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Absorption

The document discusses absorption and stripping processes. Absorption involves contacting a gas with a liquid to transfer components from the gas to the liquid, while stripping involves transferring components from a liquid to a gas. Absorbers are often coupled with strippers to regenerate and recycle the absorbent. Equilibrium curves and operating lines are used to determine the number of equilibrium stages needed in absorbers and strippers. Trayed towers and packed columns are common equipment used for absorption and stripping that achieve separation through mass transfer across stages.

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Siddharth Agarwal
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236 views

Absorption

The document discusses absorption and stripping processes. Absorption involves contacting a gas with a liquid to transfer components from the gas to the liquid, while stripping involves transferring components from a liquid to a gas. Absorbers are often coupled with strippers to regenerate and recycle the absorbent. Equilibrium curves and operating lines are used to determine the number of equilibrium stages needed in absorbers and strippers. Trayed towers and packed columns are common equipment used for absorption and stripping that achieve separation through mass transfer across stages.

Uploaded by

Siddharth Agarwal
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lecture 9. Absorption and Stripping (1) [Ch.

[Ch 6]
Absorption vs. Stripping Coupling of Absorber and Stripper Equipments q p g Equilibrium Curve and Operating Line - Absorber - Stripper pp Number of Equilibrium Stages

Absorption vs. Stripping


Absorption (gas absorption, gas scrubbing, gas washing)
- A gas mixture is contacted with a liquid (absorbent or solvent) to selectively dissolve one or more components (solutes or absorbate) by mass transfer from the gas to the liquid - Used to separate gas mixtures; remove impurities, contaminants, pollutants, or catalyst poisons from a gas; or recover valuable chemicals - Example: removal of H2S and CO2 from natural gas using MEA (monoethanolamine)

Stripping (desorption)
- A liquid mixture is contacted with a gas to selectively remove components by mass transfer from the liquid to the g p y q gas - Example: removal of H2S from sour crude oil

Coupling of Absorber and Stripper


Absorbers are frequently coupled with strippers to permit regeneration ( recovery) and recycling of th absorbent ti (or ) d li f the b b t
+ Stripping vapor

Stripping vapor

Because stripping is not perfect, recycled absorbent contains solutes (absorbates)

Absorption Factor & Stripping Factor


Absorption factor, A = L/(KV)
Component Water Acetone Oxygen Nitrogen Argon A 89.2 1.38 0.00006 0.00003 0.00008 K-value 0.031 2.0 45,000 90,000 35,000

The larger the value of A the fewer the A, number of stages required for absorption The required absorbent flow rate the K-value of solute temperature and/or pressure

Stripping factor, S = 1/A = KV/L

Equipment for Absorption and Stripping


Trayed tower Packed column

Spray tower

Bubble column

Centrifugal contactor

Contacting Tray in a Trayed Tower

Ideal operation : phase equilibrium at each tray between the vapor and liquid streams leaving the tray Each tray is treated as an equilibrium stage

Tray Openings for Vapor Passage


Perforation Valve cap Bubble cap

Tray with valve caps

Trayed Tower & Packed Column

Additional separation capacity can be achieved by replacing all or some of the trays with sections of random or structured packing

Equilibrium Curve and Operating Line for Absorber


For trayed tower, Mass balance
X0, L L 1 Y1, V V

X 0 L ' Yn1V ' X n L ' Y1V '


Yn 1 X n ( L '/ V ') Y1 X 0 ( L '/ V ')

Equilibrium relation

Y /(1 Yn ) yn n Kn X n /(1 X n ) xn
YN+1, V

XN, L

The operating line is above the equilibrium line because, for a given solute concentration in the liquid, the solute concentration in the gas is always greater than the equilibrium value

Equilibrium Curve and Operating Line for Stripper


For trayed tower, Mass balance
XN 1, L N+1 L N YN, V V

X n 1 L ' Y0V ' X 1 L ' YnV ' Yn X n1 ( L '/ V ') Y0 X 1 ( L '/ V ')

Equilibrium relation

y Y /(1 Yn ) Kn n n xn X n /(1 X n )
Y0, V

X1 , L

The operating line lies below the th equilibrium li ilib i line

Number of Equilibrium Stages


Operating line Equilibrium curve
Absorber

The operating line relates the solute concentration in the vapor passing upward between two stages to the solute concentration in the liquid passing downward between the same two stages The equilibrium curve relates the solute concentration in the vapor leaving an equilibrium stage t th l i ilib i t to the solute concentration in the liquid leaving the same stage

Stripper

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