CH3030 Applications of Mass Transfer

Tutorial 5: Absorp'on of concentrated mixtures

Tray column design

1. The equilibrium partial pressures of CO2 over aqueous solutions of monoethanolamine

(30 wt%) at 25 oC are

mol CO2/mol solution 0.058 0.06 0.062 0.064 0.066 0.068 0.07
Partial pressure CO2, mmHG 5.6 12.8 29.0 56.0 98.7 155 232

A plant manufacturing dry ice will burn coke in air to produce a flue gas which, when cleaned
and cooled, will contain 15% CO2, 6% O2, 79.0% N2. The gas will be blown into a sieve-tray-
tower scrubber at 1.2 std atm, 25 oC, to be scrubbed with a 30% ethanolamine solution
entering at 25°C. The scrubbing liquid, which is recycled from a stripper, will contain 0.058
mol CO2/mol solution.

The gas leaving the scrubber is to contain 2% CO2, Assume isothermal operation.
(a) Determine the minimum liquid/gas ratio, mol/mol. [Ans: 15]

(b) Determine the number of kilograms of solution to enter the absorber per cubic meter of
entering gas, for an L / G ratio of 1.2 times the minimum. [Ans: 24.5 kg/m3 of entering gas]

(e) Determine the number of theoretical trays for the conditions of part (b). [Ans: Nid = 2.5]

(d) The viscosity of the solution is 6.0 cP; sp gr =1.012. Estimate the average m and the
overall tray efficiency to be expected. How many real trays are required? [Ans: Nreal= 12.5]

2. Carbon disulfide, CS2, used as a solvent in a chemical plant, is evaporated from the product
in a drier into an inert gas (essentially N2) in order to avoid an explosion hazard. The vapor-N2
mixture is to be scrubbed with an absorbent hydrocarbon oil, which will be subsequently
steam-stripped to recover CS2. The CS2-N2 mixture has a partial pressure of CS2 equal to 50
mmHg at 24°C and is to be blown into the absorber at essentially standard atmospheric
pressure at the expected rate of 0.40 m3/s. The vapor content of the gas is to be reduced to
0.5%. The absorption oil has average mol wt 180, viscosity 2 cP, and sp gr 0.81 at 24°C. The
oil enters the absorber essentially stripped of all CS2, and solutions of oil and CS2 while not
actually ideal, follow Raoult's law. The vapor pressure of CS2 at 24°C is 346 mmHg. Assume
isothermal operation. [This problem was solved in Class]

(a) Determine the minimum liquid/gas ratio.

(b) For a liquid/gas ratio of 1.5 times the minimum. determine the kilograms of oil to enter
the absorber per hour.
(c) Determine the number of theoretical trays required, both graphically and analytically.
(d) For a conventional sieve-tray tower, estimate the overall tray efficiency to be expected
and the number of real trays required.
Packed column design

3. Design a tower packed with 50-mm (2-in) ceramic Raschig rings for the carbon disulfide
scrubber of Prob. 2. Assume isothermal operation and use a liquid/gas ratio of 1.5 times
the minimum and a gas pressure drop not exceeding 327 (N/m2)/m (0.4 in H2O)/ft) of
packing. Use interfacial area a = 60 m2/m3.

(a) Determine the tower diameter

(b) Using average (top and bottom) flow rates and fluid properties, compute the mass-
transfer coefficients FGa and FLa and height transfer units HtG, HtL and HtOG.
(c) Compute NtG and with HtG, the packing height.
(d) Compute NtOG and corresponding packing height using analytical and graphical
methods.

Data: For Raschig rings and Berl saddles, the gas-phase coefficient is given by:
"/$ )*.$,
𝐹! 𝑆𝑐! 𝑑% 𝐺 &
= 1.195 * 1
𝐺 𝜇! (1 − 𝜖'( )
G: gas molar flux kmol/(m2s)
𝜌!
𝑆𝑐! =
𝜇! 𝐷!
𝜌! : density of gas kg/m3.
𝜇! : viscosity of gas kg/(m.s) = 1.56× 10)- kg/(m.s)
𝐷! : Diffusivity of solute in non-diffusing gas m2/s = 9× 10), m2/s

𝑑% : Diameter of a sphere of the same surface as a single packing particles (obtained from
Tables) = 7.025 cm

𝐺 & : gas mass flux kg/(m2s)

𝜖'( = 𝜖 − 𝜙'. : Operadng void space in the packing

𝜖: Fracdonal void volume in a dry packed bed (obtained from Tables) = 0.74

𝜙'. : Liquid hold up (empirically calculatable) = 0.0365

The liquid coefficient is given by

*./-
𝑘' 𝑑% 𝑑% 𝐿&
= 25.1 : < 𝑆𝑐'*.-
𝐷' 𝜇'
𝜌'
𝑆𝑐' =
𝜇' 𝐷'
𝜌' : density of liquid kg/m3.
𝜇' : viscosity of liquid kg/(m.s)
𝐷' : Diffusivity of solute in non-diffusing solvent m2/s = 3× 10)0 m2/s

𝐿& : Liquid mass flux kg/(m2s)

4. Design a tower packed with 38-mm (1.5-in) Berl saddles for the CO2 scrubber of Prob. 1.
Assume isothermal operation and use a liquid/gas ratio of 1.2 times the minimum and a
gas pressure drop not exceeding 0.5 in H2O)/ft of packing. Use interfacial area a = 37m2/m3.

(a) Determine the tower diameter

(b) Using average (top and bottom) flow rates and fluid properties, compute the mass-
transfer coefficients FGa and FLa and height transfer units HtG, HtL and HtOG.
(c) Compute NtG and with HtG, the packing height.
(d) Compute NtOG and corresponding packing height using analytical and graphical
methods.

Data:
𝜇! : viscosity of gas kg/(m.s) = 1.56× 10)- kg/(m.s)
𝐷! : Diffusivity of solute in non-diffusing gas m2/s = 1.63× 10)- m2/s
𝑑% =4.72 cm
𝜖= 0.75
𝜙'. = 0.0333
𝐷' = 4× 10)0 m2/s
 Addi$onal ques$ons
1. (GATE 2010)
Water is used to absorb ammonia from a gas mixture in a single separation stage
contactor. The process is schematically represented in the figure below.

The molar gas and liquid flow rates, and the inlet mole fractions are given in the figure.
Both the liquid and the gas phases are well mixed, and the equilibrium relation between
y and x is given by 𝑦 ∗ = 𝑥

a) If the stage is ideal, then the value of y is

A) 1/15

B) 1/10

C) 2/15

D) 1/6

b) If the stage efficiency is 50%, then the value of y is

A) 1/12

B) 1/6

C) 1/4

D) 1/3

2) (GATE 2008)

Benzene in an air-benzene mixture is to be reduced from 5.2 mol % in the feed to 0.5
mol % by contacting with wash oil in a multistage countercurrent gas absorber. The
inlet flowrate of air-benzene mixture is 10 mol/s while benzene free wash oil comes in
at 9.5 mol/s. If the equilibrium curve is given as 𝑌 ∗ = 𝑋, where Y* and X are
equilibrium mole ratios of benzene in air and benzene in oil, the number of equilibrium
stages required to achieve the above separation is
a) 12

b) 10

c) 8

d) 6

3) (GATE 2005)

A binary gas mixture of a solute and a carrier gas is treated in a counter-current gas absorption
column, containing ideal trays, using a solvent. The compositions y and x (see figure below)
are the mole fractions of the solute in the gas and liquid respectively. Also, V and L are the
molar flow rates of the gas and liquid respectively. Assume that the carrier gas is insoluble in
the solvent and that the vapor pressure of the solvent is very low at the given conditions of the
column. Further, the gas and liquid streams are sufficiently dilute that L and V may be assumed
to be constant throughout the column. The equilibrium relation is given by 𝑦 ∗ = 𝑚𝑥. where m
is a positive constant.
A) For any value of m, the change in liquid composition across a tray is independent of the
tray location if
a) 𝐿⁄𝑉 = 1
b) 𝑚𝐿⁄𝑉 = 1
c) 𝑚⁄(𝐿𝑉) = 1
d) 𝐿⁄𝑚𝑉 = 1

B) Under the correct condition corresponding to part (A), the number of ideal trays in the
column is given by

4) (GATE 2004)

Acetone is to be removed from air in an isothermal dilute absorber using pure water as
solvent. The incoming air contains 5 mol% of Acetone (𝑦23 = 0.05). The design equation
to be used for obtaining the number of trays (N) of the absorber is

𝑦23
𝑁 + 2 = 6 log K L
𝑦(4.

For 98% recovery of acetone, the number of trays required is/are

a) 1

b) 8

c) 9

d) 10
5) (GATE 1999)

Determination of efficiency is critical in plate column design. The gas and liquid rates are
0.1 and 0.25 𝑘𝑚𝑜𝑙 ⁄𝑠 respectively. The interfacial area for mass transfer is 35 𝑚" ⁄𝑚$ froth
on the plate. The residence time of both the liquid and gas in the froth zone is 3 seconds.
The liquid phase and gas phase mass transfer coefficients are 1 × 10)" m/s and 2 × 10)$
m/s respectively. Calculate

a. liquid phase transfer units

b. gas phase transfer units

c. stripping factor, given that the slope of the equilibrium curve is 5

d. overall transfer units

e. Murphree point efficiency

6) (GATE 1999)

Stripping of ammonia is carried out at a pressure of 1.1 atm. 1 m3 of water enters the
system and the ratio of the molar flow rate of air and that of the water is 4. The inlet air
and the inlet water have 0.1 and 1.0 mole percent of ammonia respectively. The Murphree
vapor plate efficiency for ammonia removal is 50% and Henry’s law constant for
ammonia in water is 2.574 × 10)- 𝑎𝑡𝑚 𝑚$ /𝑚𝑜𝑙. Determine the exit water composition
and the exit air composition.

7) (GATE 1995)

A countercurrent plate absorber is to be installed for scrubbing of an air mixture containing

5 percent ammonia by volume. The scrubber is fed with water containing 0.002 mole NH3
per mole of water. The scrubbing water flows at a rate of 1.0 mole water per mole of air. It
is necessary to absorb 85 percent of the ammonia present in the gas by operating the
absorber at 20°C.

Calculate the concentration of NH3 in the outgoing liquid and estimate the number of stages
necessary for this operation.

8) (GATE 2023)

A liquid L containing a dissolved gas S is stripped in a countercurrent operation using a

pure carrier gas V. The liquid phase inlet and outlet mole fractions of S are 0.1 and 0.01,
respectively. The equilibrium distribution of S between V and L is governed by 𝑦5 = 𝑥5 ,
 where 𝑦5 and 𝑥5 are the mole fractions of S in V and L, respectively. The molar feed rate
of the carrier gas stream is twice as that of the liquid stream. Under dilute solution
conditions, the minimum number of ideal stages required is _______ (in integer).

9) (GATE 2006)

In a multistage countercurrent isothermal stripping column, feed containing 0.05 mol of

solute/mol of solute-free oil is treated with steam. The absorption factor A = 0.65. The
equilibrium relation is given by Y* = 2X, where Y* and X refer to the equilibrium mole
ratio in the steam and oil phases respectively. The Kremser equation is given as follows (‘0’
refers to liquid inlet at the top, Np refers to the last stage at the bottom).

If the steam is inidally free of solute and its exit mole rado (𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑢𝑡𝑒⁄𝑚𝑜𝑙 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚) is
0.0624, then the number of equilibrium stages required is

a) 4.2

b) 5.2

c) 7.2

d) 8.2