GAS LIQUID ABSORPTION

Aim:

The object of this experiment is to study gas liquid absorption in an

absorption column:-
 1. The reaction of carbon dioxide when it is contacted with sodium hydroxide
solution.
         2. To compare the performance of a packed column (continuous process) with a
bubble column (semi-batch process).

         3. To observe the effect of different flow rates on the performance of the two
columns.

Gas Liquid Absorption:

 
This exercise deals with the mass transfer operation known as gas
absorption in which a soluble gas is absorbed from its mixture with an inert
gas by means of a liquid in which the solute gas is more or less soluble.
 
A common apparatus used in gas absorption is packed tower, an example of
which is shown in figure (1). The device consists of a cylindrical column, or
tower, equipped with a gas inlet and distributing space at the bottom; a
liquid inlet and a distributor at top; gas and liquid outlets at the top and
bottom respectively; and a supported mass of inert solid shapes, called
tower packing.
 
 
The inlet liquid which may be pure solvent or a dilute solution of some solute
(may or may not be same gas) in the solvent is distributed over the top of
the packing by distributor and, in ideal operation, uniformly wets the
surfaces of the packing. The solute containing gas enters the distributing
space below the packing and flows upward through the interstices in the
packing counter current to the flow of liquid. The packing provides large area
of contact between liquid and gas and encourages intimate contact between
phases. At ideal steady state condition, for a specified flow rates of liquid
and gas phase, the extent of absorption will not changed with passage of
time. In case of absorption in semi-batch process as shown in figure (2), the
extent of absorption increases with passage of time as more and more gas is
passed through the same liquid.
 
The absorption column in the experimental setup was packed with raschig
rings. They provide a large surface area within the volume of the column for
the interaction between liquid and gas and also enhance the contact time
between liquid and gas. The liquid phase is preferably sodium hydroxide
solution of known concentration (not more than 2 N), enters from the top
and the mixture of carbon dioxide and air (inert solvent for gaseous phase),
enters from the bottom of the column. Thus we have counter-current flow
column.NaOH is passed in excess of the theoretical requirement in the
column.
 
The reaction which takes place in absorption column and the bubbling pot is:
 

 
When the samples from the absorption column and bubbling pot are titrated
with HCl, first end-point is obtained using a Phenolphthalein indicator.
 

 
Moles of bicarbonate ion are equal to the moles of carbonate ion present.
Also, the moles of H+ ion reacted is equal to the sum of moles
of OH- and CO32- ions.
 
Second end-point is obtained using the Methyl Orange indicator which helps
us in determining the total moles of bicarbonate ion (and hence the
carbonate ions) present.