CLSE 302

Spring 2020, Dr. M.H. Peters

Homework Due Wednesday April 20

1. (30 points)
You are required to determine the length required for a high performance packed
bed adsorption column in order to achieve an overall removal of 99% of the SARS-
Cov-2 virion from a source fluid stream. The adsorption rate, k1, is assumed to be
first-order and takes place on the surface of spheres that are immobilized with
human epithelial cells that overexpress ACE-2 receptors.

Using the variable names introduced in class, the known input data is:

Q=2.0 e-02 cm3/sec

k1=5.0 e-09 cm/sec (estimated from measured ka constants from Wrapp et al,
Science, 367, 1260-1263, 2020)
ρ=1.0 g/cm3 (carrier fluid)
S=1.0 cm2 (empty tower cross section)
μ=1.0 cp (carrier viscosity)
DAB=1.0e-02 cm2/sec (estimated from the Stokes-Einstein equation; CH. 17)
ro=5.0 mm (sphere radius)
Mo=50.0 cm-3 (number of spheres per unit volume)
ε = 0.20 (void fraction: volume of fluid/empty bed volume)

A is the virus and B is the carrier fluid. We are assuming that A is dilute in B.

To determine the mass transfer coefficient for this system consider the following
equations from your text (see Eq. 22.3-43):

NSh=(1.09/ε)NRe1/3NSc1/3 , NReNSc>>1

NSh=2.0, NReNSc<10 (Laminar flow in a packed bed)

where the Reynolds number is based on the sphere diameter:

NRe = 2ro<vz>ρ/μ and <vz> is the empty-tower, average fluid velocity.

For your solution follow the 8 step method. Steps 1-7 have been developed in class,
but you must rewrite them in your submitted solution. Step 8 is the calculation of
the column height. Input information can go with this step.