Absorption and Stripping

Process

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Absorption and stripping of dilute mixtures

• In absorption a gas mixture is contacted with a liquid

to selectively dissolve one or more components by
mass transfer from the gas to the liquid.

• Absorption is used to separate gas mixtures:

– remove impurities
– contaminants
– pollutants
– catalyst poisons from a gas
– recover valuable chemicals
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 Absorption and stripping of dilute mixtures …

• The opposite of absorption operation is the desorption or

stripping.

• We will see procedures (graphical and algebraic) to

calculate:

– The equilibrium
– The absorption/stripping rate

for physical absorption and stripping of mainly dilute

mixtures.
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 Equilibrium Data
• Values of Ki depend on temperature, pressure, and liquid phase
composition.
– For ideal solutions (involving solutes at sub-critical
temperatures):
K i  Pi Sat P  Raoult's law 

– For solutes at super critical temperatures:

Ki  H i P  Henry's law 

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 Mole Fraction and Mole ratio
• x,y : Mole fraction of substance in liquid and
gas
• X,Y Mole ratio of substance in liquid and gas

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 Number of stage calculation
• The are two methods for stage calculation:
1. Graphical Equilibrium-Stage Method.
2. Numerical calculation method.

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Graphical Equilibrium-Stage Method …
 Each tray is treated as an equilibrium stage.

 For application to an absorber:

 Ls= molar flow rate of solute-free absorbent

 Gs = molar flow rate of solute-free gas (carrier gas)
 X = mole ratio of solute to solute-free absorbent in the liquid
 Y = mole ratio of solute to solute-free gas in the vapor

 For the solute at any equilibrium stage, n:

yn Yn 1  Yn 
Kn   )
xn X n 1  X n 

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Graphical Equilibrium-Stage Method for Absorber
• The mass balances around one end of the tower and an
arbitrary intermediate equilibrium stage, n:

For the absorber: X0 Ls +Yn+1 Gs= Xn LS+Y1 Gs

or solving for Yn+1 :

Yn+1 =(Ls/Gs) Xn +Y1-(Ls/Gs) Xo

Ls =L(1-x) , Gs =G(1-y)

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 Graphical
Number Equilibrium-Stage
of Equilibrium Method …
Stages: Absorber

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Example :
NH3 in gas stream containing 1% mole of NH3 should be
removed from the stream by contacting with 90 mole/ hr
fresh water , the total gas stream 30 mole/hr , the removal
ratio is 90% , the equilibrium data is ( y= 2.53x ) draw the
operating line .
solution:
given the equilibrium data from the equation
( y = 2.53x ) y1=? x1=0
R1=90
NH3 =30x0.01=0.3 mole . Kmole/hr

Removed = 0.9x 0.3=0.27mole .

NH3 in exit stream = 0.3-0.27=0.03mole. Y2=0.01
E2=30
0.03 0.27 kmole/hr x2=?
Y1   0.001 XN   0.003
29.7 90
Graphical Equilibrium-Stage Method for stripper

For the stripper:

Xn+1 Ls +Y0Gs= X1 LS+Yn Gs
or solving for Yn :
Yn=(Ls/Gs) Xn+1 +Y0-(Ls/Gs) X1

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Graphical Equilibrium-Stage Method …
3b. Number of Equilibrium Stages: Stripper

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 Ex: Striping Process
• An oil containing 2.55 mole per cent of a hydrocarbon is
stripped by running the oil down a column up with live steam
is passed, so that 4 kmol of steam are used/100 kmol of oils
stripped. Determine the number of theoretical plates required
to reduce the hydrocarbon content to 0.05 mole per cent,
assuming that the oil is non-volatile. The vapour–liquid
relation of the hydrocarbon in the oil is given by ye = 33x,
where ye is the mole fraction in the vapour and x the mole
fraction in the liquid. The temperature is maintained constant
by internal heating, so that steam does not condense in the
tower.
Graphical Equilibrium-Stage Method
1. Operating line equations (steady-state)

Stripper
Absorber

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Graphical Equilibrium-Stage Method …
Minimum Absorber Flow Rate

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Operating lines for an absorber
Example
In a bioprocess, molasses is fermented to produce a liquor containing
ethyl alcohol. A CO2-rich vapor with a small amount of ethyl alcohol is
evolved. The alcohol is recovered by absorption with water in a sieve-tray
tower. Determine the number of equilibrium stages required for
countercurrent flow of liquid an d gas, Entering gas is 180 kmol/h; 98%
CO2, 2% ethyl alcohol; 30oC Entering liquid absorbent is 100% water; 30OC,
110 kPa.
Required recovery of ethyl alcohol is 97%. The distribution coefficient is
0.57
I. Calculate the number of stage ,using the liquid rate is 1.5* minimum
rate
II. Calculate the number of stage numerically.
III. Calculate the actual number of stages , if the viscosity equal 10cp
The minimum solute-free absorbent rate is given by , where the solute-free gas rate, V', is (0.98)(180) =
176.4 kmolth. Thus,
Numerical Method: Dilute Solutions

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 Stage Efficiency …
• Approach for staged columns (Lewis):
(6.21)
Nt
Eo 
Na
where
– Eo = fractional overall stage efficiency (usually < 1.0)
– Nt = calculated number of equilibrium (theoretical) stages.
– Na = actual number of contacting trays or plates (usually >
Nt).

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O’Connell Efficiency

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Thanks