Principles of Mass Transfer

Mass transfer occurs when a component in a mixture migrates in the same phase or from a phase to a second phase because of a difference in concentration between two points Mass Transfer is important in many areas of science and engineering as many familiar phenomena involve mass transfer:
o

E.g. Liquid in an open pail of water evaporates into still air because of the differences in concentration of water vapor at the water surface and surrounding air serving as the driving force from the surface to the air. ! lump of sugar added to a cup of coffee eventually dissolves and then diffuses uniformly throughout the coffee

Principles of Mass Transfer

o

"erfume presents a pleasant fragrance which is imparted throughout the surrounding atmosphere.

Mass transfer is the basis for many biological and chemical processes:
o

#xygenation of blood$ and transport of ions across membranes within the %idney are typical physiological examples in biology &n fermentation processes$ nutrients and oxygen dissolved in the solution 'medium( diffuse to the microorganisms )hemical vapor deposition ')*+( of silane ',i-.( onto a silicon wafer

The doping of a silicon wafer to from a semiconducting thin film. The aeration of waste waters and purification of ores and isotopes are typical chemical processes

Mass transfer underlies the various chemical separation processes as in distillation$ absorption$ drying$ liquid/ liquid extraction$ adsorption$ desorption$ leaching and crystalli0ation

Molecular Mass Transfer1Transport

2ualitative observation made as early as 3435 by "arrot$ that whenever a gas mixture contains two or more molecular species$ whose relative concentrations vary from point to point$ an apparently natural process results which tends to diminish any inequalities of composition The macroscopic transport of mass$ independent of any convection within the system is defined as molecular diffusion. Ficks law of binary diffusion (molecular mass transport)

The laws of mass transfer show the relation between the flux of the diffusing substance and the concentration gradient responsible for this mass transfer 6nli%e molecular transfer of momentum and heat1energy$ the quantitative

description of molecular diffusion is considerably more complex since the former occur in a one/component phase

,ince mass transfer$ or diffusion 'as it is also called( occurs only in mixtures$ its evaluation involves examination of the effect of each component )onsider 7ig. 38.3/3 consisting of a thin$ hori0ontal$ fused/silica plate of area ! and thic%ness 9. !t t : ; both hori0ontal surfaces are assumed to be in contact with air which is considered to be practically insoluble in silica !t t < ;$ the air below the lower plate is suddenly replaced by a pure helium$ which is appreciably soluble in silica. The helium slowly penetrates the plate by virtue of its molecular motion and ultimately appears in the gas above

The air above the place is replaced rapidly so there is no build up of helium above the plate$ i.e.$ the concentration of helium above the plate is 0ero

&f helium is species ! and silica species =$ their respective mass fractions A and B are given by mass of either helium or silica divided by the mass of helium plus silica in a given microscopic volume element 7or t : ;$ A < ; 7or t > ;$ at the lower surface$ y<;$ the mass fraction of helium is equal to A0 < solubility of helium in silica expressed as mass fraction$ ?ust inside the solid. 7or large t$ the mass fraction profile develops$ with A = A0 at the bottom of the surface of the plate$ and A < ; at the top surface of the plate. The profile as shown in 7ig. 38/3.3 tends towards a straight line with increasing t

!t steady state$ the mass flow of helium in the positive y/direction can be described to a very good approximation by:

W Ay

W Ay
o

where is mass flow rate that is the mass flow rate of helium per unit area 'or mass flux( and is proportional to the mass fraction difference divided by the plate thic%ness < density of the silica/helium o system' is the density of silica/helium mixture ($ and the proportionality factor D AB is the diffusivity of the silica/helium system

W Ay

A0 0 = D AB A Y ///////@

Equation A where W Ay the mass flow rate of helium may be written in differential form for a differential element within the slab as:

W Ay

= D AB

Ao 0 Y

A $ is the @@$ where molecular mass flux of helium in the positive y/direction.

j Ay = D AB

d A dy

j Ay =

W Ay

A in Ay in eqn. @@ designates the chemical species 'helium in this case($ and y the direction in which diffusive transport is ta%ing place. Eqn @@ is the one/dimensional form of 7ic%As first law of diffusion Bote that for constant density eqn. @@ reduces to

j Ay = D AB d A dy

d A d A d A = = dy dy dy

@@@ since