Practical-1

on
Mass Transfer
J Mitra
AgFE Dept
Aim: Determine the mass diffusivity (DAB) for A diffusing through
stagnant non-diffusing B

• Steps
1. Learning Fick’s first law- mass flux calculation under pressure
gradient or concentration gradient
2. Equimolar counter diffusion
3. Molecular diffusion and Convective diffusion
4. A diffusing through stagnant non-diffusing B

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• Fick's law for a binary mixture of A and B:

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Equimolar Counter diffusion in Gases

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Diffusion of Gases A and B Plus Convection

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A Diffusing Through Stagnant, Non-diffusing B

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Problem
• A mixture of He and N2 gas is contained in a pipe at 298 K and 1 atm total pressure which is
constant throughout. At one end of the pipe at point 1 the partial pressure PA1 of He is 0.60 atm and
at the other end 0.2 m (20 cm) PA2 = 0.20 atm. Calculate the flux of He at steady state if DAB of the
He-N2 mixture is 0.687 x 10-4 m2/s (0.687 cm2 /s). Use SI units.

08-09-2022 J Mitra AgFE Dept

 Problem 2
• Diffusion of Water Through Stagnant, Non-diffusing Air.
• Water in the bottom of a narrow metal tube is held at a constant temperature of 293 K. The total pressure of
air (assumed dry) is 1.01325 x 105 Pa (1.0 atm) and the temperature is 293 K (20°C). Water evaporates and
diffuses through the air in the tube and the diffusion path Z2 – Z1 is 0.1524 m long. The diagram is similar to
Fig. 6.2-2a. Calculate the rate of evaporation at steady state in kg mol/s·m2. The diffusivity of water vapor at
293 K and 1 atm pressure is 0.250 x 10- 4 m2/s. Assume thatthe system is isothermal.

08-09-2022 J Mitra AgFE Dept

Problem

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Determine mass transfer coefficient (kc) for A diffusing through
stagnant non-diffusing B on various geometries

Steps
1. Convective mass transfer
2. Eddy diffusivity calculation
3. Interrelation between different mass transfer coefficients
4. Dimensional analysis, JD factor
5. Mass transfer coefficient calculation

08-09-2022 J Mitra AgFE Dept

Mass transfer coefficient (kc)
• Solute A is dissolving from a solid surface: High concentration of this solute in the fluid at
the surface, and its concentration, in general, decreases as the distance from the wall
increases.
• However, minute samples of fluid adjacent to each other do not always have
concentrations close to each other because eddies having solute in them move rapidly,
transferring relatively large amounts of solute.
• This turbulent diffusion or eddy transfer is quite fast in comparison to molecular transfer.
• Three regions of mass transfer. First (adjacent to the surface). a thin viscous sublayer film
--mass transfer occurs by molecular diffusion since few or no eddies are present.
• A large concentration drop occurs across this film as a result of the slow diffusion rate.

08-09-2022 J Mitra AgFE Dept

Mass transfer coefficient (kc)
• Transition or buffer region- some eddies are present and the
mass transfer is the sum of turbulent and molecular diffusion.

• There is a gradual transition in this region from the transfer by

mainly molecular diffusion at the one end to mainly turbulent at
the other end.

• Turbulent region, most of the transfer is by turbulent diffusion,

with a small amount by molecular diffusion.

• The concentration decrease is very small here since the eddies

tend to keep the fluid concentration uniform.

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• For turbulent mass transfer for constant c,

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Mass-transfer coefficient for A diffusing through stagnant, nondiffusing B.

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MASS-TRANSFER COEFFICIENTS FOR VARIOUS GEOMETRIES

• Dimensionless Numbers Used to Correlate Data

• Reynolds number Nre

• Schmidt number

The Schmidt number is the ratio of the shear

component for diffusivity µ/ρ to the diffusivity for mass
• Sherwood number transfer DAB and it physically relates the relative
thickness of the hydrodynamic layer and mass-transfer
boundary layer.

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• Mass transfer in flow parallel to flat plates.

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• The Antoine equation is a class of semi-empirical correlations
describing the relation between vapor pressure and temperature for
pure substances. The Antoine equation is derived from the Clausius–
Clapeyron relation.
• Log p=A-B/(C+T)
• where p is the vapor pressure, T is temperature (in °C or in K
according to the value of C) and A, B and C are component-specific
constants.
• The simplified form with C set to zero

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Parameterisation for T in °C and P in mmHg
A B C T min. (°C) T max. (°C)
Water 8.07131 1730.63 233.426 1 100
Water 8.14019 1810.94 244.485 99 374
Ethanol 8.20417 1642.89 230.300 −57 80
Ethanol 7.68117 1332.04 199.200 77 243

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