Mass Transfer Lecture

series
Fall 2016-2017
Slides _ 5

Diffusion through a varying crosssectional area

In some cases, the area A may vary. Then, it is
convenient to define NA as:
Constant at
steady state
condition

Examples

Combustion of spherical solid particle

of carbon

Stagnant medium B
air

Diffusion from a sphere

But as given before

Or

 Rearranging and integration

Since r2 r1, 1/r20 , hence previous eq.

becomes

Or

Note

Time for complete evaporation or

dissolution of the sphere is:

Try to derive this equation.

Example 1
Evaporation of a Naphthalene Sphere

Solution

Data

Solution
Data

Diffusion through a conduit of nonuniform crosssectional area

(i)

(ii)

Eliminate r from eq. (i) using eq. (ii), rearrange

and integrate,

From the given table we can

conclude,

DAB

Incropera

Diffusivity measurement

.(a)

(b)
Material balance: ( cav at equilibrium can be calculated using initial composition at t = 0.)
(c)

Material balance: (at any time t as the previous material balance)

(d)
From eq. (d) find c1 then substitute it in eq. (b) on rearrangement, integration
between t = 0 and t = t, we get
(e)

Note
From this eq. (e) we can obtain the diffusivity coefficient DAB, where
C2 is found by sampling.

Based on Boltzmann's kinetic theory of gases, the theorem of

corresponding states, and a suitable intermolecular energy
potential function.

atm

3.
The schmidt number of a gas mixture of dilute A in B is
dimensionless and defined as

Example 1: Estimation of diffusivity of

a gas mixture

Example 2: Estimation of diffusivity of

a gas mixture
Estimate the diffusion coefficient for the
system oxygen (A)-benzene (B) at 38C and 2
atm using the method of Fuller et al.

Solution
Substituting into eq. 6.2-45

DAB =

#
#

Molecular Diffusion in Liquids: special cases

1. Equi-molar Counter Diffusion (NA=-NB):
Starting from the general equation:

2. Diffusion of A through stagnant B:

This is the most important case of diffusion in liquids. Such
a case often occurs in industry.
Starting from the equation derived for the gases:

Example 6: Diffusion of Ethanol (A)

through Water (B)
An ethanol-water solution in the form of stagnant
film 2.0 mm thick at 293 K is in contact at one
surface with an organic solvent in which ethanol is
soluble and water is insoluble. Hence, NB= 0.
At point 1 the concentration of ethanol is 16.8 wt%
and the solution density is 972.8 kg/m3. At point 2
the concentration of ethanol is 6.8 wt% and the
solution density is 988.1 kg/m3.
The diffusivity of ethanol is 0.740 x 10-9 m2/s.
Calculate the steady state flux NA.

Solution

Solution

Solution

Check
calculations

Correction of Diffusivity coeff.

For binary mixtures of light gases, at pressures to about
10 atm, the pressure dependence on diffusivity is
adequately predicted by the simple inverse relation
(Fuller expression)*, that is, PDAB = a constant for a
given temperature and gas mixture.
[PDAB ]LP= [PDAB ]HP at a given temperature
In general, to corrected other temperature than the
tabulated one use
T1.75
D

AB

1.75
P
T
1

Example(D
)(D
) 2
AB 2
AB 1 T1.75 P
2
1

 At higher pressures, deviations from this relation are handled

in a manner somewhat similar to the modification of the
ideal-gas law by the compressibility factor based on the
theorem of corresponding states.