Scale Analysis of Convective Mass Transfer

Dr. Om Prakash Singh

Experimental visualization of double-diffusive salt fingers

 Mass transfer processes
• Convective phenomena in nature are often accompanied by mass transfer, that is, by the
transport of substances that act as components (constituents, species) in the fluid
mixture.
• Ocean currents driven by differential heating also act as freight trains for salt (in
• the form of saline water) e.g. double-diffusive convection
• Combustion processes
• Some common examples of mass transfer processes are the evaporation of water from a
pond to the atmosphere, the purification of blood in the kidneys and liver, and the
distillation of alcohol. In industrial processes, mass transfer operations include
separation of chemical components in distillation columns, absorbers such as scrubbers,
absorbers such as activated carbon beds, and liquid-liquid extraction.
• Mass transfer occurs in many processes, such as absorption, evaporation, adsorption,
drying, precipitation, membrane filtration, and distillation.
Mass and Energy conservation equation comparison

The concentration C refers to the component whose migration by mixture flow is of

interest.
See how similar is the above eqn. with convection problem for energy conservation:

And the heat fluxes from Fourier’s law of thermal diffusion, q¢¢¢ = −k ∇T

• Equations (11.25) and (11.26) show that the concentration C occupies the place of
temperature, while the mass diffusivity D replaces the thermal diffusivity α.
• To streamline the presentation and to avoid repetition, the correspondence between
mass transfer and heat transfer will be exploited throughout
Mass conservation equation
The mass conservation or concentration equation (11.25) has the following forms in three dimensions
Mass diffusivities
• To solve the concentration equation
(11.27), we need information on the mass
diffusivity of the species of interest, D,
and the species conservation at the two
surfaces i.e. boundary conditions that
define the mass transfer medium.
• Let subscripts 1 and 2 represent the two
components in the mixture.
• Table shows the value of the mass
diffusivity D, which is the mass diffusivity
of species 1 into 2 [namely, D12, eq.
(11.24)], and the mass diffusivity of
species 2 into 1 (labeled D21); in other
words, D ≡ D12 = D21.
• For this reason, the D values listed in Mass diffusivities of binary gaseous mixtures at atmospheric
Table are also known as mutual diffusion pressure
coefficients.
 Heat and Mass transfer in natural convection
• Like high temperature on side walls, concentration
can also be high at the boundary
• The vertical boundary layer flow is due to the
buoyancy effect due to the density difference
between boundary layer fluid and unaffected
(reservoir) fluid.
• Boundary layer momentum equation for this flow
is

In the case of heat transfer, we saw that the density

difference (ρ∞−ρ) is approximately proportional to
the temperature difference (T−T∞), in accordance
with the Boussinesq approximation. 11.7 : Combined mass and heat transfer
effected by a buoyant boundary layer flow.
Heat and Mass transfer in natural convection
• In the presence of mass transfer, the driving density difference (ρ∞−ρ) may also be due to the
concentration difference (Fig.); a vertical buoyant layer forms if the wall releases a substance less dense
than the reservoir fluid mixture.
• The thermodynamic state of the fluid mixture depends on pressure, temperature, and composition.
• In the limit of small density variations at constant pressure, we can write

Recalling the definition of thermal expansion coefficient,

we introduce the concentration expansion coefficient,

Heat and Mass transfer in natural convection
• To obtain the equivalent of the Boussinesq approximation for the combined heat and mass transfer
problem.
• Coefficients β and βc can be positive or negative; hence, in the scale analysis of this section, β(T0−T∞)
means the absolute value of β(T0−T∞).
• Based on the approximation (11.78), the boundary layer momentum equation (11.77) becomes

The flow field is coupled to the temperature and concentration fields obtained by solving the boundary
layer energy and concentration equations
Limiting cases of mass transfer
1. Mass transfer by only concentration gradient i.e. limit of no heat transfer (no T gradient)
2. Mass transfer by the wall–reservoir temperature difference.

• In the first case, the problem is analytically identical to the heat transfer problem. All
the relations derived for heat transfer is applicable just by changing the parameter
name i.e.
ü Nu → Sh,
ü α → D,
ü Pr → Sc,
ü β(T0−T∞) → βc(C0−C∞),
• Sc is the Schmidt number = n/D, Pr is the Prandtl number, Pr = n/a
• In the second case, concentration and thermal boundary layer will have different
expressions. All the heat transfer scales derived for natural convection remains same,
but we need to derive the length scales for mass transfer and hydrodynamic length
scales.
Convection Current demo !
Mass-transfer driven Flow
• To determine the mass transfer rate between wall and fluid reservoir, we focus on two limiting
situations.
• Consider first the limit of no heat transfer, that is, the case of a boundary layer driven solely by the
concentration gradient.
• The problem reduces to solving momentum equation eqs. (11.81) and concentration eqn (11.83),
subject to the velocity and concentration boundary conditions sketched in Fig. 11.7
• This problem is analytically identical to the heat transfer problem solved in earlier;
• The local Sherwood number is obtained by subjecting the heat transfer results to the transformation
Nu → Sh, α → D, Pr → Sc, β(T0−T∞) → βc(C0−C∞), Sc is the Schmidt number = n/D
• The mass transfer results are

Where, Sh is the Sherwood number (similar to Nusselt number)

hm is the average mass transfer coefficient, D is the mass diffusion coefficient

Mass-transfer driven Flow
and Ram,y is the local ‘‘mass transfer Rayleigh number’’ of a vertical boundary
layer the buoyancy of which is caused by mass transfer
 Heat-transfer driven Flow
• The second limit is the mass transfer to a vertical boundary layer driven by the wall–reservoir temperature
difference.
• The length and velocity scales of such a layer have been summarized in Table below.

Table 1: Length scale where temperature difference dominates

Heat-transfer driven Flow
• Below we rely on scale analysis to derive the mass transfer rate, or the
Sherwood number.
• Let δc be the boundary layer thickness scale of the concentration profile.
• In the flow region of thickness δc and height H, the concentration equation
(11.83) requires that

• Note that v is the vertical velocity scale in the region of thickness δc:
• Naturally, v will depend on the relative size of δc and the other (two)
length scales (thermal and hydrodynamic) of the DT-driven boundary
layer flow.
• Four possibilities exist, as is shown in next figure
Heat-transfer driven Flow

11.8 Relative size of the boundary layer thicknesses in natural convection mass and heat transfer.
Heat-transfer driven Flow
• First possibility (Pr > 1, δc < δT), and for the remaining three, results are given in table
• Table 1 shows that in a heat-transfer-driven boundary layer, the vertical velocity reaches the order of
magnitude (α/H)RaH1/2 at a distance of order HRaH−1/4 away from the wall (if Pr > 1).
• From the first sketch of previous Fig., we conclude that the velocity scale in the δc-thin layer is

• where δT ∼ HRaH− 1/4 is the thermal boundary layer thickness.

• Combining eqs. (11.87) and (11.88), we obtain the δc scale,
Heat-transfer driven Flow
The order of magnitude of the overall Sherwood number is
inversely proportional
to δc,

Note that Sh has the similar definition as Nu,

Hence,

• More exact analyses could be carried out to refine this mass transfer result.
• However, based on the extensive comparison of scaling results with integral and
similarity results, it is reasonable to expect eq. (11.91) to be correct within 25
percent.
Heat-transfer driven Flow
• It is known that dimensional analysis reveals all the dimensionless groups that could be formed by combining the
dimensional parameters of the problem algebraically.
• Scale analysis, on the other hand, leads (1) to quantitative results and (2) to only those dimensionless groups that have a
physical meaning.
• In this way, eqs. (11.90) and (11.91) teach us that the slenderness ratio of the concentration boundary layer is governed
by a new dimensionless group,

The dimensionless ratio α/D has been identified already by dimensional analysis and is called the Lewis number,

Finally, the δc < δT assumption made in the beginning of this analysis means that
 Heat-transfer driven Flow
• In conclusion, the first case of Fig. 11.8 corresponds to fluid mixtures with both Prandtl number and
Lewis number greater than 1.
• The remaining three possibilities are sketched in Fig. 11.8, and their corresponding mass transfer scaling
laws are listed in Table below.
• The student are asked to derive these results based on scale analysis as a part of the assignment.
• Note that in the case of low-Prandtl number fluids, the concentration thickness δc is compared with the
viscous layer thickness δv. Why? In case of Pr >1, viscous/velocity boundary is much larger than δc and δT
hence δc and δT are compared. In case of Pr <1, thermal boundary layer δT is much larger, hence, δc and
δv are compared.

11.5 Mass transfer rate scales for a vertical boundary layer driven by heat transfer
How to decide a layer is driven by mass transfer or heat transfer?
• One way to decide is to think of the wall surface, whose concentration is C0, as being coated with two mass-
insulating blankets, one (δc)MT thick when the layer is driven by mass transfer, and the other with a
thickness (δc)HT when heat transfer is the driving mechanism [one blanket extends from x = 0 to x = (δc)MT
and the other from x = 0 to x = (δc)HT ].
• The mass flux released by the wall will select the flow design that provides easier flow access, which means
the shorter path to the mass sink (the reservoir); hence, the scales listed in the table 11.5 hold when their
corresponding δc’s are smaller than the concentration profile thickness in a mass-transfer-driven layer,

For example, for fluids with Pr > 1 and Le > 1 (the top line in Table 11.5), criterion (11.96) implies that

• is the condition for heat-transfer-driven natural convection mass transfer.

• This criterion is not the same as the direct comparison of the scales of the last two terms in the boundary layer
momentum equation (11.81).
Problem
Mass transfer driven by concentration gradient i.e. no heat transfer

Consider the laminar natural convection boundary layer driven by mass transfer along a vertical wall of
height H. The wall and the surrounding fluid mixture (density ρ) are at the same temperature, while the
species mass concentration difference between the vertical surface and the mixture reservoir is (ρi,w– ρi,¥).
(a) Invoke the analogy between natural convection mass transfer and natural convection heat transfer,
and obtain an order-of-magnitude expression for the horizontal (or ‘‘entrainment’’) velocity
component of the mixture.
(b) Rely on the same analogy to estimate the order of magnitude of the mass flux of species i through
the wall.
(c) Compare the horizontal mass fluxes estimated in parts (a) and (b), and show that the vertical
surface may be modelled as an impermeable surface when ïρi,w– ρi,¥ï << ρ. In other words, show
that the analogy with the heat transfer phenomena holds when the species of interest is present in
small quantities in the mixture.
Solution
Entrainment is the transport of fluid across an interface between two bodies of fluid by a shear induced
turbulent flux
Problem
Determine the overall Sherwood number scales for the last three configurations sketched in Fig. In each
case, determine the condition necessary for heat-transfer-driven natural convection mass transfer. [Note
that for Pr > 1 and Le > 1, this condition is expressed by eqn.
Solution v
v
C
C
T T

dT dc d dT d dc
Problem
Mass transfer driven by temperature gradient

A vertical wall of height H heats a liquid pool in such a way that the local heat flux through the wall surface
q¢¢ is independent of position along the wall. This arrangement generates a natural convection boundary
layer flow along the wall. The liquid has the property to dissolve the wall material; the concentration of wall
material is C0 at the wall surface and C¥ = 0 sufficiently far from the surface.
• Assuming the mass diffusivity of wall material known, D, determine the order of magnitude of the mass
transfer rate from the wall to the boundary layer flow.
• Assume that the boundary layer is driven by heat transfer.
End