

:;;f(+"(
,_ IG

! LI

CI G. l

H ClL .t

)l

fre re u6 and u1 are the superficialvelocitiesof gas and liquid, where K5 is defne<i by Nr:Kc(ctc-cic) rJ the Henry's law constantH is given by ci-.: Hc17

258
Solution G : ccuc
L: CTUL

9 / Absorption

9.1/ Absor:

We frst recognize that

We then in gasand liquid, respectively' where c6 and cL are the total molar concentrations rewrite Eq. 9.3-6 as (1.,
cG SO

c|L
cL

H :

MCC CL

-----:

tr,-

.-

I . -:

8.2-2, from Table Finally, Ko : K,-lcc result' gives thedesired of m, K,.,G, andI intoEq.9.3-12 thevalues Inserting
'

ir.i

tr-

9.4 Absorption of a Concentrated Vapor concenIn this section,we want to extendthe precedinganalysisto the caseof a packedtower. As tratedvapor. As before, we plan to accomplishthis absorptionusing a tower packing and on liquid and gas fluxesthat before,we must decideon an appropriate though now for will avoid flooding. As before,we dependon a variety of mole balances' solutions. concentrated for we canbenefitby looking at our analysis Beforewe developthesenew massbalances, on threekey equations' differentway. This analysisdepended a dilute vaporin a somewhat (see Eq' 9.3-3): gas and liquid both on a balance A first key equationcamefrom d y : L d x G this easilY: We integrated
I

(9.41)

t':yo+_(x-xo) G

(.9.4-2)

key equationis the This mole balance,shownin Fig. 9.4-1, is the operatingline. A second equilibrium condition (seeEq. 9.3-6): !*:mx

(9.4-3)

line. Finally, This thermodynamicrelation, also shown in Fig' 9'4-1, is the equilibrium from a massbalanceon the gas alone,we found (seeEq' 9'3-1)
G /')tt ': *.o J,. ."-r dY

(9.4-4)

to find the towef's height i ' we combined Eqs.9.4-Zthrough9.4-4 andintegrated operating we could havemadeuseof the graphin Fig. 9.4-I . We beginon the ln contrast, line at the point line at the point (x1,r'i) and move vertically until we hit the equilibrium

\.. \orptlon

9.4 / Absorption of a ConcentratedVapor

259

O p e r o t in g line \

\\'e then

Fig. 9.4- L Designing an absorption tower for a dilute vapor. The height of the tower is closely related to the area of the trapezoid shown. However, fbr a dilute vapor, this area is easily calculated analytically using the equations of Section 9.3. The equilibrium line shown here is based on thermodynamics, and the operating line reflects mole or mass balances.

ii Concentr)$ er. As dures that

.:h now for for nalysis


r'QUatlOlS.

(9.4-1)

(.rr,yl ). From thesepoints,we know for a lot of valuesof ,y1 )1. We repeatthis procedure r . We then usetheseresultsto integrateEq. 9.4-4 by either graphicalor numericalmeans. We thus find the tower height /. At first glance,this methodof calculation usingoperating andequilibriumlinesmay seem archaic,an anachronism from the daysof sliderules. Certainly,this methodwas developed to circumventthe elaborate integrals that areoftenencountered in the analysis of large-scale masstransferprocesses. Theseintegralscan now be routinely handledwith computers. Still, operatingand equilibrium lines remain a focus of everyone'sthinking. This is not just the result of mental inertia or academicsloth. Instead,this focus has remained raluablebecause the operatingline summarizes a massbalanceand the equilibrium line is a statement basedon the secondlaw of thermodynamics.Such a split can make thinking rbout separation processes easierand more rational. We want to extendthis analysisto absorption in concentrated solutions.We begin with a mole balanceon both gas and liquid. The result is a parallelto Eq. 9.3-2:

s:-itGyt+?rtxl
az clz.

(e.4-s)

(9.4-2) is the rtron (9.4-3) :. Finally,


ri hereG6 is the flux of the nonabsorbing gas. For example,if we are using water to absorb SO3out of air, Gs is the flux of air. Similarlv. Before,the flux of gas G and that of liquid L were nearly constantbecause the absorbing \pecieswas alwaysdilute. Now, however,we expectthat

l G:G nl lr "\ -r'l

(e.4-6)

(9.4-4)

L:Ln " \fl f- l* /


r operating ,t thepoint

(e.4-7)

'r here Ls is the flux of the nonvolatileliquid. When we combine these equationsand

260

9 / Absorption

9.4/ Absorptior

The towerhei tiom Fig. 9..1-l madeduring the review. First. * liqur. nonvolatile l i i i q u i d :t h e q u r d gas.These apprt il-.r') 2inthe
line Equilibrium

X Theheightofthetoweris Fig.9.4-2.Designinganabsorptiontowerforaconcentratedvapor. to the areaof the figureshown.This heightis ofien moreeasilyfoundgraphically againrelated linesreflect andoperating of the equlibrium The curvatures thananalytically. oi numerically solutions. the fact thatboth gasandliquid areconcentrated integrate, we find

Jiflerentsetoi rr : t a l . .1 9 7 5\:l c C :,ictors and aren, The second k, rquately exprL.:r.rt masstransi ,3rtalnli do dc'p - I rrnl\ a ftrstap

;m.*(*-*)
or 9.4-3:

yo \ Lol .r I ____:___ | Gr\l-* \l-',,)

.ro \ l-ru)/

(9.4-8)

vapor,the analogof Eq. 9'3-5 This mole balanceis the operatingline for a concentrated becomesmall. However,in or 9.4-2. It reducesto theseequationsas the concentrations general,its shapeis more like that inFig.9'4-2. to Eq. 9.3-6 of a new equilibnum relation analogous The next step is the specification

: .)*(:r) -y*

e'4-9)

r:ntple 9.{-1:

as a table or This relation is often not written in an analyticalform, but simply presented directly no longer are f and point is that important The results. .y* graph of experimental as nonlinearly, vary they Instead, coefficient. constant a single, by proportional,related in Fig. 9.4-2. line exemplifiedby the equilibrium The final stepis a mole balanceon the gasin a differentialtower volume: d O:-*(Gt) -K"a(y-.r.)

(9.410)

We combinethis result with Eq. 9.4-6 to find

o:-

Gn,'f -r,uty-1.'l
( l - ) ' ) ' 11:

(9.4rl)

where K., is the overall coefficientbasedon a mole fraction driving force. Rearranging,

':lu'o':*l:'

dv-

: HTU.NTU

(9.4-t2)

to Eq. 9.3-11or 9.4-4 for dilute solutions, reduces solutions This resultfbr concentrated w h e r et I - r ' ) i s a b o u tu n i t Y .

rt) tloll

9.4/ Absorptionof a Concentrated Vttpor

261

J\\ CT IS

:.,'rhically . rcflect

The tower height/ can be found by integrating F,q.9.4-12, using valuesof ,r'and .r'*read fom Fig. 9.4-2. The integrationis straightforward but is limited by two key assumptions made during the analysis. These assumptions can have subtle implications and so merit review. First, we are assumingabsorptionof a single vapor from an inert gas into a nonvolatile liquid. The gasis inertin the sense thatonly negligible amounts dissolve in the liquid;the liquid is nonvolatile in the sense thatonly negligible amounts evaporate into the approximations cas.These underlie Eq.9.4-6andleadto thefactors involving( t - r')-l and ( I - t)-2 in the analysis. In passing, we shouldmentionthatsometextbooks usea slightly differentsetof assumptions (King, I 97 I ; Sherwood and so useslightly differentequations et al., 1975;McCabe and Smith, 1975;Treybal,1980). The diff'erences arecaused by these luctors and are not often important. The secondkey assumptionin this analysisis that a mass transfercoefficientcan adr'quatelyexpressthe masstransferin a concentrated solution. In other words, it implies that mass transfercoefficientsare independent of concentration differences, though they certainlydo dependon variables like the Reynoldsand Schmidtnumbers.This turnsout to he only a first approximation. In general,

Nr: K,A-) + K(A))2 +...

(e.4l3)

(9.4-8)

' l - r U < - \ J '.-' LY|.

',\eVer, in Fq. 9.3-6 t9.4-9) . ., table or -:r directly ':t.arly, as

,rhere K{. is a new correctionfactor fbr concentrated solutions. The reasonwhy masstransfercoefficients may not be accurate in concentrated solution . because masstransferitself createsconvection. Such convectionis like that causedby j i t f s i o n , a s e x p l a i n e d i n d e t a i l i n S e c t i o n 3 .E l .x t e n s i o n s om f asstransfercoefficientsto llore concentrated solutionsor, more strictly,to situations of fast masstransf'er areoutlined :t Section13.5. Howevel theseextensions are not often usedin practice,evenwhen they -re known in principle. Instead,practicingengineers tend to use empirical correlations of :,tual experimental data.Theseareusuallyreliable.

10) iq.4-

( 9 . 4I -I) r.rnglng, t9.4-12) : .rrlutions,

F-rample9.4-1: Ammonia scrubbing A gasmixture at 0"C and I atmosphere flowing at l0 m3/sec, and containingthirty-seven percentNH3, sixteenpercentN2, and forty-seven . rrtent H2 is to be scrubbed with watercontaining a little sulfuricacidat 0'C. The exit gas .:\)uld conta'none percent NHr and the exit liquid 23 mol% NH3. Designa packedtower to caffy out this task. The tower shoulduse2-inch Berl saddles, 'rreh h a v ea s u r f a c e a r e ap e r v o l u m e 1 0 5 m 2 / m 3( c f . T a b l e9 . 2 - l l . I t s h o u l d operate at - lr percentof flooding. Pilofplant data suggestthat the overall gas-sidemass transfer - :licient in this tower will be 0.032meters per second; this valueis largerthan normal - r-rLlse of the chemicalreactionof ammoniawith water. In this design,answerthe following specificquestions:(a) What is the flow of purewater -: , thetop of the tower?(b) What towerdiameter shouldbe used?(c) How tall shouldthe .,. r'r be? Solution (a) We first fnd the total flow AGs of the nonabsorbed gases(i.e., of ". .rnd H2): A G s , : g "" 1.20 m3/sec

m3/kgmot \ zz.+

: 0.0338kgmol/sec

9 / Absorption

9.4/ Absorptiort,

We then find the ammoniatransferred:

"'' ' \zz.l+mrTkgmol/ \ \ absorberd ) : 0.0195 kgmo/sec waterflow ALs: Fromthis.we findthedesired / 0.11\ kgmol/sec) ALo- t ) (o'0195
\v.tJ /

/ N H . \ / l I. _ 2n 0 m r / s e c \ / 0 ' 0 1 ( 0| ' 0 3 3 8 k g m o l / s e | c t \ 2 - 7I | -

0.99

: 0.0652 kgmol/sec (b) The risk of flooding is greatestat the bottom of the tower where the flows are on mass it depends by fluid mechanics, flooding is determined Moreover,because greatest. molecular average the find that we first conversion, this make To flows, not molar flows. weight of the gasis 11.7. Then we seethat / total flow \ I \ of gas /
f

I I .7 kg / 0.0338kgmol/sec\ l | 0.63 kgmol \ /

Fig. 9.'1--r

: 0.628kg/sec so molecularweight of the liquid stream(neglectingany HzSO+)is 17'8, The average / toralflow \ \ of liquid / 17.8kg ( 0.0652kgmol/sec \ 0.77 kgmol \ /

fr - d - : -

4 d : 0

: 1.51 kg/sec Thus kg/sec I .51 /liquid flow \ r'l^ l t t P c / P t : 0.628 kg/sec \ gasnow /
: 0.055 we find that that the valuesfound in Fig. 9.2-3 are not dimensionless, Remembering / g a sf l u x \ ' o'17 P aP t g '

. re tower's diame (c) Th, HTU :

Jffi

\ainoooing): a-

: :rndthenumbe - .\n astheopera : rnthefigure.\' :r lt - 0.37to NTU : ' . :r Eq.9.3-14 t:(HTt

:@
or / gasflux \

I t3z.2r on ( oz.+\to.o32ot ) fir t,t


t"/

be half this value' or we want to operateat ffty percentflooding, our flux should Because about 1.15kg/m2-sec.We now can find the tower's diameter:

"ttililt

: z'zokglm2sec

: (0.4

- - emsof stripp . :brium line.

t' )[ IO11

9.4 / Absorption of a ConcentratedVapor

263

-.!\\'s arg

''. .rtl lnass

".'iecular

o.1

0.3 Examole 9.4.1.

Fig.9.4-3. Absorption of concentrated ammonla The values shown are for

s 2 _ 0 . 6 2 8k g l s e c 4 1 . 1 -k 5g / m 2 s e c d:0.84m The tower's diameteris about 2.7 feet. (c) The calculation of the tower'sheightcan beginwith 8q.9.4-12. From this, HTU G,, ,--K6;ac

kgmol/secl/ t0.0338 Q.84m)21 [ (ttI 41 (0.032 ( I 05 m2 (l m/sec) kgmol /m3) I 22.4m3) : 0.41m
l:nal

Tofindthenumber of transfer unitsNTU, we firstplotvalues of ) versus x using Eq.9.4-8, .hownastheoperating linein Fig.9.4-3.V/ealso ploty* versus.r, shown astheequilibrium rnein thefigure.Wethenread off values of .t,*versus.y at fixedx,andintegrate Eq. 9.4-12 :rom-)0: 0.37to yr - 0.01.Theresult is NTU : 13 :romEq.9.3-14 I : (HTU)(NTU) : (0.41m)(13):5.3m

r aue,or

?roblems gases of stripping arevery similarexcept thattheoperating line fallsbelowthe :;uilibrium line.

264

9 / Absorption

9.5 Conclusions
process in chemica gasabsorption, an importantseparation This chapteranalyzes commonly is effectedin packedtowers manufacture and pollution control. Gas absorption llled with inert packing that gives a larger interfacialarea betweengas and liquid. The downward. The liquid is gas rises through the tower; the liquid trickles countercurrently like For example,acid gases being absorbed. binding the solutes often chemicallyreactive, into aqueoussolutionsof amines. However,the analysisin this chapter H2S are absorbed in Chapter 16. liquids; reactiveliquids are discussed implies nonreactive and on masstransfer. The on fluid mechanics The analysisof gas absorptiondepends rangeof gasandliquid fluxes,which areadjusted the acceptable determines fluid mechanics areaof the tower. The masstransfercoefcientsdetermine by changingthe cross-sectional andhencetheheightof the packedtower. This heightcanbe estimated the rateof absorption by either algebraicor geometricmethods.The algebraicformulationis simplefor the case on threekey relations: of a dilute solute,a casedetailedin Section9.3. This casedepends an overall mole balance,a thermodynamicequilibrium, and a rate equation. This dilute way to leam about absorption. caseis the easiest systems. for eitherdilute or concentrated is suitable of absorption The geometricanalysis the overallmole balance on the samethreekey relations.Almost perversely, It alsodepends equilibriumis calledthe equilibrium line andthe thermodynamic is now calledthe operating rewrittenin termsof neu coefficients has the mass transfer sometimes line. The rateequation measures of the efficiencyof the which are units, HTUs, height of transfer quantities called thel simultaneously, physical insight; provide occasional packedtower. Thesenew terms gas absorption. to learn about from trying inexperienced the are effectiveat discouraging br don't give up. Work hard on the dilute limit; be encouraged If you are inexperienced, but more complicated, geometric analysis are limit and the the fact that the concentrated involve no new ideas. Further Reading Prcgress 90 (6) 55. Engineering V. (1994). Chemicul Kaiser, Prot:esses, NewYork: McGraw-Hill. Separation King,C. J. (1971). 90 (2) 23. Progress Engineering T. ( 1994). Chemical H. 2., Larson, K. F.,andYanagi, Kister, 87 (2) 32. Progress Engineering Chemical Kister, H. 2., andGill, D. R. ( 1991). Serle.s,50,51. Progress Symposium Engineering Chemical Leva, M. (1954). ed.,New Engineering,3rd oJ'Chemical J. C. (1975).Unit Operutions W.,andSmith, McCabe, York:McGraw-Hill. 5thed.,NewYork: Handbook' Engineers C. H. (1973).Chemical R. H., andChilton, Perry, McGraw-Hill. Progress 87 (5) 87. Engineering L. A. (1991). Chemical Robbins, NewYork:McGraw-Hill MassTransJr. R. L., andwilke, c. R. (1975). T. K., Pigtord, Sherwood, andEngineering Industrial F.A. L. (1938). G. H., andHolloway, T. K., Shipley, Sherwoorl, 30,765. Chemistn Houston: GulfPublishing. andPackedTow'ers, Random Packings Strigle. R. F.(1987). ed.NewYork:McGraw-Hill' Operatktns,3rd MassTransfer Trevbal. R. E. (1980).

l[m
l|fini!!:' tlhru; ]

:.

r . - . "
n{Um _' : rc:"....1 r5l!::

hu
lu*r'-'

mu -: 'l:ror .r- - u , . ilm0.:-* hl "" :

,tr- " " :

nmrbulrfi'r;'

. .: :::
l :*:,:-

lJ llaf

,di E,"l mfll "": ,ill li "., F'ttg: -:'- --ro:dflilu:-r


Ii:*

;'--

i -. "llluour ,u:u:"'.'!|f,ij[-: llirirl,r rfu/ult ,--' -.

'nur ' ',

r'---

!ffb,

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