MASS TRANSFER

OPERATIONS
• Mass transfer is the transport of a species from one point to another in a single phase or from
one phase to another generally in the presence of a difference in concentration ( or partial
pressure), called the ‘driving force’.
• Examples
• Aquatic life uses oxygen dissolved in water for survival and the supply of oxygen comes mostly
from air
• The concentration of oxygen in natural water is less than what is should be at saturation or at
equilibrium
• As a result, oxygen gets absorbed in the water of lakes, rivers, and oceans.
• The phenomenon of transport of oxygen from air to water is a mass transfer process since it is
caused by a concentration driving force.
• The driving force gives a measure of how far a system is away from equilibrium.
Various mass transfer processes
Molecular diffusion
• Transport of molecules from a higher concentration to a lower concentration in a
stagnant medium occurs by a mechanism called ‘molecular diffusion’, while in a turbulent
medium the phenomenon called ‘eddy diffusion’ or ‘turbulent diffusion’ has a major role
to play.
• Eddy diffusion occurs through random motion of fluid elements and is much faster than
Molecular diffusion
Concentration, velocity and flux
• Concentration
Mass flux and molar flux

In the study of mass transfer, the term ‘flux’ means the net rate at which a species in a solution passes through a
unit area, which is normal to the direction of diffusion, in unit time. It is expressed in kg/m2.s, kmol/m2.s, or
lbmol/ft2.h

• Relative velocities of species I in the three frames

of reference
a. The observer is stationary
b. The observer is moving with mass average
velocity
c. The observer is moving with molar average
velocity
PROVE DAB = DBA
• Fick’s law expresses the molar flux JA with respect to observer moving with molar
average velocity.
• In practice, however, the molar flux NA in a stationary frame of reference is more useful.
ADD
STEADY STATE MOLECULAR DIFFUSION IN FLUIDS
AT REST AND IN LAMINAR FLOW
Assumptions

• Area through which diffusion

occurs is constant

• Gas mixture is ideal

• The temperature is uniform

• Diffusion occurs at a steady

state
If the diffusion occurs from a point z =0 pA = pA0
to the point z = z pA = pA1
EQUIMOLAR COUNTER-DIFFUSION OF A AND B
• This is a situation in which the components A and B both diffuse at equal rates but in opposite
directions.
NUMERICAL
• A thin film 0.4 cm thick of an ethanol-water solution is in contact at 20°C at one surface with an
organic liquid in which water is insoluble. The concentration of ethanol at the interface is 6.8 wt% and
at the other side of film 10.8 wt %. The densities are 988.1 kg/m3 and 972.8 kg/m3 respectively for 6.8
wt% and 10.8 wt% ethanol solutions. Diffusivity of ethanol is 7.4x 10-5 cm2/s. Calculate the steady state
flux in kmol/m2 s

A crystal of copper sulfate CuSO4 .5H2O falls through a large tank of pure water at 20ºC. Estimate the rate at
which the crystal dissolves by calculating the flux of CuSO4 from the crystal surface to the bulk solution.
Molecular diffusion occurs through a film of water uniformly 0.0305 mm thick surrounding the crystal. At the
inner side of the film, adjacent to the crystal surface, the concentration of CuSO4 is 0.0229 –mole-fraction
CuSO4 (solution density = 1193 kg/m3). The outer surface of the film is pure-water. The diffusivity of CuSO4 is
7.29 x 10-10 m2/s
Calculate the rate of diffusion of acetic acid, A, across a film of non- diffusing water, B at 17°C. The film has a
thickness of 1 mm and the concentration of acetic acid changes from 9% (w/w) on one side of the film to 3% (w/w)
on the other. The diffusivity of acetic acid in the solution is 9.5 X 10-10 m2/s. The density of the 9% acid solution is
1012 kg/m3 while that of the 3% acid solution is 1003.2 kg/m3. The molecular weight of the acetic acid is 60 kg/kmol.
Hint: Use the data to calculate a mean value for the bulk solution concentration, c. Ans: 1.018 x 10-6 kmol/m2 s

Alcohol vapour is diffusing through a layer of water vapour under Equimolar counter diffusion at 35ºC and 1 atm
pressure. The molal concentration of alcohol on the twosides of the gas film (water vapour) 0.3 mm thick are 80% and
10% respectively. Assuming the diffusivity of alcohol – water vapour to be 0.18 cm2/sec, i) Calculate the rate of
diffusion of alcohol and water vapour in kg/hr through an area of 100 cm2 ii) If the water vapour layer is stagnant,
estimate the rate of diffusion of alcohol-vapour.
• One kmol of gas mixture at a total pressure of 250 kPa and 303 K contains 10% CH4, 30% C2H6 and 60% H2
by volume. The absolute velocities of each species are -10 m/s, -5 m/s, and 15 m/s, respectively all in the
direction of the Z-axis.

Determine the molar average velocity, Umol for the mixture?

Evaluate the Fluxes: JCH4- mol; NCH4-mol

Benzene is stored in a tank of diameter 10 m and open at the top. A stagnant air film10 mm thick is covering
the surface liquid beyond which benzene is absent. If the atmospheric temperature is 25 °C and the
corresponding vapour pressure is 150 mmHg, estimate the rate of loss of benzene. Diffusivity of benzene is
0.02 m2/hr. Total pressure is 1.0 atm. Pt = 1atm, T = 298 K, , pA1 = 150 mm Hg = 0.2 × 10 5 N/m2. pA2= 0, DAB =
0.02 m2/hr Assuming air layer to be stagnant
An open bowl 0.2 m in diameter contains water at 350 K evaporating into the atm. If the currents are sufficiently
strong to remove the water vapour as it is formed and if the resistances to its mass transfer in air is equivalent to
that of a 2 mm layer for condition of molecular diffusion, what will be the rate of evaporation? Diffusivity is
0.2cm2/s, vapour pressure is 41.8 kN/m2. Pt = 1 atm, T = 350 K, Z = 2 mm, PA1 = 0.1,PA2= 0 (pure air),DAB = 0.2
cm2/s.Assuming air to be non-diffusing & a stagnant layer of air of 2 mm

Calculate the amount of oxygen (A) diffused in 1 hour under steady state conditions through a non-diffusing
gas mixture of methane (B) and hydrogen (C) in the volume ratios of 2:1. The relevant diffusivities are:
DAB=1.86 x 10-5 m2/s and DAC =6.99 x 10-5 m2/s. The total pressure is 1 x 105 N/m2 temperature is 0 °C, and
the partial pressure of oxygen at two planes 2 mm part are 13,000 and 6,500 N/m2 respectively. Assume R=
8314 N.m/ (kmol.K).