UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA FAKULTI KEJURUTERAAN KIMIA CHEMISTRY ENG.

LABORATORY (CHE 315)

NAME

: AHMAD SHAZWAN BIN SHARIF MOHD

STUDENT NO : 2006254352 EXPERIMENT : ABSORPTION - TWO PHASE THROUGH A PACKED BED DATE PERFORMED : 18 AUGUST 2008 PROGRAMME CODE : DIPLOMA IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING / EH 110

No 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

Title Abstract/Summary Introduction Aims/Objective Theory Procedure Apparatus Results Calculations Discussions Conclusions Recommendations References Appendices Total

Allocated Marks (%) 5 5 5 5 3 5 20 10 20 10 5 5 2 100

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CONTENTS

Title Abstract/Summary Introduction Objectives Theory Procedures Apparatus Results Calculations Discussions Conclusions Recommendations References Appendices

Page 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 14 15 16 17 18

Summary/Abstract

This experiment is conducted in order to find the loading and flooding point. The Raschig ring in the flexi glass column packed is used to increase the interfacial area for vapor-liquid contact. Solute gas enters at the base of the column, the flow rates are determined by variable area flow meters water to .The top of the column is similarly metered and falls trough the packing where it is contacted with the rising gas. The water fills the manometer and a multiport selection valve, the differential pressure across the column is determined. When column dynamic is being observed, water is continuously circulated by means of the recirculation pump and compressed air is blown through the column.

Introduction
3

The packed bed represents a workhouse configuration for a wide variety of mass transfer operations in chemical process industry, such as distillation, absorption and liquid-liquid extraction. The packed bed configuration facilitates the intimate contact (mixing) of fluids with mismatched densities, such as liquids and vapors. The increased surface area for phase contact that packing offers increases the amount of momentum transfer, manifested by an increased vapor-phase pressure drop through the column.

Objectives

Determine how the mass transfer rate is affected by gas flow rate, especially as the column approaches its loading and flooding points.

Next, it is to model the pressure drop of the gas(air) and the liquid (water) mass velocities (m/hour) by using the flexi glass column packed with Raschig Ring..

Theory
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Absorption is a mass transfer operation in which a vapors solute A in a gas mixture is absorbed by means of liquid in which the solute is more or less solute. The gas mixture (Gas Phase) consists of mainly of an inert gas and the solute. The liquid (Liquid Phase) is primarily immiscible in the gas phase; its vaporization in the gas phase is relatively small. Redistribution of soluble gas as solute in the liquid may involve molecular diffusion in a stagnant medium, molecular diffusion in a smoothly flowing medium (laminar), molecular diffusion and mixing in turbulent flowing medium or mass transfer between phases. The total amount of the material transferred is increased with the time, area through the transferred occurred. NA = KA ( CA1 - CA2) A passive device such as packing was designed for the increasing of the interfacial area for vapor-liquid contact. Packed towers are vertical columns filled with suitable packing and normally operated counter currently. Liquid enters the top of the column and is distributed over the top of the column packing via nozzles or distributor plates. Liquid flows downward while contact with the vapor phase. Internal packing provides a large surface area for two - phase contact and facilitates transfer of materials between phases. Packing imparts good vapor-liquid contact when a particular type is placed together in numbers, without causing excessive pressure drop across a packed section. Good packing is a large specific surface area, large free cross section, low weight per unit volume and large free volume. Large free cross section affects the frictional drop through the tower and therefore the power that is required to circulate the gas. Small free cross section means a high velocity for a given throughput of gas, and above certain limiting velocities, there is tendency to blow the liquid out of the tower. Large free volume is to allow for reaction in the gas phase, this factor may be importance.

Procedures
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1. The values are arranged according to the U-tube arrangement by filling the manometer U-tube with water. 2. Before the experiment starts, make sure the values of operating arrangement are set correctly. 3. Before the column is safe to be used, check all valves carefully( closed). 4. The liquid flow rate is set at 20 m3/hour and then valve VR-3 and valve VR-4 are opened. Noted that; to avoid the air from being trapped in line, we should make sure that the level of liquid returning to the water reservoir must always be higher than the bottom of the reservoir. To avoid this phenomena, valve VR-4 is adjusted. 5. The airflow is set to be 10 m3/hour by opening the valve VR-1. During the experiment, make sure the water and the air flow rate are constant by watching it every 2 minutes and the pressure drop ( P) mmH2O in the u-tube is read. 6. An extra 5 m3/hour is added to the column to increase the gas flow rate. Wait for two minutes and the pressure drop is read again. 7. To reach the Flooding Point, step 4 must be repeated 8. The curve of Ln (V) versus Ln ( P/m packing) is plotted. 9. Step 2 to 6 are repeated with difference kind of liquid flow rate

Apparatus
1. Water tank glass absorption column -Water flow meter -Gas flow meter -Manometer tube -Water pump -Compressor 2. Stopwatch 3. Ruler

Results and Calculations

Liquid Flow, L (m3/hr) Gas Flow, V (m /hr) 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
3

20 Monotube High (mm H2O) 200 201 204 203 209 209 234 257 flooding

Monotube Low (mm H2O) 197 197 198 199 195 193 167 144 flooding

(P) (mm H2O) 3 4 6 4 14 16 67 113 -

ln (V) 2.30 2.71 3.00 3.22 3.40 3.56 3.69 3.81 -

ln (P/m packing) - 0.981 - 0.693 -0.288 - 0.693 0.560 0.693 2.125 2.648 -

GRAPH of ln (V) Vs ln (PRESSURE DROP / m PACKING)

4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 ln (Pressure Drop / m Packing
Liquid Flow, L (m3/hr)

ln (V)

Series1

30

Gas Flow, V (m /hr) 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

3

Monotube Low (mm H2O) 194 183 189 183 198 184 168 160 flooding

Monotube High (mm H2O) 203 215 210 215 200 214 229 257 flooding

(P) (mm H2O) 7 32 21 32 2 30 61 97 -

ln (V) 2.30 2.71 3.00 3.22 3.40 3.56 3.69 3.81 -

ln (P/m packing) - 0.134 1.386 0.965 1.386 -1.386 1.322 2.031 2.495 -

GRAPH of ln (V) vs ln (PRESSURE DROP / m PACKING)

5 4 ln (V) 3 2 1 0 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 ln (Pressure Drop / m Packing) Series1

Liquid Flow, L (m3/hr)

40

10

Gas Flow, V (m /hr) 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

3

Monotube Low (mm H2O) 151 164 172 173 flooding flooding flooding flooding flooding

Monotube High (mm H2O) 251 204 230 229 flooding flooding flooding flooding flooding

(P) (mm H2O) 100 40 58 56 -

ln (V) 2.30 2.71 3.00 3.22 -

ln (P/m packing) 2.526 1.609 1.981 1.946 -

GRAPH of ln (V) vs ln (PRESSURE DROP / m PACKING)

3.5 3 2.5 ln (V) 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 ln (Pressure Drop / m Packing) Series1

Liquid Flow, L (m3/hr) Gas Flow, V (m /hr)

3

50 Monotube High (mm H2O)

Monotube Low (mm H2O)

(P) (mm H2O)

ln (V)

ln (P/m packing)

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10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

178 190 186 flooding flooding flooding flooding flooding flooding

222 213 216 flooding flooding flooding flooding flooding flooding

44 23 30 -

2.30 2.71 3.00 -

1.705 1.216 1.417 -

GRAPH of ln(V) vs (PRESSURE DROP / m PACKING)

3.5 3 2.5 ln (V) 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 0 0.5 1 1.5 2 ln (Pressure Drop / m Packing) Series1

Liquid flow, L (m3/hr) : 20 At gas flow 10 m3/hr Pressure drop P mm H2O = Manometer, High - Manometer Low = (200 197) mm H2O = 3 mm H2O

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The same step was repeated to calculate the pressure drop at gas flow 15 mm H2O mm H2O. 15 m3/hour = P, mm H2O = 4 mm H2O 20 m3/hour = P, mm H2O = 6 mm H2O 25 m3/hour = P, mm H2O = 4 mm H2O 30 m3/hour = P, mm H2O = 14 mm H2O 35 m3/hour = P, mm H2O = 16 mm H2O 40 m3/hour = P, mm H2O = 67 mm H2O 45 m3/hour = P, mm H2O = 113 mm H2O ln (V) = ln 10 = 2.30

until 45

Repeat the same step to calculate the ln (V) at gas flow 15 mm H2O until 45 mm H2O. 15 m/hour ln 15 = 2.71 20 m/hour ln 20 = 3.00 25 m/hour ln 25= 3.22 30 m/hour ln 30 = 3.40 35 m/hour ln 35 = 3.56 40 m/hour ln 40 = 3.67 45 m/hour ln 45 = 3.81 ln (P/m packing) ln (P/m packing) = ln (0.003 m H2O/0.008 m packing) = -0.981 Repeat the same step to calculate the ln (P/m packing) at gas flow 15 mm H2O until 45 mm H2O. 15 m/hour ln (P/m packing) = - 0.693 20 m/hour ln (P/m packing) = -0.288 25 m/hour ln (P/m packing) = -0.693 30 m/hour ln (P/m packing) = 0.560

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35 m/hour ln (P/m packing) = 0.693 40 m/hour ln (P/m packing) = 2.125 45 m/hour ln (P/m packing) = 2.648

Note : All these steps were repeated to calculate the pressure drop, ln (V) and ln (P/m packing) the different liquid flow which are 30 m3/hr, 40 m3/hr and 50 m3/hr.

Discussions
This experiment uses packed tower that has 8mm glass Raschig Rings. When the liquid flow is at 20 m3/hr and gas flow 10 m3/hr, pressure drop is 3mm H2O after 2 minutes, ln (V) = ln 10 which is 2.30 and the ln (P/m packing) = ln (0.006 m H 2O/0.008 m packing) which is -0.288. The gas flow increases to15 m3/hr and after 2 minutes operates, the reading of manometer is taken and the pressure drop is 6 mm H2O, From calculation of ln 15 is 2.71 and the ln (P/m packing) is -0.470. After that, the gas flow is increased to 20m3/hr and using the same duration time, pressure drop is 14 mm H2O, from calculation ln 20 is 3.00 and the ln (P/m packing) is 0.560. The gas flow increases to 25m3/hr and pressure drop is 31 mm H2O, from calculation ln 20 is 3.22 and the ln (P/m packing) is 0.405. The following steps are repeated using gas flow 30 m3/hr until 50 m3/hr.

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Conclusion
The flooding point and the pressure drop can be determined by using gas-liquid absorption column. At 20 m/hr liquid flow rate, no flooding point occurs. Then, at 30 m/hr there is still no flooding point. After the flooding point occurs, liquid flow rate is raised to 40m/hr with the vapor flow at 45 m/hr but the pressure drop could not be determined. However, before the flooding point, the pressure drop will moderately increases and sometimes decreases due to the error during experiment. In the end, the liquid flow rate is increased to 50 m/hr, the flooding point is achieved when the vapor flow is at 35m/hr.

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Recommendations
1. Observe all the informations about the machine works.
2. Change valve VR-4 to computer control because it is hard to control manually.

Use a device that can control it automatically when the level water changes.
3. Use real manometer to measure pressure so perfect reading value can be obtained. 4. For the manometer reading, take the highest reading because it will still move

after 2 minutes.

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References:
1.

Christine John Geankoplis, Transport Processes And Separation Process Principle (Includes Unit Operations), 4th Edition, Pearson Education International.

2.

Coulson, J.M. and Richardson J.F., Chemical Engineering, Volume 2, Third Edition (SI Units), Pergamon.

3.

Chemical Engineering Laboratory (CHE 315) Manual. Abd Jamil Lam, Chemical Engineering Faculty, UiTM Shah Alam, Selangor.

4.

www.wikipedia.com

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Appendices

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