ABSORPTION SYSTEM

• The most common design of absorption

systems:

1. Packed bed column / packed tower

2. Plate column
 PRINCIPLES OF ABSORPTION

• MASS TRANSFER BETWEEN PHASES

• RATE OF ABSORPTION
• CALCULATION OF TOWER HEIGHT
• NUMBER OF TRANSFER UNIT
• MATERIAL BALANCES:
A) PACKED COLUMN
B) PLATE COLUMN
• GRAPHICAL METHOD: THEORETICAL STAGES
GAS ABSORPTION
PACKED TOWER
LECTURE 3
 PACKED TOWER
• A common apparatus used in gas
absorption is the packed tower as shown
in figure 10.6-3
• The device consist of:
1) cylindrical column or tower
2) gas inlet and distributing space at the
bottom
3) liquid inlet and distributor at the top
4) gas & liquid outlets at the top &
bottom, respectively
5) tower packing – supported mass of
inert solid shapes
ABSORPTION PACKED TOWER
• The liquid inlet - pure solvent
- is distributed over the top of packing
by the distributor
- uniformly wets the surfaces of the packings

• The distributor - is a set of perforated pipes

- a spray nozzles in a large towers

• The gas inlet - enter the distributing space below the packing
- flow upward in the packing countercurrent to
the flow of the liquid
 PACKINGS
• The packing - provides a large area of contact between
the liquid and gas
- encourage intimates contact between the
phases

• 3 principal types:
i) dumped packings, (0.25 – 3 inch)
ii) stacked packings, (2 – 8 inch)
iii) structured/ordered packings.

• Common tower packings is shown in Figure 10.6-4

• Made from: plastic, metal or ceramic
 MAIN PROBLEM OCCUR DURING ABSORPTION
PROCESS
• Good contact between liquid & gas is the hardest to meet esp. In large tower
• Channeling - unequal wetting of the packings in the tower
• Occur at low liquid rates
• Some of the packing surface dry
• Reason for the poor performance
• Can be minimized by having the ratio of tower diameter to packing
diameter, 8:1
• Loading point
• Occur when the liquid flow is reduced due to the increased gas flow.
• The gas start to hinder the liquid down flow and pools of liquid start to
appear in the packing.
• The gas pressure drop start to rise at a faster rate.
 FLOODING & PRESSURE DROP
• Flooding point
• The liquid stops flowing and accumulate at the top of the
column due to very high gas flow.
• Factors that may lead to flooding:
• High inlet gas flow rates
• Low liquid circulation rates
• Small diameter towers
• Pressure drop - common way of determining if flooding is
occurring / something else goes wrong inside the absorber.
• Figure 10.6-5 and 10.6-6 show typical data for the pressure
drop in a packed tower.
Figure 10.6-5. Pressure-drop correlation for random packages by Strigle.

Figure 10.6-6. Pressure-drop correlation for structured packages by Kister

and Gill (K2).
MATERIAL BALANCES FOR PACKED COLUMN
• Total material balance:

• Material balance on component a

Overall material equations

• Total material balance:

• Material balance on component a:

• Rearrange the eq. Gives operating-line equation:

• The operating line can be plotted on the graph along with the
equilibrium curve as shown in fig. 10.6-10.

• The operating line must lie above the equilibrium line in order
for absorption to take place.
 DESIGN OF PACKED TOWERS FOR ABSORPTION
1) Operating line

2) Operating line at dashed-line

L’ = kg mol inert liquid/s

V’ = kg mol inert gas/s
y1 = mole fraction of A in gas
x1 = mole fraction of A in liquid

•L’ and V’ are constant throughout the tower

•The equation when plotted on yx coordinates

will give a curved line
Figure 10.6-10. Location of operating lines: (a) for absorption of A from V to L
stream; (b) for stripping of A from L to V stream.
 DESIGN OF PACKED TOWERS FOR ABSORPTION
2) Limiting and optimum L’/V’ ratios
• When the operating line has a minimum
slope and touches the equilibrium line at
point P, the liquid flow L’ is a minimum at
L’min.
• The value of x1 is a maximum at x1max when
L’ is a minimum.
• To solve for L’min, the values y1 and x1max are
substituted into the operating line equation.
• For absorption, the optimum liquid flow rate
can be taken as 1.2 – 1.5 times the limiting
rate L’min with 1.5 is usually used. Operating line for limiting
conditions (absorption)
 DESIGN OF PACKED TOWERS FOR ABSORPTION
2) Limiting and optimum L’/V’ ratios
• For stripping, the operating line has a
maximum slope and touches the
equilibrium line at point P, the gas flow V’
is a minimum at V’min.
• The value of y2 is a maximum at y2max
when V’ is a minimum.
• The optimum gas flow rate can be taken
at 1.5 times V’min.

# Objective for limiting and optimum L’/V’

ratios is to use in the tower design which Operating line for limiting
conditions (stripping)
depends on an economic purposes.
DESIGN OF PACKED TOWERS FOR ABSORPTION
3) Analytical equations for theoretical number of trays

• For absorption:
 y1  mx2 
ln  
 1  1  1


 y2  mx2 
A A
N  
ln A
 y1  
  x1  m  
ln 
 y  1  A   A

• For stripping:  
 x2  m  
1

N
A1  L1 m1V1
ln 1 
A
A2  L2 m2V2
A A1 A2
 DESIGN OF PACKED TOWERS FOR ABSORPTION
4) Film and overall mass transfer coefficients in packed tower

• Defining ‘a’ as interfacial area in m2 per m3 volume of packed section, the

film and overall mass transfer coefficients are:
MASS TRANSFER OF SOLUTE (A) BETWEEN PHASES

y1
yi1
x1 xi1

Flux:
y1 = gas bulk phase concentration
k y' a
x1 = liquid bulk phase concentration
NA   y1  yi1 
yi1 = interface gas concentration
xi1 = interface liquid concentration 1  y iM
k x' a
NA  xi1  x1 
1  x iM
 DESIGN OF PACKED TOWERS FOR ABSORPTION
5) Design method for packed towers using mass transfer film
coefficients (log mean driving force)
Gas Phase : Liquid Phase :

1  y iM  1  yi1   1  y1 
1  x iM  1  x1   1  xi1 
ln1  yi1  / 1  y1  ln1  x1  / 1  xi1 

 y  yi M   y1  yi1    y2  yi 2  xi  x M  xi1  x1   xi 2  x2 

ln y1  yi1   y2  yi 2  ln xi1  x1   xi 2  x2 
V
 y1  y2   k y' az  y  yi M L
x1  x2   k x' az xi  x M
S S
V1  V2
V 
2
L  L2
L 1
2
S  cross - sectional area
z  tower height
 DESIGN OF PACKED TOWERS FOR ABSORPTION
6) Design method for packed towers using mass transfer overall
coefficients (log mean driving force)
yi1  y1*
Gas Phase : m 
'

1 1 m' xi1  x1
 '  '
K y a / 1  y *M
'
k y a / 1  y iM k x a / 1  x iM

1  y   1  y   1  y  ,  y  y  y  y   y  y2* 
* *

ln1  y  / 1  y  ln y  y   y 
1 1 * 1 1 2

2  y2
*M * M * *
1 1 1 1

V
 y  y   K az  y  y 
1 2
'
y
*
M
S
y1  yi1
Liquid Phase : m  *
"

x1  xi1
1 1 1
 
K x' a / 1  x *M m"k y' a / 1  y iM k x' a / 1  x iM
1  x1   1  x1* 
 x  x   lnxx x x  xx xx 
* *
1  x *M 
 
*

ln 1  x1  / 1  x1 
1 1 2 2
*
, M * *
1 1 2 2

L
S

 x1  x2   K x' az x*  x  M
Figure 10.6-13. Operating-line and interface compositions in a packed tower for absorption
of dilute gases.
 DESIGN OF PACKED TOWERS FOR ABSORPTION
7) Design method for packed towers using transfer units
Gas Phase :
1) Film coefficient
V V y1  y 2
HG   , NG 
k y' aS k y a (1  y ) iM S  y  yi M
Tower height : z  H G N G
2) Overall coefficient
V V y1  y 2
H OG   N OG 
K y' aS K y a (1  y )*M S
,
 y  y* M 
Tower height : z  H OG N OG

Liquid Phase :
1) Film coefficient
L L x1  x2
HL   , NL 
'
k aS
x k x a (1  x ) iM S  xi  x M
Tower height : z  H L N L
2) Overall coefficient
L L x1  x2
H OL   N OL 
K x' aS K x a (1  x )*M S
,

x*  x M 
Tower height : z  H OL N OL
Example 10.6-3
Example 10.6-3
Example 10.6-3
 Example 10.6-3

FIGURE 10.6-12. OPERATING LINE FOR MINIMUM AND ACTUAL LIQUID FLOW IN EXAMPLE
10.6-3.
Example 10.6-4
Example 10.6-4
Example 10.6-4
Example 10.6-4
 Example 10.6-4

Figure 10.6-14. Location of interface compositions for example 10.6-4.

Example 10.6-4
Example 10.6-4
Example 10.6-4
 Example 10.6-5

10.6-5
10.6-4