1

AY/B7 2. Gas Absorption

2.1 The absorption process, and the solvent

In the process of gas absorption, a soluble component present in a gas stream is removed
by contacting the gas with a solvent. The concepts we have introduced in part 1 (Mass
Transfer) can be used to calculate the mass transfer occurring in a given situation, but first
we shall consider the general arrangement of the process.

In the simplest general arrangement the gas flows up through a column, and liquid flows
downward. In the column we may put either trays or packing, to bring the liquid and gas
into contact with each other in an organised way, and to create interfacial area for the
transfer of material from gas into the liquid phase. This is the arrangement used for
example to remove hydrogen sulphide from natural gas using an aqueous amine solution.
Gas which is almost free from sulphur leaves the top of the absorption column, and liquid
which is rich in H2S leaves the bottom of the column. To complete the process we need
another column which regenerates fresh solvent which can be circulated to enter at the top
of the absorber. Putting this whole process together requires a lot of knowledge about both
the absorption and regeneration, but we shall here concentrate on the absorber.

The component that we want to remove should obviously have good solubility in the
solvent. Figure 2.1 shows the solubility of common gases in water, which vary enormously.

Nevertheless, it is not always best to choose the solvent with the highest solubility for the
removed component; there are many other considerations:

 it must be possible either to regenerate, or to dispose of the loaded solvent

 the solvent should not have a significant vapour pressure (why?)

 the solvent should not be expensive, corrosive, toxic or chemically unstable

 the solvent should not absorb components that we do not want to remove
(removal of other components is known as co-absorption).

Sometimes the solvent will work purely on the basis of physical solubility. However it is
often necessary to add a chemical species that reacts reversibly with the absorbed
component, thereby effectively increasing the solubility. H2S and CO2 absorption in
aqueous amines is a typical example of the use of a chemical solvent.

There are two simple laws relating the concentrations in the gas and liquid phases for a
mixture at equilibrium. Actually they both relate the partial pressure of a component in the
vapour to the composition of the liquid phase. We have:

Henry's Law pA = H CA (units of H are bar m3 kmol-1)

or pA = H' xA (units of H' are bar (mol fraction)-1; H = H' /cT)

Raoult's Law pA = poA xA

where poA is the vapour pressure of the pure component at the same temperature, and xA
 2

is the mol fraction of A in the liquid phase. cT is the total molar concentration in the liquid
phase, equal to the molar density. Raoult's Law tends to be valid for mixtures of similar
hydrocarbons, particularly when xA is close to unity. It is a special case of Henry's Law,
and because it suggests that the solubility is independent of the nature of the solvent, it
can only be expected to apply in rather ideal conditions. Henry's law is usually obeyed for
small values of xA. Sometimes a value is quoted for the solubility, for example in units of
kmol m-3 bar-1, and this is simply the inverse of the Henry constant.

Various forms of Henry's Law are used: above we give two of the more common. Which
form to use will be evident from the units given for Henry's constant. Solubility data will be
found in International Critical Tables, Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook, and
estimation methods can be found for example in Molecular Thermodynamics of Fluid-
phase equilibria by Prausnitz, Lichtenthaler and Azevedo.

Figure 2.1: Solubilities of gases in water at 5 pressure of atm or less.

Source: R.W. Rousseau (ed.), 1987, Handbook of separation process technology, John Wiley & Sons, Page 346
3

Example calculations of solubility

The saturated vapour pressure of sulphur dioxide at 20oC is 3.3 bar. If
dissolving SO2 in water followed Raoult's law, what would its Henry constant
be? Compare this with the actual value from Figure 2.1. What is the actual
Henry constant expressed in bar.m3 kmol-1? At 12 bar total pressure, what is
the mole fraction in a vapour phase which is in equilibrium with an aqueous
solution containing 1 mol% SO2?

Solution
From the saturated vapour pressure, H' is 3.3 bar (mol fraction)-1.
From Figure 2.1 the solubility at 20oC is 0.03 mol fraction atm-1, which is
equivalent to 0.03/1.013 = 0.0296 mol fraction bar-1; H' = 1/0.0296 = 33.8
bar/mol fraction. Thus the solubility is lower, and the Henry constant is a factor
about 10 higher, than we would expect from Raoult's law.

1 m3 of pure water contains 55.56 kmol, so that if the concentration c of

dissolved SO2 is low, its mol fraction is c/55.56 and H = H' /55.56 = 33.8/55.6
= 0.61 bar.m3 kmol-1

The solution contains 1 mol% SO2, which is a mol fraction of 0.01. So the
actual vapour pressure of SO2 is 0.01 x 33.8 = 0.338 bar.

The mol fraction in the vapour phase at 12 bar is thus 0.338/12 = 0.028.
2.2 Graphical representation of the absorption process
In these days of cheap high-powered computers we no longer need the graphical methods
that were developed in the 1920's in order to aid calculations. However these graphical
methods give such a remarkable insight into the working of a continuously operating
contact column, that they are worth studying.

The basis of this insight is a very simple graphical representation of the mass balance, and
the equilibrium condition known as the McCabe-Thiele construction. If the molar flowrate of
inert gas through the column is G and the flowrate of solute-free liquid is L, and

Y = mols of solute gas per mol of inert (non-absorbing) gas, and

X = mols of solute per mol of solvent in the liquid phase,

then a mass balance between the bottom of the column and any plane cutting through it
yields (figure 2.2):

G (Yin-Y) = L (Xout-X)

or, Yin-Y = (L/G) (Xout-X).

On a graph of Y vs X this is a straight line of slope (L/G) which passes through the point
(Xout ,Yin), the conditions at the bottom of the column. In fact every point on the line
represents the conditions at some cross-section in the column, and the line therefore also
passes through (Xin ,Yout), which represents conditions at the top of the column. This, the
operating line, is straight in this case because L and G are constant.
4
5

Yout Xin
Y, mol/mol

Yin

Operating
line
X

Yout
Equilibrium
line

Xin X, mol/mol Xout

Yin Xout
Flowrates G L
Figure 2.2
It is also possible to represent the equilibrium between gas and liquid on the same X-Y
diagram. This equilibrium line has been added in figure 2.2. Note that in an absorber the
operating line lies above the equilibrium line. This is because the concentration of solute in
the gas in the column is greater than it would be in the vapour at equilibrium with the
liquid. Thus there is a positive concentration driving force causing solute to transfer out of
the gas into the liquid. In a stripper or regeneration column, the operating line is below the
equilibrium line, and solute is transferred from the liquid into the gas.

The X-Y diagram makes it easy to see

Y, mol/mol
why there is a minimum liquid flow-rate
Yin for any particular absorption duty.
Generally, when designing an absorber,
conditions at the top will be known. That
Decreasing is, the incoming solvent composition will
L/G be known, Xin, and the treated gas
composition will be specified as a certain
purity Yout. At the bottom, however, we
will only know the composition of the
incoming gas, Yin; the composition of the
outgoing liquid will be determined by how
we design the column.
Yout
minimum
L/G The situation is shown in Figure 2.3. As,
for given G, the flow rate of liquid is
Xin X, mol/mol Xout,max reduced, the slope of the operating line,
L/G, decreases and the concentration of
Figure 2.3
 6

solute at the exit increases. At the minimum value of L/G the outlet liquid reaches
equilibrium with the incoming gas. At this point the exiting solvent is saturated, and can
carry no more solute. This pinch condition defines the maximum solvent concentration,
and also the minimum liquid flow-rate for a given flow-rate of gas.

Mol ratios and mol fractions

The mol ratio (X, Y) and mol fraction (x, y) are related by the equations

X Y x y
x y X  Y 
1 X 1 Y 1 x 1 y

When the absorbing component forms a significant fraction of the inlet gas, it is
convenient to use mol ratios in analysing the absorber, because the flow-rate G of
inert gas is constant, and the flow-rate L of solute-free solvent is also constant. The
operating line then has a constant slope.

If the absorbing component mol fraction is <<1, then x~X and y~Y, and we can
ignore the effect of changing flow-rates, and assume the operating line is straight,
taking G and L to be the total flow rates. We can then also use mol fractions
instead of mol ratios.

2.3 Staged processes

If we want to absorb nearly all of a component present in the gas phase, we will obviously
need to provide more contacting area than if, say, we only wanted to remove half as much.
Deciding on how much contact will be required is a major design challenge. One approach
to this is through the concept of equilibrium stages.

We consider a section at the top of the column, in which just sufficient mass transfer
occurs that the liquid leaving the section, X1 is in equilibrium with the gas leaving the
section, Y1. This section of column represents a special case - an equilibrium stage. Since
the leaving streams are in equilibrium, their X-Y co-ordinate is a point on the equilibrium
line (X1 ,Y1). The X-Y co-ordinates for the passing streams can be found by mass balance
as usual, and the short piece of operating line connecting the two ends of the stage (that
is: (X0 ,Y1) and (X1 ,Y2)) has a slope L/G, as before. This is shown on figure 2.4.

If we consider now an adjacent section of column, again chosen such that the leaving
streams (X2 ,Y2) are in equilibrium, its short operating line again has a slope L/G, joining
the co-ordinates for passing streams at each end of the stage, as shown on figure 2.4.

We go on like this, splitting the column up into equilibrium stages, each of which is
represented by a dog-tooth on the X-Y diagram, until we have stepped from one end of the
column to the other. The last stage may not be a whole one, but this is no problem - for a
fraction of a stage the leaving streams (eg X4 ,Y4) are not wholly at equilibrium.
7

Y1 (X4,Y5)
X0
Y, mol/mol (X3,Y4)
(X4,Y4)
Operating line
Y2 X1
(X2,Y3)
(X3,Y3)
Y3 X2 Equilibrium
(X1,Y2) line
(X2,Y2)
Y4 X3
(X0,Y1) (X1,Y1)

Y5 X4 X, mol/mol
Figure 2.4

This stepping procedure is part of the McCabe-Thiele construction.

In practice the size (height) of an equilibrium stage depends on the type of column internal.
For random packing it may be ~ 0.5 to 1.0 m, whilst for trays it will usually be 1 or 2 trays.

The concept of an equilibrium stage is an important one in chemical engineering, so it is

worth repeating the definition:

an equilibrium stage is a piece of contacting equipment, or a section of it,

such that the streams leaving it are in equilibrium with each other.

The equilibrium stage is often called a theoretical stage, which is less descriptive, and
sometimes a theoretical tray. In old books the term theoretical plate is used. The height of
an equilibrium stage is therefore often called the Height Equivalent to a Theoretical Stage
or the Height Equivalent to a Theoretical Plate, abbreviated to HETS or HETP. It should be
clear from the preceding discussion that the concept is applicable to all types of contacting
equipment, not just those involving trays (plates).

2.4 A typical Absorber Design Example

A fermentation plant produces 3000 m3 h-1 of off-gas, containing a mol fraction 0.01 of ethyl
alcohol. 98% of this alcohol will be recovered by washing the gas countercurrently with
water at 40oC and 1 bar. The washing water contains a residual 0.0001 mol fraction of
ethyl alcohol at inlet. How many equilibrium stages will be needed if the flowrate of water is
50% greater than the minimum? How tall will the column be if a packing is used having
HETS of 0.8 m? The Henry constant at this temperature is 1.068 bar (mol fraction)-1.
 8

Design
First we work out the flowrates and concentrations at top and bottom of the column
by mass balance, as far as we are able:

Density of the gas is 12.02 P/T = 0.0384 kmol m-3

Flowrate of gas 3000 x 0.0384 = 115.20 kmol h-1
Alcohol entering column in gas 0.01 x 115.20 = 1.152 kmol h-1
Alcohol leaving column in gas 0.02 x 1.152 = 0.023 kmol h-1
Inert gas entering column 0.99 x 115.2 = 114.048 kmol h-1
YT mol ratio alcohol/inert 0.023/114.048 = 0.000202

The minimum water flowrate is found next.

At Lmin there is equilibrium between the water leaving at the bottom of the column, and
the inlet gas. Any further reduction would cause more slip of alcohol with the gas out of
the top of the column, and we could no longer obtain 98% recovery. So we have

Partial pressure of alcohol at bottom of column = 0.01 bar

which by the given Henry's Law is = 1.068 xB,max
so that the maximum mol fraction is xB,max = 0.00936
and XB,max = 0.00936/(1-0.00936) = 0.00945

The minimum water flow, Lmin is then found by mass balance. The alcohol absorbed is
1.152 - 0.023 = Lmin {0.00945 - 0.0001/(1-0.0001)} kmol h-1
Hence Lmin = 120.75 kmol h-1
and 1.5 times the minimum water flowrate is = 181.12 kmol h-1

The operating line is found: 114.048 (Y - 0.000202) = 181.12 (X - 0.0001)

Which is: Y = 4.32 10-5 + 1.5881 X

The equilibrium line is: Y/(1+Y) = 1.068 X/(1+X)

which in view of the very low values of X is indistinguishable from
Y = 1.068 X.

The operating and equilibrium lines are plotted in figure 2.5. Drawing equilibrium
stages on this figure one finds that some 9 are needed for the required removal of
98% of the alcohol. The height of the packed column is then 9 x 0.8 = 7.2 m.
9

Figure 2.5

2.5 Analytical solution for straight operating and equilibrium lines

In the above example we worked in terms of mol ratios, with the flow-rates being on a
solute-free basis. This is normal in absorber calculations, as it means that the operating
line is straight, even though the total molar flow-rates of gas and liquid vary up the column.
Using mol ratios instead of mol fractions does mean that the line representing Henry's or
Raoult's Law is curved, but this may not be any extra inconvenience, as often these laws
do not apply and the equilibrium line is curved anyway. If the concentrations are low, as in
the above example, there is little difference in numerical values between mol ratios and
mol fractions.

In fact when both the operating and equilibrium lines are straight, there is an analytical
solution to the absorption problem. Either mol fractions or mol ratios can be used to
develop the result, which will apply to whichever unit system gives straight lines. Here we
shall derive it for mol ratios. The equilibrium line is Y=mX.
 10

A material balance over the nth equilbrium stage, see figure

2.6, gives

G (Yn+1 - Yn) = L (Xn - Xn-1)

n-1
For an equilibrium stage, the leaving streams are at
Yn Xn-1 equilibrium with each other, so that Xn = Yn/m and Xn+1 =
Yn+1/m. So:
n
(Yn+1 - Yn) = (L/mG)(Yn - Yn-1)
Yn+1 Xn
The group (L/mG) is called the absorption factor, A, which is
n+1 constant in this case. This remarkable equation tells us that
the change in vapour composition over the (n+1)th equilibrium
stage is a factor A times the change over the nth stage. Look
G L
at figure 2.4 to see what this actually means.
Figure 2.6 If we let Yn+1 - Yn = en (the change over stage n)

then en = Aen-1 = An e0 where e0 = Y1-Y0 = Y1-mX0. (Note that the gas leaving stage 1,
the top stage, has mol ratio Y1, so that Y0 is a hypothetical value, equal to mX0. X0 is a real
value, being the mol ratio of the liquid entering the top stage.)

The values of en thus comprise a geometric series. The sum of this series is:

Sum = YN+1-YN + YN-YN-1 + .... + Y2-Y1 + Y1-Y0 = YN+1 - Y0 = YN+1 - mX0

= eN + eN-1 + .... + e1 + e0

= ANe0 + AN-1e0 + .... + Ae0 + e0

= e0 (AN+1 - 1)/(A - 1)

where YN+1 is the mol ratio in the gas entering the column of N stages. So we have

YN 1  mX 0 AN 1  1 YN 1  Y1 A N 1  A
 which can be written  N 1
Y1  mX 0 A1 YN 1  mX 0 A 1

This is the Kremser-Souders-Brown equation which relates the actual change in gas
composition YN+1 - Y1 to the maximum possible change YN+1 - mX0, which occurs when the
gas leaving the absorber is in equilibrium with the entering liquid.

For calculating the number of stages needed for a given separation the following form of
equation is convenient:
11

 Y  mX 0  1 
log 1  A 1  . N 1 A 
 Y1  mX 0  
N
logA

For the reverse operation, in which a solute is desorbed, or stripped, from a solution, there
are exactly analogous equations:

X0  XN S N 1  S
 N 1 where S, the stripping factor (=1/A), is mG/L.
YN 1 S 1
X0 
m
  Y  
  X 0  N 1  


log  1  S 1 
.
m  
 S 1 
  Y  
 X N  N 1 
  m  
and N .
logS

The absorption factor plays an important role in the absorption or stripping process. If the
absorption factor is less than one, there will be a limit to the degree of absorption possible,
even with an infinite number of stages. Similarly for stripping, if S is less than one the
degree of stripping will be limited.

Example of the use of the Kremser-Souders-Brown equation

Calculate the number of equilibrium stages needed for the
absorption of alcohol from fermenter off-gas described above, and
hence the column height.

Absorption factor A is 181.12/(1.068 x 114.048) = 1.487;

A-1 = 0.6725
Y1 = 0.000202
YN+1 = 0.01/0.99 = 0.0101
X0 = 0.0001/0.9999 = 0.0001
mX0 = 1.068 x 0.0001 = 0.0001068

Using the K-S-B equation we have:

N = log[0.3275 x 0.01/0.0000952 + 0.6725]/log(1.487) = 8.96
Height of column = 8.96 x 0.8 = 7.17 m

We see that our original estimate of 9 equilibrium stages, from the

graphical construction, was actually very close to the analytical
solution.

When designing an absorption or stripping column, a value for A or S must be chosen.

Usually this will be greater than unity, for the reason given above. Too high a value
however also has disadvantages, as the flow-rates increase, leading to larger diameter
 12

columns, and the stream into which the solute is concentrated (liquid in the case of
absorption, stripping gas in the case of desorption) also becomes more dilute. This can be
undesirable for subsequent treating or recovery processes. Commonly a value for A or S
will be around 1.2 to 2.0.

If the absorption or stripping column is equipped with trays, we can make use of the
concept of stage efficiency to convert from equilibrium stages to actual stages and hence
design the column. We shall explore this concept further when we deal with distillation.

2.6 Column Height - mass transfer approach

(i) Generic derivation
It may seem odd that in the above example we have been able to calculate the height of
an absorber for a particular duty without, apparently, calculating the rate of mass transfer.
In fact the calculation method using equilibrium stages does take account of mass transfer
- it is included in the height of the equilibrium stage. Systems with lower mass transfer
rates have a higher height of stage. The assumption of a constant HETS for a given
service is a fairly common one, although it is rather crude. A better way to find the height
of an absorption or stripping column is through the use of transfer units. This method is
commonly used for packed columns.

We can calculate the amount of mass transfer in a section of column from the flux
equations. We recall that there are four of them:

N A  (kG / RT ) . ( p Ab  pAi ) NA  kL ( cLi  cLb )

N A  (KG / RT ) . ( p Ab  p A* ) NA  KL ( cL*  cLb )

where the flux, which is of course the same in each case, is related to different
concentration driving forces. For calculation purposes the gas and liquid film relations are
not so useful, as we do not know the interface concentrations. However we can use the
overall relations as follows.

Using the KG relation

N A  (KG / RT ) . ( p Ab  pA* )  KG (y  y * ) mG

where y is the mol fraction in the gas phase and mG is the (constant) molar density of the
gas. If the amount of interfacial area in a unit volume of column is a, the molar rate of
transfer of material in an element of height dh is:

NAa Adh = KG (y - y*)mG a Adh

where A is the column cross-sectional area. Assuming G, the total molar flow rate of gas,
to be constant, a mass balance over an element of column height yields:

NAa Adh = -G dy
13

.Equating the two expressions for NAa Adh and integrating over the total height H gives:

yB
G dy
H =
K G a A  mG yT
 y-y *

The group G/(KGaAmG) has the dimensions of a length, and is known as the height of an
overall gas phase transfer unit, HOG. The integral  dy/(y-y*) is the number of overall gas
phase transfer units, NOG , and is a measure of the mass transfer duty. We then have:

H = HOG . NOG

A similar derivation starting from the liquid phase expression for the flux gives:

NAa Adh = KLa Adh (x* - x) mL = - L dx

xB
L dx
and H =
K L a A  mL
 x x
*
, written as H = HOL . NOL.
xT

In general the number of overall transfer units, either NOG or NOL, has to be calculated
numerically, from the integral.

Example calculation of the height of a transfer unit (HTU)

A gas flow of 0.08 kmol s-1 is to be contacted with a solvent at 20oC and 1.5 bar.
The column has a cross-sectional area of 6.0 m2 and is filled with a packing giving
a contacting area of 250 m2 m-3. Assuming KG = 0.001 m s-1, what is the height of
an overall gas phase mass transfer unit?

What volume of packing will be required for a column where the duty is 5.5 overall
gas phase transfer units, and a design safety margin of 25% is allowed?

Solution
mG = P/RT = 1.5 105
/ (8314 x 293) = 0.0616 kmol m-3
Then HOG = 0.08/(0.001x250x6.0x0.0616) = 0.866 m
The height of packing required is 5.5 x 0.866 = 4.763 m
Volume of packing required = 1.25 x 4.763 x 6 = 35.72 m3

(ii) Special case of straight equilibrium line

In the special case of a straight equilibrium line, y*=mx, we can evaluate the integrals for
NOG and NOL analytically. For example, for NOG we have:

yB yB yB
dy dy dy

yT y - y*
=
yT
 y - mx
=
yT
 G
y - m [ xB + (y - y B )]
L
and so NOG = (1 - mG/L)-1 ln [(yB - mxB)/(yT - mxT)]
 14

= (1 - mG/L)-1 ln [(yB - y*B)/(yT - y*T)]

where we have used the mass balance equation (G/L).(yB - yT) = xB - xT. The subscripts B
and T refer to bottom and top of the column, respectively. From the same mass balance
equation we find that the stripping factor S is given by:

S = mG/L = m(xB - xT)/(yB - yT) = (y*B - y*T)/(yB - yT)

Substituting for mG/L then gives

NOG = (yB - yT)/(y - y*)lm

y B  y B
where y  y 

= y y 
  y y 
 ln
y T  y T
lm B B T T

(iii) Special case of straight equilibrium line and solute-free solvent feed
In the special case of the solvent entering free of solute, y*T = 0 and y*B = S(yB-yT), so

NOG = (1-S)-1 ln[(1-S)yB/yT + S]

(iv) Special case of no back-pressure from solvent

In this case, which may occur if the solubility is very high, or if the solute is consumed by a
chemical reaction, we have y* = 0 and from the original integral NOG = ln[yB/yT].
2.7 Example of transfer unit calculation
For the absorption of H2S in an alkaline solvent, a certain packing is found to have a
height of overall gas phase transfer unit of 0.4 m. The solvent at entry is free of
H2S. What is the minimum height of column that will be necessary to reduce the
concentration of a gas stream from 1% to 5 ppmv? What height of packing would be
necessary if the absorption factor were chosen to be 1.6?

Solution
The minimum height will be required when there is no back-pressure of H2S
anywhere in the column. This means that y* is zero everywhere, and the driving
force for absorption is equal to the partial pressure of H2S. We can thus find NOG:

NOG = ln[0.01/0.000005] = 7.6

The minimum height of packing is therefore 7.6 x 0.4 = 3.04 m.

If A = 1.6, S = 0.625,and

NOG = (0.375)-1ln(0.375x0.01/0.000005 + 0.625) = 17.66

Height of packing required is 17.66 x 0.4 = 7.06 m

2.8 More complex absorption systems

The techniques described above will be useful in analysing simple absorption and stripping
systems. Some further complications that can arise are:
15

(i) Heat effects

Heat is liberated when a gas dissolves, but if the mixture is dilute this heat can be ignored.
The heat of absorption cannot be ignored when it causes the temperature to rise
sufficiently to change the position of the equilibrium line. This is generally the case if the
concentration of absorbing species exceeds a few percent.

The feed gas may be at a different temperature from the solvent. Because direct-contact
heat transfer is rather efficient, the temperatures of the gas and liquid approach each other
rather quickly. In the case of a high pressure gas, the heat effect may be sufficient to
cause a significant change in liquid temperature. To deal properly with heat effects it is
necessary to do stage-to-stage calculations, with both mass and enthalpy balances.

(ii) Chemical reactions

Chemical reactions can enhance the rate of mass transfer, effectively by reducing the
thickness of the diffusion film on the liquid side of the interface. There is an enormous
body of theory available describing this phenomenon (see eg "Gas-Liquid Reactions" by
P.V. Danckwerts). Chemical reactions also complicate the shape of the gas-liquid
equilibrium lines, though, provided you know what the reactions are, this can be modeled.

(iii) Simultaneous absorption of several components

Figure 2.7 (from Perry, "Chemical Engineers' Handbook" 6th edition p 14-28) shows the
simultaneous absorption of components of a gas mixture in an absorption oil. The liquid-to-
gas ratio has been chosen to give 75% recovery of the butane in 4 equilibrium stages.

The diagram shows that pentane and heavier components will be completely recovered,
and that the recovery of propane and lighter components will be much less. This is
because the slope of the operating line (L/G) is the same for all components, but the lower
solubility of the lighter components causes the separation to be "pinched". The operating
and equilibrium lines meet at the absorber bottom, indicating that the solvent leaving the
column is almost saturated in propane and ethane.
 16

Ethane Propane
0.12

0.10

0.08

Butane
0.06

0.04

0.02
Pentane

0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.10 0.12

x
Figure 2.7
Graphical design method for a multicomponent system.
Equilibrium lines Operating lines