NPTEL Chemical Mass Transfer Operation 1

MODULE 4: ABSORPTION

LECTURE NO. 8
4.9.5. Absorption resistance
During absorption, when transport from the bulk of the gas phase to that of the
liquid phase, the possibility of the transport resistance arising on the gas side.
This is relatively infrequent occurrence in absorption process. But it can be found
under certain circumstances where fast and instantaneous reactions are
involved, especially when combined with low gas phase of the reactant.
The absorption rate for fast pseudo-fast-order reaction is

RA

pA
1 kG H

(4.76)

(kDA )

The relation for instantaneous reaction is

D C0
R A k G ( p A p Ai ) k L C Ai B B
vB DA

(4.77)

Using Henrys law (pAi=HcAi), the interface concentration can be removed from
Equation (4.77) to give

p A HDB C B0 v B D A
RA
H k L 1 kG

(4.78)

when the reaction is at the interface:

k G p A k L C B0 DB v B DA

(4.79)

If
k G p A k L C B0 DB v B DA

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(4.80)

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NPTEL Chemical Mass Transfer Operation 1

then transport resistance is mainly on the gas side and the absorption rate is

RA kG p A

(4.81)

Example Problem 4.4: In a reactor Carbon dioxide is absorbed in NaOH. The

CO2 partial pressure ranges from 2.5 bar at the reaction inlet and (0.025) at the
outlet. The liquid phase has a roughly constant composition of 0.96 M NaOH.
Find out the absorption rate at reactor inlet.
Data: kL = 0.025 cm/s, kG = 2.510-5 mol.cm-2s-1bar-1, H = 56.2 bar l mol-1, DCO2
0
1
0
= 1.610-5 cm2 s-1, DOH/DCO2 = 1.7, k2COH 7000 s , cOH 0.40 .

Solution 4.4:
Parameter

M is calculated as an initial step

0
k 2 cOH
DCO2

k L2

(7000) 1.6 10 5 )
13.39
(0.025)

The enhancement factor Ei is

Ei 1

0
cOH
DOH
0.68
1 *
*
cCO2 DCO2
cCO2

*
As cCO
= p/H, it follows that
2

Ei 1

0.68 56.2
38.216
1
p
p

Hence, Ei = 16.28 at the reactor inlet and Ei = 1528.64 at the outlet. E is

determined iteratively from the Welleks equation In the present problem its value
is 3.492. Hence, absorption rate at the reactor inlet is

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NPTEL Chemical Mass Transfer Operation 1

*
R A k L EC CO
3.88 10 3 mol cm-2 s-1
2

Nomenclature

, An
G/
Gs
hT
HtG
KY
kx, ky
KG
L/

Specific interfacial contact

area between gas and liquid,
m2/m3
Absorption factor

Ls

Gas flow rate per unit area

basis, mol/h.m2
Gas flow rate per unit area
basis,(solute free basis)
mol/h.m2
Packing height, m
Height if transfer units, m

NtG

Overall gas phase mass

transfer coefficient, kmol/m2h
(X)
Individual gas phase mass
transfer coefficients,
kmol/m2h (X)
Overall gas phase mass
transfer coefficient, kmol/m2h
(p)
Liquid flow rate per unit area
basis, mol/h.m2

x, y

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U
/

Liquid flow rate per unit area

basis, (solute free basis)
mol/h.m2
Parameter defined in Equation
(4.77)
Number of gas phase transfer
units
Stripping factor

Overall gas phase conversion

Moles of Nth component in the
liquid stream per mole of solvent
entering the absorber
Mole fraction of solute in liquid
and gas

X, Y Mole ratio of solute in liquid and

gas
/

Moles of Nth component in the

gas stream leaving any plate

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NPTEL Chemical Mass Transfer Operation 1

Reference
1. H. Hikita and S. Asai, Kagaku Kogaku 27 (1963), p. 823.
2. D.W. Van Krevelen and P.J. Hoftijzer, Rec. Trav. Chim. 67 (1948), p. 563.
3. R. M Wellek, R. J. Brunson and F. H. Law, Canadian Journal of Chemical
Engineering, 56 (1978), p. 181
4. W.-D. Deckwer, Bubble Column Reactors. , Wiley, Chichester (1992).
5. P. V. Danckwerts, Gas-liquid reactions, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York
(1970).

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