DISCUSSION (c) Different value for Henry's Law constant, namely, 0.

265
2 mm Hg per ppm at 40 F for carbon dioxide, as compared to
J. H. Duff 12.4 mm Hg per ppm for oxygen.
W e wish to compliment the authors on their worth-while work
Because of these factors, it can be seen in Fig. 9 that propor-
and publication of HTU<ou data in this area which is not well
tionally greater pumping capacity would be required for evacua-
covered in previously published literature regarding atmosphere
tion in a system involving carbon dioxide. In Fig. 8 it was shown
oxygen and carbon dioxide removal from water, under vacuum
that about 70 cfm was required to remove about 40 ppm of non-
conditions.
condensible gases at an area flow rate of 30 gpm per ft 2 ; whereas
Vacuum deaeration is a valuable water treatment operation for
in the conditions as shown in Fig. 9, about 380 cfm are required to
the removal of objectionable gases, usually oxygen (air) and
remove about 130 ppm of noncondensible gases. In this case,
carbon dioxide. Basically, it is the stripping of slightly soluble
about 5 ' / s times more pumping capcity is required to remove
gases from water in the low pressure atmosphere of a tower
about three times as much gas.
utilizing the great surface areas produced by packing materials
such as Raschig rings. The relative efficiency of the packing af- cownioss
fects the size and design of the tower as well as the evacuating SAMZ AS F1C. 1 FACE FT
system. If infinite surface, that is, an infinite depth of packing,
were used, the tower could operate at equilibrium conditions.

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Practical systems require a driving force to drive the concentra-
tion of the unwanted gases in solution to the lowest possible
limits. The magnitude of the driving force required for a given
effluent is determined by the packing characteristics—HTU(OL)
and provided by the tower pressure conditions as determined by
the evacuating system selected.
The authors show how oxygen removal can be accomplished at
area flow rates of up to 70 gpm per sq ft in large pilot plant
apparatus. They have shown how values of H T U ( O L ) increase
with flow rate. Using our own data which are in general agree-
ment with those of the authors and other published information,
Fig. 8 shows the practical effect of increased flow rate in a similar
system. With air saturated water at 40 F and containing ap-
proximately 10 ppm of free COj, utilizing 12 feet of 1 1 / i in. Raschig
rings, and operating at pressures to maintain an effluent con-
taining 0.1 ppm of oxygen or less, the requirements of the evacuat-
ing system would be essentially as shown in Fig. 8.
ctwpmms
water nwmtiM • w* r.
OXYCDt - 12.6 Rpr
NT
IROGEN - JO. 8
CAaaON DIOXIDE • 10 Pm f
EFFLUE V
.T OXTCEM - O.l ppc
FACKIK - 11 FT- 1 l/i" RASCHIG AWGi
S "
I
Fig. 8 P u m p i n g s p e e d a n d h o r s e p o w e r required v e r s u s a r e a flow rate
Because of the increase in H T U value, the effectiveness of the
packing decreases with increased flow rate. This makes it neces-
sary to reduce the oxygen partial pressure and hence the total
pressure in the tower which in turn requires a subsequent in-
crease in volume capacity of the evacuating system. If mechani-
cal pumps were used, the power requirements would be on the
order of magnitude as shown. As can be seen from Fig. 8, there
is a marked increase in power requirements as the area flow rate
goes above 45-50 gpm per f t '
If we consider a different system with carbon dioxide in ap-
preciable concentrations as the primary contaminant to be re-
moved, tower conditions must change because:
(a) Usually larger quantities of contaminant gas
(b) Different value for H T U < O L )
2 Technical Manager, Graver Water Conditioning Company, New
York, N. Y.
siijcie siace - era
SIHCU SJACE^ HjF.
TJO STACE - Cm
rvo STACt • H.F.
Aim FUAJ RATE
Fig. 9 P u m p i n g s p e e d a n d h o r s e p o w e r required v e r s u s a r e a flow rate
Another factor involved in the selection of the evacuating sys-
tem is the possible use of two-stage deaerators. These are es-
sentially two vacuum deaerators operating in series at different
pressures under gravity flow and isolated b y seal arrangements.
This system has the advantage of substantial reduction in pump-
ing capacity required because the bulk of the gas is stripped in the
first or high-pressure stage while the small residuals are scrubbed
out in the second or low-pressure stage. Fig. 9 also shows the
relative effect of using a two-stage system for carbon dioxide re-
moval as compared to a single-stage system. In this case, each
stage of the two-stage deaerator utilizes six feet of Raschig rings
and the pumping capacity and power requirements are totals al-
though approximately one half is used in each stage.
It has been our experience that in the design of most commer-
cial vacuum deaerator installations, the flow rate is limited to
the range of 30-40 gpm per ft 2 :
(a) T o provide normal engineering design factors.
(b) T o minimize liquid entrainment and simplify the upper gas
collector system.
(c) T o provide the necessary storage in the lower sections of
the pressure vessel without utilizing excessive straight heights
or increased costs due to horizontal storage sections.
(d) T o permit operation without flooding or short circuiting in
the event of packing attrition.
Howard B. France 3
The authors are to be complimented on the completeness of
their report on a performance test of a vacuum deaerator. Con-
siderable time and effort have been devoted to the accumulation
of performance data, but these data are limited in application to
only one type vacuum deaerator.
The purpose of the paper is somewhat obscure. While no con-
3 Manager, Steam Process Section, Cochrane Division, Crane Com-
pany, Philadelphia, Pa. Assoc. Mem. ASME.

336 / OCTOBER 196 1 Transactions of the AS M E

Copyright © 1961 by ASME

elusions are stated, it may be inferred that the data can be used
for the design and evaluation of all vacuum deaerators. I do
not believe this is so. The data are limited in application to
vacuum deaerators of precisely the same design as the one which
was tested, and which is illustrated in the paper. The design and
performance of other types and arrangements will vary con-
siderably.
I would like to comment on several points:
1 End effect
2 Depth of packing
3 Effect of temperature
4 Tower loading rate
5 Design for very low residual gas concentrations
Let us analyze each of these points.
The authors point out that end effect varies with the design of
the spray chamber. They state that the design of this chamber
was not the same for the oxygen and carbon dioxide desorption
tests and, therefore, the end effects which were determined from
the data are not comparable. Since the recorded end effects are
of much the same order of magnitude, it may be inferred that a
change in the design of the spray chamber might have only a
small, and perhaps negligible, effect on performance. W e find
that end effect varies appreciably. W e find that it varies not only
with the design of the spray head and spray chamber, but also
with rate of tower loading, temperature, and the amount of gases
available for removal. Our data and experience contradict the
authors' statement that end effect is independent of these varia-
bles.
The design of the spray head and of the entire spray chamber
has a pronounced effect on the amount of gas that will remain
in the liquid phase as it enters the packing section. Variation in
this concentration can be much greater than is apparent from
the reported data.
The required depth of packing, as determined by the authors,
is definitely associated with the magnitude of end effect. Varia-
tion in end effect will change the depth of packing that is re-
quired to produce a stipulated over-all performance.
It is unfortunate that the authors' tests did not provide for the
control of water temperature. Apparently, data were collected
at different water temperatures and the results were grouped
within certain temperature ranges. Thus, the precise effective
temperature is not clearly defined. Viscosity of the fluid has a
significant effect on mass transfer capability. This effect is
concealed somewhat by the grouping of data within relatively
broad temperature ranges. Our experience indicates that the
effect of temperature is much more important than is shown by
this paper.
The authors have used tower loadings of 40 and 70 gpm per
square foot. These loadings seem unusually high. For a given
degree of deaeration the data clearly indicate that packing depth
must be high for a high tower loading or, conversely, a low tower
loading permits a reduced packing depth. W e customarily use
more conservative tower loadings with corresponding reduction
in packing depth.
The tabulated data include only moderate to large residual
gas concentrations. N o apparent attempt was made by the
authors to reach very low residual gas concentrations, such as
0.005 cc/1. oxygen which may be required for nuclear installations.
We have built several vacuum deaerators which have achieved
0.005 cc/1. oxygen, even with very low water temperatures, and
it is safe to state that it would be inadvisable to extrapolate the
authors' data to the design of such units.
It is not my intention to belittle the authors' efforts or their
report. I do want to conclude my remarks by emphasizing that
the data contained in the paper apply to a vacuum deaerator of a
specific design and arrangement and that use of the data should
Journal of Engineering for Power
be limited to units of that design. The data should not be used
indiscriminately for sizing or evaluation of vacuum deaerators of
other designs which are based on different concepts and ar-
rangements.
Wm. B. Gurney*
The authors are to be complimented for a fine job in supplying
us with some much needed information.
Apparently the size of the deaerator is not too important eco-
nomically; that is, it can be larger without too much additional
cost.
The important factors seem to be the capacity of the evacuating
pumps, the temperature of the water, p H of the water, the amount
and kind of gas to be removed, and the residual that can be tol-
erated.
For example, if a water (cation effluent) contains 200 ppm COj
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at 40 F (and oxygen), it may be necessary to heat this water to
90 F and, therefore, obtain a much lower residual C 0 2 (and 0 2 )
with a much smaller pump than could be obtained with this
same pump at 40 F.
Referring to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7, it would appear that at a tem-
perature of 90 F the economical or practical residual and water/
gas ratios woidd be as low as the curves show for a •practical size
pump in place of the "infinite" size pump used in the tests.
Below 70 deg F the required pump capacities increase very rapidly
and the pump must be three-stage to handle very high vacuums.
Of course, 0 2 values of 0.2 ppm are far from acceptable for boiler
feedwater used in the electric utility field. It appears that some
other feature is required to get the residuals (especially 0 2 ) down
easily to a lower value. Perhaps a two-stage unit or a purging gas
such as steam heating elements in place of the fill is needed.
Authors' Closure
The curves of flow rate versus horsepower required given by
Mr. Duff can be considered a form of a plot of H T U versus H 2 0 /
N C G ratio, H T U being a function of flow rate, and H 2 0 / N C G
being a function of HP requirement. By combining equations
(1) and (3) of the paper, the relationship between the two terms
can be calculated and a similar plot obtained.
Mr. Duff's comments on the use of a two-stage system are of
interest in reference to lower power requirements. The require-
ments for two-stage operation can be determined by considering
the deaerator as two single stage units, the effluent from one
being the influent for the other. We have operated the test unit
in this manner by recycling part of the effluent in order to obtain
oxygen residuals below 0.005 cc/1. In cases where a low residual
is required, a curve of the type shown in Fig. 7 will be shifted
upwardly to the right, demonstrating that extremely high H 2 0 /
N C G ratios with correspondingly larger pump sizes will be re-
quired. Two-stage operation will keep the H 2 0 / N C G ratios
within reasonable limits.
The above observations also apply to Mr. France's comments
on designs for obtaining low residual effluent concentrations.
Following the method outlined in the paper for determination of
most effective combination of pump capacity and tower height
will show that practical limits exist for single stage operation. Ex-
perimental data at low residuals could not be used as explained
under "Determination of N T U . "
In reference to end effects, the tabulated data do show varia-
tions with respect to temperature and flow rate. We agree with
Mr. France that the design of the distributing system will have an
appreciable effect on the depth of packing required. This is
obvious from observation of equation (1).
The temperature effect on the H T U for oxygen desorption is
4 Gulf States Utilities Company, Beaumont, Texas. Mem. ASME.
OCTOBER 1 96 1 / 3 3 7
negligible within the limits of the test. Of course the temperature
is an important factor insofar as it affects the number of transfer
units. For C 0 2 desorption, there does appear to be an effect of
temperature on the HTU, although it is not very great. Grouping
of the data therefore appears justified.
It should be noted that present designs of vacuum cleaerators
are based on operation of a packed tower. As the basic concept
of the height of a transfer unit is applicable regardless of the
tower design outside of the packing itself, the operation of
any tower can be predicted from a knowledge of the H T U and the
338 / OCTOBER 196 1
number of transfer units in the end effect. The data given in the
paper apply to the most commonly used packing for oxygen and
carbon dioxide desorption.
Mr. Gurney's observations regarding pump requirements refer
to the higher capacity as the suction pressure increases with water
temperature.
It does not appear that cold water vacuum deaerators will be a
factor in boiler feedwater treatment as they cannot compete with
a deaerating heater, especially as the feedwater must be pre-
heated.
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Transactions of the AS M E