TUTORIAL 3

(MASS TRANSFER AND MASS BALANCE CONCEPTS IN PROCESS

EQUIPMENT)

1. Suppose you wish to remove acetone from a gas stream of 10,000 mol/h in a packed
column. The inlet gas contains 2.6 mole percent acetone and the outlet gas stream can
contain no more than 0.5 mole percent acetone. If pure water stream enters packed
tower at a rate of 8,000 mol/h, what will be the theoretical number of stages?

2. Hydrocarbon gas needs to be removed from a gaseous mixture which flows at 1,000
mol/hr in an absorption column. The inlet gas stream contains 11 mole percent
hydrocarbon gas but the outlet gas stream can contain no more than 3 mole percent. If
solvent used in the column enters at a rate of 4 times the gaseous mixture, determine
the theoretical number of stages.

Equilibrium data :

X 0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.10 0.12

y 0 0.0104 0.0204 0.0305 0.0403 0.0499 0.0590

3. It is desired to absorb 90% of the acetone in a gas containing 1.0 mol% acetone in a
counter current stage tower. The total inlet gas flow to the tower is 30.0 kg mol/h and
the total inlet pure water flow to be used to absorb the acetone is 90 kg mol H2O/h. the
process is to operate isothermally at 300K and a total pressure of 101.3 kPa. The
equilibrium relation for the acetone (A) in the gas-liquid is yA = 2.53xA. Determine the
number of theoretical stages required for this separation. (Ans = 5.2 theoretical
stages)

4. Gas A was removed from an A-B gaseous mixture by a three-stage counter-current

scrubbing with solvent S in a packed tower at 293 K. The A-B gaseous mixture and the
solvent S flow rate is 0.0457 kg/s and 160 cm3 respectively. If mole fraction of gas A in
raffinate stream is 0.031, determine the percentage recovery of gas A? Density solvent
S is 800 kg/m3

Equilibrium data :

Mol A/ mol B 0 0.069 0.159 0.258

Mol A/ mol S 0 0.05 0.10 0.15
5. A packed tower is to be designed for a counter –current contact of an NH3-air mixture
with water to wash out NH3 from the gas. The gas contains 8% NH3 is entering at flow
rate of 1.5 m3/s at temperature 27C and pressure of 1 bar. The liquid is entering at 4.8
kg/s with the density of 996 kg/m3 and viscosity of 2.5 x 10-3 kg/ms. All of the NH3 is to
be completely removed. The packing used is 38mm Rachig Rig with Cf = 98, gc = 1 and
J =1. Determine the liquid rate out and required diameter for the tower if the pressure
drop of the packed tower is 400 N/m2. (Answer = 4.882 kg/s and 1.32 m)

6. By means of a packed column, acetone is absorbed from its mixture with air from a
non-volatile absorption oil. The entering gas stream contains 30% mol acetone while
the entering oil stream is oil free. Of the acetone in the air stream, 97% is to be absorbed
and the concentrated liquor at the bottom is to contain 10% mol acetone. The
equilibrium relationship for the system is y= 1.9x

Calculate/ show

• The Operating Line

• The Equilibrium Line

• The number of ideal stages required the desire separation