324 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING VOLUME 1 SOLUTIONS

PROBLEM 13.8
Water is to be cooled in a packed tower from 330 to 295 K by means of air flowing
countercurrently. The liquid flows at the rate of 275 cm3 /m2 s and the air at 0.7 m3 /m2 s.
The entering air has a temperature of 295 K and a humidity of 20%. Calculate the required
height of tower and the condition of the air leaving at the top.
The whole of the resistance to heat and mass transfer can be considered as being within
the gas phase and the product of the mass transfer coefficient and the transfer surface per
unit volume of column hD a may be taken as 0.2 s1 .

Solution
Assuming, the latent heat of water at 273 K D 2495 kJ/kg
specific heat capacity of dry air D 1.003 kJ/kg K
specific heat capacity of water vapour D 2.006 kJ/kg K

then the enthalpy of the inlet air stream is:

HG1 D 1.003295  273 C H 2495 C 2.006295  273
From Fig. 13.4, when  D 295 K, at 20% humidity, H D 0.003 kg/kg, and:
HG1 D 1.003 ð 22 C 0.0032495 C 2.006 ð 22 D 29.68 kJ/kg
In the inlet air, the humidity is 0.003 kg/kg dry air or 0.003/18/1/29 D
0.005 kmol/kmol dry air.
Hence the flow of dry air D 1  0.0050.70 D 0.697 m3 /m2 s.
Density of air at 295 K D 29/22.4273/295 D 1.198 kg/m3 .
and hence the mass flow of dry air D 0.697 ð 1.198 D 0.835 kg/m2 s
and the mass flow of water D 275 ð 106 m3 /m2 s or 275 ð 106 ð 1000 D
0.275 kg/m2 s.
The slope of the operating line, given by equation 13.37 is:
LCL /G D 0.275 ð 4.18/0.835 D 1.38
The coordinates of the bottom of the operating line are:
L1 D 295 K and HG1 D 29.7 kJ/kg
Hence, on an enthalpy–temperature diagram (Fig. 13a), the operating line of slope 1.38
is drawn through the point (29.7, 295).
The top point of the operating line is given by L2 D 330 K, and from Fig. 13a, HG2 D
78.5 kJ/kg.
From Figs 13.4 and 13.5 the curve representing the enthalpy of saturated air as a
function of temperature is obtained and drawn in. This plot may also be obtained by
calculation using equation 13.60.
The integral: 
dHG /Hf  HG 
 HUMIDIFICATION AND WATER COOLING 325

Curve for
saturated air
(Hf vs qf)

300
Enthalpy (HG kJ/kg)

250

200

150

HGvs qG
100

(qL 2'HG 2 )
50
Operating line (HGvsqL)
(qL1'HG1)

295 300 305 310 315 320 325 330

Temperature (q K)

Figure 13a.

is now evaluated between the limits HG1 D 29.68 kJ/kg and HG2 D 78.5 kJ/kg,
as follows:

HG  Hf Hf  HG  1/Hf  HG 
29.7 295 65 35.3 0.0283
40 302 98 58 0.0173
50 309 137 87 0.0115
60 316 190 130 0.0077
70 323 265 195 0.0051
78.5 330 408 329.5 0.0030

From a plot of 1/Hf  HG  and HG the area under the curve is 0.573.
Thus:
 HG2
height of packing, z D [dHG /Hf  HG ]G/hD a (equation 13.53)
HG1

D 0.573 ð 0.835/0.2 ð 1.198

D 1.997, say 2.0 m

In Fig. 13a, a plot of HG and G is obtained using the construction given in

Section 13.6.3. and shown in Fig. 13.16. From this plot, the value of G2 corresponding
326 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING VOLUME 1 SOLUTIONS

to HG2 D 78.5 kJ/kg is 300 K. From Fig. 13.5 the exit air therefore has a humidity of
0.02 kg/kg which from Fig. 13.4 corresponds to a percentage humidity of 90%.

PROBLEM 13.9
Water is to be cooled in a small packed column from 330 to 285 K by means of air
flowing countercurrently. The rate of flow of liquid is 1400 cm3 /m2 s and the flowrate
of the air, which enters at 295 K with a humidity of 60% is 3.0 m3 /m2 s. Calculate the
required height of tower if the whole of the resistance to heat and mass transfer can be
considered as being in the gas phase and the product of the mass transfer coefficient and
the transfer surface per unit volume of column is 2 s1 . What is the condition of the air
which leaves at the top?

Solution
As in Problem 13.8, assuming the relevant latent and specific heat capacities:

HG1 D 1.003295  273 C H 2495 C 2.006295  273

From Fig. 13.4, at  D 295 and 60% humidity, H D 0.010 kg/kg and hence:

HG1 D 1.003 ð 22 C 0.0102495 C 44.13 D 47.46 kJ/kg

In the inlet air, water vapour D 0.010 kg/kg dry air or 0.010/18/1/29 D
0.016 kmol/kmol dry air.
Thus the flow of dry air D 1  0.0163.0 D 2.952 m3 /m2 s.
Density of air at 295 K D 29/22.4273/293 D 1.198 kg/m3 .
and mass flow of dry air D 1.198 ð 2.952 D 3.537 kg/m2 s.
Liquid flow D 1.4 ð 103 m3 /m2 s
and mass flow of liquid D 1.4 ð 103 ð 1000 D 1.4 kg/m2 s.
The slope of the operating line is thus: LCL /G D 1.40 ð 4.18/3.537 D 1.66 and the
coordinates of the bottom of the line are:

L1 D 285 K, HG1 D 47.46 kJ/kg

From these data, the operating line may be drawn in as shown in Fig. 13b and the top
point of the operating line is:

L2 D 330 K, HG2 D 122 kJ/kg

Again as in Problem 13.8, the relation between enthalpy and temperature at the interface
Hf vs. f is drawn in Fig. 13b. It is seen that the operating line cuts the saturation curve,
which is clearly an impossible situation and, indeed, it is not possible to cool the water to
285 K under these conditions. As discussed in Section 13.6.1, with mechanical draught
towers, it is possible, at the best, to cool the water to within, say, 1 deg K of the wet
 HUMIDIFICATION AND WATER COOLING 327

350

300

Enthalpy (HG kJ/kg)

250

200

150

100 (qL2'HG2)

50
(qL1'HG1)

0 280 290 300 310 320 330

Temperature (q K )

Figure 13b.

bulb temperature. From Fig. 13.4, at 295 K and 60% humidity, the wet-bulb temperature
of the inlet air is 290 K and at the best water might be cooled to 291 K. In the present
case, therefore, 291 K will be chosen as the water outlet temperature.
Thus an operating line of slope: LCL /G D 1.66 and bottom coordinates: L1 D 291 K
and HG1 D 47.5 kJ/kg is drawn as shown in Fig. 13c. At the top of the operating line:
L2 D 330 K and HG2 D 112.5 kJ/kg
As an alternative to the method used in Problem 13.8, the approximate method of Carey
and Williamson (equation 13.54) is adopted.
At the bottom of the column:
HG1 D 47.5 kJ/kg, Hf1 D 52.0 kJ/kg ∴ 1H1 D 4.5 kJ/kg

At the top of the column:

HG2 D 112.5 kJ/kg, Hf2 D 382 kJ/kg ∴ 1H2 D 269.5 kJ/kg

At the mean water temperature of 0.5330 C 291 D 310.5 K:

HGm D 82.0 kJ/kg, Hfm D 152.5 kJ/kg ∴ 1Hm D 70.5 kJ/kg
∴ 1Hm /1H1 D 15.70 and 1Hm /1H2 D 0.262
and from Fig. 13.17: f D 0.35 (extending the scales)
328 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING VOLUME 1 SOLUTIONS

350

300

250
Enthaolpy (HG kJ/kg)
200

150

100

50

0 280 290 300 310 320 330

Temperature (q k)

Figure 13c.

Thus:
 HG2
height of packing, z D [dHG /Hf  HG ]G/hD a (equation 13.53)
HG1

D 0.35 ð 3.537/2.0 ð 1.198 D 0.52 m

Due to the close proximity of the operating line to the line of saturation, the gas will be
saturated on leaving the column and will therefore be at 100% humidity. From Fig. 13c
the exit gas will be at 306 K.

PROBLEM 13.10
Air containing 0.005 kg water vapour/kg dry air is heated to 325 K in a dryer and passed
to the lower shelves. It leaves these shelves at 60% humidity and is reheated to 325 K
and passed over another set of shelves, again leaving with 60% humidity. This is again
reheated for the third and fourth sets of shelves after which the air leaves the dryer. On
the assumption that the material in each shelf has reached the wet bulb temperature and
that heat losses from the dryer can be neglected, determine:

(a) the temperature of the material on each tray,

(b) the rate of water removal if 5 m3 /s of moist air leaves the dryer,