Absorption

Bla Simndi, Edit Szkely

Some of the slides are from Transport Processes
and Separation Process Principles by Christie John
Geankoplis.
Absorption
In absorption a gas mixture is contacted
with a liquid solvent to remove one or more
components from the gas phase.
The opposite of absorption is stripping,
where in a liquid mixture is contacted with
a gas to remove components from the liquid
to the gas phase.
Distinction should be made between
physical absorption and chemical
absorption.
Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles by Christie John Geankoplis.
Copyright 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Prentice Hall PTR. All rights reserved.
Concentration profile of a solute A diffusing through two phases.
y
A
*
( )
-
=
A AG y A
y y K N
, where K
y
is the overall trasfer coefficient (mol/(m
2
s))
y
A
*
would be equlibrium with x
AL
.
Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles by Christie John Geankoplis.
Copyright 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Prentice Hall PTR. All rights reserved.
Figure 10.2-1. Equilibrium plot for SO
2
-water system
at 293 K (20C) and p=1 atm.
A A A
x x He p 6 . 29 = =
Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles by Christie John Geankoplis.
Copyright 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Prentice Hall PTR. All rights reserved.
Single-stage equilibrium process
Figure 10.3-1. Single-stage equilibrium process.
1 1 2 0
V L V L + = +
1 1 1 1 2 2 0 0
y V x L y V x L + = +
Total balance equation
Component balance equation
Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles by Christie John Geankoplis.
Copyright 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Prentice Hall PTR. All rights reserved.
Figure 10.3-3. Number of stages
in a countercurrent multiple-stage contact
process.
Balance equations
1 1 0
G L G L
N N
+ = +
+
I , i y G x L y G x L
i iN N iN N i
...... 2 , 1
1 1 1 0 0
= + = +
+
L and G are constant along the column.
y
N+1
>>y
1
x
N
>>x
0
Operating line,
G=G
1
=G
2
=G
N+1
and
L=L0=L1=LN are constants
1 1 + +
+ = +
m N N m
y G x L y G x L
Component balance equation of the control area:
1 1 + +
+ =
N N m m
y x
G
L
x
G
L
y
This straight line is the operating line.
:G
1 1 + +
+ = +
m N N m
y
G
G
x
G
L
y
G
G
x
G
L
1 1 + +
+ = +
m N N m
y x
G
L
y x
G
L
1 +
+ =
N N
y x
G
L
x
G
L
y
Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles by Christie John Geankoplis.
Copyright 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Prentice Hall PTR. All rights reserved.
Figure 10.3-3. Number of stages in a countercurrent multiple-stage
contact process.
LIQUID IN
LIQUID
OUT
GAS OUT
GAS IN
y
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0.05
x
0
0
0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

x
0
y
1
y
2 x
1
y
3
x
2
y
4
x
3
y
5
x
4
y
6
x
5
y
7
x
6
y
8
x
7
x
7
y
8
x
0
y
1
Figure 10.6-8. Theoretical number of
trays for absorption of SO
2
in Example
10.6-2.
Given: y
1
y
N+1

y
0

Result: N
L or x
N
can be estimated
If L/G is large: N decreases
x
N
decreases

If L/G is small: N increases
x
N
increases

Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles by
Christie John Geankoplis.
Copyright 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as
Prentice Hall PTR. All rights reserved.
Minimum slope of the operation
line (minimum liquid to gas ratio)
Balance equations, simplified
(

=
solvent kmol
solute m absorptivu kmol
1 x
x
X
(

=
gas inert m absorptivu kmol
solute m absorptivu kmol
1 y
y
Y
X
X
Y
Y
+
=
+ 1
He'
1
1
' '
1
'
0
'
Y G X L Y G X L
N N
+ = +
+
Form of Henrys law:
Form of total component balance equation:
( ) x L L = 1
'
solute-free solvent
( ) y G G = 1
'
solute-free gas
Operating line
1
' '
1
' '
+ +
+ = +
m N N m
Y G X L Y G X L
Component balance equation of the control area:
1
'
'
'
'
1
+
+
+ = N
N m m
Y X
G
L
X
G
L
Y
This straight line is the operating line.
Analytical determination of the
number of theoretical stages
(L and G are constants)
If both the operationg line and
the equilibrium curve are linear:
L/G is constant
y=mx
) ( ) (
0 1 1 2
x x L y y G =
G m
L
A

=
0.
*
0
*
0
0
1
1 1 1
with x m equilibriu in ion, concentrat l hypotetica is where ,
and
y
m
y
x
m
y
x x m y = = =
) ( / 0 1
1 2
x x G L y y + =
Introducing the absorption coefficient:
Analytical determination of the
number of theoretical stages
( )
*
0 1 2
1 y A A y y + =
Component balance equation of the second thoretical stage:
) ( ) (
1 2 2 3
x x L y y G =
( )
( )
1 2
1 2 2
1 2
2 3
1
/
y A A y
y y
m G
L
y
m
y
m
y
G L y y
+ =

+ =
|
.
|

\
|
+ =
( ) | |( )
1
*
0 1 3
1 1 y A A y A A y y + + =
.
.
.
might be continued
( ) ( )
*
0
2 2
1 3
2 1 y A A A A A y y + + + =
Analytical determination of the
number of theoretical stages
( ) ( )
N N
N
A A A y A A A y y + + + + + + + =
+
2 *
0
2
1 1
1
A
A
A y
A
A
y y
N N
N

=
+
+
1
1
1
1
*
0
1
1 1
A
A
A x m
A
A
y y
N N
N

=
+
+
1
1
1
1
0
1
1 1
1
1
1
0 1
1 1

+
+
+
+
N
N
N
N
A
A A
x m y
y y
Kremser (1930)
Brown-Sauders (1932)
A
A A x m y
x m y
N
N
10
0 1
0 1
10
log
1 1
1 log
(

+
|
.
|

\
|



=
+
when A=1
0 1
1 1
x m y
y y
N
N


=
+
Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles by Christie John Geankoplis.
Copyright 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Prentice Hall PTR. All rights reserved.
Typical locations of operating line
at absorption and at stripping
Figure 10.6-10. Location of operating lines: (a) for absorption of A from
V to L stream; (b) for stripping of A from L to V stream.
Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles by Christie John Geankoplis.
Copyright 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Prentice Hall PTR. All rights reserved.
Figure 10.6-11. Operating line for limiting conditions: (a)
absorption; (b) stripping.
Differential columns
( ) ( ) dH A y y a K y G d
y
=
*
, where
G is the molal flowrate of the gas (mol/s)
y is the molar fraction
of the component of interest (-)
K
y
is the overall masstransfer
coefficient (mol/m
2
s)
a is the relative surface area
of phase boundary (m
2
/m
3
)
y*=mx
A is the cross section of the column (m
2
)
dH is the differential height of column (m)

( )
( )
y
dy
G
y
dy
G
y
y
d G
y
y
G d y G d

=
|
|
.
|

\
|

=
|
|
.
|

\
|

=
1
1
'
1
'
1
'
2
(

=
gas inert m absorptivu kmol
solute m absorptivu kmol
1 y
y
Y
( ) y G G = 1 '
Modified component balance equation
( ) ( )
( )
av
av y
y
H A y y y a K
y
dy
G

=
1
d 1
1
*
( )
( )
( ) ( )
y
y y y
y
A y a K
G
H
av
av y
d
1
1
1
d
*

=
( ) ( ) dH A y y a K y G d
y
=
*
( )
( )
( ) ( )
} }

=
1
0
y
y
*
0
1
1
1
d dy
y y y
y
A y a K
G
H
av
av y
H
Each parameters on the right side are
dependent on concentration, thus numerical
integration is needed.

Assumptions:

( )
av y
y a K 1 is independent of concentration
y
K
is proportional to G
0,8

Thus: G/G
0,8
is roughly independent from concentration.
( )
( )
( ) ( )
}

=
1
0
y
y
*
1
1
1 1
dy
y y y
y
A y a K
G
y
dy
H
av
av y
Transfer Units
G G
HTU NTU H =
( ) ( )
}

=
1
0
y
y
*
1
1
dy
y y A y a K
G
H
av y
( )
( )
}

=

=
1
0
y
y
*
1
1
dy
y y
NTU
A y a K
G
HTU
G
av y
G
height of a transfer unit (m)
number of transfer units
( )
( )
1
1
1
~

y
y
av
Absorbers
falling film
absorber
packed column monotube absorber
liquid gas
Absorbers
spray column bubble column plate-type absorbers
liquid gas
Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles by Christie John Geankoplis.
Copyright 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Prentice Hall PTR. All rights reserved.
Figure 10.6-3. Packed tower flows and characteristics for absorption.
Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles by Christie John Geankoplis.
Copyright 2003 Pearson Education, Inc., Publishing as Prentice Hall PTR. All rights reserved.
Random packings
Figure 10.6-4. Typical random or dumped tower packings: (a) Raschig
ring; (b) Berl saddle; (c) Pall ring; (d) Intalox metal, IMTP; (e) Jaeger
Metal Tri-Pack.
Typical applications
separation of gases
production of HNO
3
Typical applications
separation of gases
production of HNO
3
separation of produced gases
fractionation of hydrocarbons
sweetening of natural gases (acid gas removal)
waste gas purification

Typical applications, waste
gas purification

removal of gaseous pollutants, such as
hydrogen halides, SO
2
, ammonia, hydrogen
sulphide
or volatile organic solvents
removal of CO
2
or H
2
S from natural gas
but also removal of dust with certain types
of scrubbers
Typical absorbents in waste
gas purification
water, to remove solvents and gases such as
hydrogen halides or ammonia
alkaline solutions, to remove acid components
such as hydrogen halides, sulphur dioxide,
phenols, chlorine; also used for second-stage
scrubbing to remove residual hydrogen halides
after first-stage aqueous absorption; biogas
desulphurisation

Typical absorbents in waste
gas purification
alkaline-oxidation solutions, i.e. alkaline solutions
with sodium hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, ozone
or hydrogen peroxide
sodium hydrogensulphite solutions, to remove
odour (e.g. aldehydes)
Na
2
S
4
solutions to remove mercury from waste
gas
acidic solutions, to remove ammonia and amines
monoethanolamine and diethanolamine solutions,
suitable for the absorption and recovery of
hydrogen sulphide.

THANK YOU!