Separation Process I

CDB2013

Dr. Lam Man Kee

Department of Chemical Engineering

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 Absorption
and
Desorption (Stripping)
 Lesson outline
• Introduction

• Working principles of absorption and

desorption (stripping)

• General design considerations

• Gas-liquid equilibrium

• Single and multiple equilibrium contact stages

 Lesson outcome
At the end of the session, the students are able
to:
 Discuss the principles of absorption processes and
basic design consideration.
 Able to estimate the exit stream amounts and
compositions of single stage absorber.
 Able to conduct material balance and estimate the exit
stream amounts and compositions of multiple stage
absorber.
 Able to estimate the number of stages required to
achieve a desired gas recovery during gas-liquid
absorption processes.
 Introduction
• Many chemical process materials and biological
substance occur in a mixture of different composition.
 The composition can be: Why separation?
•Product specification
Gas phase • Recovery
• Purification
Liquid phase •enrichment
Solid phase •concentration
•refining
•isolation
 Different separation techniques are used to separate one
or more components from the mixtures

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 General Separation Techniques
Phase 1
 Separation by phase creation
e.g. distillation, crystallization, Feed Phase
Creation
evaporation
Phase 2
Phase 1
Separation by barrier creation
e.g. Membrane separation Feed
(reverse osmosis, gas permeation)
Phase 2

Feed
Separation by solid agent.
e.g. adsorption, ion exchange Phase 1

Phase 2

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 Phase 1
 Separation by force field or
gradient. Feed
e.g. electrolysis, centrifugation
Phase 2

Phase 1

Separation by phase addition

e.g. absorption, extraction, Feed

leaching MSA
Phase 2

will be covered in separation process I

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 Separation by phase addition

 In this process, in order to separate one or more

of the components from the original mixture,
It must be contacted with another phase
The two phase must be brought into
intimate contact,
• Solute can diffuse from one phase to
the other phase

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The two phases can be:

Gas-liquid
Absorption
Liquid-liquid
Extraction
Liquid-solid
Leaching

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 Absorption
In absorption, a solute or solutes are absorbed from the gas
phase into a liquid phase, i.e.,
 a component is removed from a gas stream by treatment
with a liquid.

• It involves molecular and turbulent diffusion or mass transfer

of solute A through a stagnant non-diffusing B by the liquid
water C.

same category as distillation

Exclusive to gas-liquid separation
Distillation uses the VLE, i.e. difference in boiling temperatures
Absorption uses the GLE, i.e. solubility
•In absorption
gas is absorbed into liquid
liquid  ……… or ………
gas absorbed  ………… or …………

•Stripping or desorption is the reverse of absorption

 one or more components are removed from a liquid stream by
a vapor stream
 In stripping the gas is released from the liquid by the
application of …………
act of regenerating the absorbent
Application of absorption in the industry
• Air pollution control
 scrubbing of SO2 , NO2 , from combustion
exhaust (power plant flue gas)
• Absorption of ammonia from air with water
• Hydrogenation of edible oils
 H2 is absorbed in oil and reacts with the oil
in the presence of catalyst

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13
How does it work?

Good
product

This section can be

trayed or packed

unwanted gas
solution to
disposal or
recovery
Example

Percent of acetone removed

=

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Some Typical Absorption Equipment
Tray tower
 Tray tower
How
: does it work?
Absorption on each tray
 Tray tower: Types of tray
Valve
Sieve Bubble Cap
Some Typical Absorption Equipment
Packed tower

Packed tower
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Packing tower: Types of packing
Packed bed absorber
The column consists of
• A packed bed
• Distributors for the liquid
phases

Liquid distributors main benefits

• High specific throughput facilitation
• Small column diameters
• Revamp (clean, repair)of existing
columns to increase capacity
 Packed tower
Structured packing

Details of internals components in structural packing tower

Some Typical Absorption Equipment
Spray tower
Some Typical Absorption Equipment
Bubble Column

Liquid solvent “bed”

 General Design Considerations
• Entering gas (liquid) flow rate, composition, temperature and pressure
• Desired degree of recovery of one or more solutes
• Choice of absorbent (stripping agent)
• Operating pressure and temperature, and allowable gas pressure drop
• Minimum absorbent (stripping agent) flow rate and actual absorbent
(stripping agent) flow rate as a multiple of the minimum flow rate
• Number of equilibrium stages
• Heat effects and need for cooling (heating)
• Type of absorber (stripper) equipment
• Diameter of absorber (stripper)
The ideal absorbent should:

• have a high solubility for the solute

• have a low volatility
• be stable
• be noncorrosive
• have a low viscosity
• be nonfoaming
• be nontoxic and nonflammable
• be available, if possible, within the process
The most widely used absorbents are:
• water
• hydrocarbon oil
• aqueous solution of acids and bases

The most widely used stripping agents are:

• water vapor
• air
• inert gases
• hydrocarbon gases
 Gas-liquid equilibrium

Gas-liquid equilibrium data

 GLE data for the mixtures is essential in determining the sizes
particularly the height of absorption column

• To obtain gas-liquid equilibrium data, the gas and liquid are put
together in a closed container, and shaken rapidly at a given
temperature until equilibrium is reached.

• Samples of liquid and gas are analyzed to determine the partial

pressure of the gas and the mole fraction of xA in the liquid.

Example: SO2, air and water system

• After reaching equilibrium, samples of the gas and liquid are
analyzed to determine the partial pressure, pA in atm of SO2 (A) in
the gas phase and the mole fraction xA in the liquid phase.
Example: equilibrium plots of SO2-water system are shown in the
figure below

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Henry’s law
"At a constant temperature, the amount of a given gas that dissolves in a
given type and volume of liquid is directly proportional to the partial
pressure of that gas in equilibrium with that liquid."

The equilibrium relation between pA in the gas phase and xA in

the liquid phase can be expressed as a straight line equation
called Henry’s equation at law concentration.

p A  Hx A (4.1)

Where: H is Henry’s law constants in atm/mole of the given system

If both sides of Eq.(4.1) is divided by a total pressure P in atm;

y A  ( H / P) x A (4.2)
• Equilibrium data for some common gas-liquid systems are
given in literature

Examples

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 Example

Dissolved oxygen concentration in water

What will be the concentration of oxygen dissolved in
water at 298 K when the solution is in equilibrium with air
at 1 atm total pressure?

Henry’s law constant is 4.38x104 atm/mol

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 Solution

 The partial pressure of oxygen (A) in air is

…………...
 Using equation (4.1)

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Equilibrium line drawing

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 Next lesson

Multiple equilibrium contact stages