Unit Operations and Separation Processes

Lecture 3
Transfer Coefficients, Film Controlled Processes and Equipment Design

Dimensionless Groups
Reynolds Number defines the ratio of momentum forces to
viscous forces (quantifies the relative importance of these two
types of forces for given flow conditions)

Re = du/ (diameter, flow rate, density, viscosity)

Sherwood Number defines ratio of mass transfer rate to
Diffusion Number

Sh = Kl/D (mass transfer coefficient, characteristic length,

diffusion coefficient))

Schmidt Number Ratio of momentum diffusivity and mass

diffusivity

Sc = /D (viscosity, density, diffusion coefficient)

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How to Measure Measure Transfer Coefficients

d
ud
Log Plot of
against Re (Reynolds No =
) based on data from

zG

wetted wall column;

d
d
is proportional to Re0.83 ( = BRe0.83 )
zG
zG

where
d = diameter of Tube
zG = gas film thickness
u = gas velocity
= gas density
= gas viscosity
B = constant

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Measurement of Transfer Mass Coefficient(hD)

Based on equation (7)
kG =

Dv P
RTzGPBm

But thickness of gas film (zG) is normally difficult to measure,

We therefore need to eliminate zG from the above equation
kG RTPBm
Dv P

1
zG

B
d

= Re0.83 . (25)

Equation 25 can also be rearranged to give

where

hDdPBm
Dv P

= BRe0.83 .(26)

= = mass transfer coefficient

It is possible to calculate k G from this relationship

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hDdPBm
Dv P

Measurement of Mass Transfer Coefficient (hD)

= BRe0.83 ...(26)

Equation (26) could also be rearranged to account for physical properties,

including Schmidt no:

= B. Sc0.44..(27)

General equation for mass transfer in wetted wall column

B usually has a value of 0.021 0.027

Sometimes equation (27) can also be written as;

hDdPBm 0.56
[ ] =
Dv P Dv

0.17

B Re

= jd..(28)

jd is a mass transfer factor

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Log plot showing Correlation of data on the vaporisation of liquids in wetted-wall columns

Relationship between Mass transfer coefficient and Gas Film Transfer

Coefficient
hD = kGRT
Where:
hD is the mass transfer coefficient with the driving force expressed as molar
concentration difference
kG is gas film transfer coefficient (driving pressure of unit partial pressure difference)
R is Gas Constant
T is Temperature

Research shows that;

hD is proportional to:
G0.8 (Gas flow rate)
Dv0.56 (Diffusivity) and
P/PBM (Log mean partial pressure)
These relationships are useful for correlating data on absorption towers.

Comparison of Liquid Film Resistance for Gas Absorption

kG is proportional to (Dv)0.56 (Diffusivity)

k G is proportional to (G)0.8

(Gas Flow Rate)

SO2

1/KG

Equation

NH3

.(19)
1
.
0 8

can be rearranged to become

where

is the intercept

The intercept is a function of liquid film resistance, which is higher

for SO2 compared to NH3
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Liquid film controlled procesess (Liquid Resistance)

Carbon dioxide, Oxygen and Hydrogen are typical examples of gases
where resistance to transfer lies mainly in the liquid phase

Researchers measured values of kLa for these systems using a tower of

500 mm diameter packed with 37 mm rings.
The results were expressed in the form:
k
DL

L 0.75 L 0.50
[ ] [
] ... (29)
L
LDL

Plot of Liquid film coefficient k against liquid flow rate L shows the
variation of liquid coefficient against flow rate.
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Plot of Liquid-film coefficient with liquid flow rate for oxygen absorption
in water

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Gas Film controlled absorption processes

Performance of packed towers is dependent on assessing effective
wetted area for interphase transfer. It could be gas film controlled or
liquid film controlled
According to research: KGa

(30)

KGa = Gas transfer coefficient based on unit volume of tower

(kmol/s m2)
= coefficient
G = Gas flow rate (kg/s m2) varies with nature of the packing in tower and
the liquid flow rate

a = interfacial surface per unit volume of the tower (m2/m3)

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Gas Absorption with Chemical Reaction

Absorption of Carbon dioxide in Caustic soda (Calcium Hydroxide) to form Calcium
Carbonate is a typical example
Chemical reaction is irreversible
Assume a gas solute A in a mixture absorbed by B in the liquid
A and B react to form AB
As A approaches the liquid interface it reacts with B and the product AB moves into
the bulk of the liquid
The concentration of B at the interface decreases rapidly consequently moving the
reaction zone towards the bulk of the solution away from the interface
A now needs to move deeper into the liquid film to meet B for the reaction to take
place (Driving force for A is PAG Pai)
At the final reaction zone in the body of the liquid, the rate at which A diffuses
away from the gas liquid film interface is the same as the rate at which B diffuses
from the bulk of liquid
A diffuses to the reaction zone with a driving force CAi
Driving force for B from the bulk of the liquid to the reaction zone is q
AB the product diffuses back to the bulk of the liquid with a driving force m-n

Concentration Profile for absorption with chemical reaction

Gas Liquid Interface

Gas Phase

Reaction Zone

AB
A

Bulk Liquid Phase

PAG
PAi

m
A

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Equipment Design
Equipment design should be such that gas and
liquid would need to be brought into intimate
contact.
Typical gas absorption reactors are;
packed columns (continuous column)
plate towers
bubble column (semi batch process)
sieve plate reactors

Requirements for effective design;

a large surface area within the volume of the column for the
interaction between liquid and gas
optimal contact time between liquid and gas.

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 The object of this experiment is to study gas

liquid absorption in an absorption column: To compare the performance of a packed
column (continuous process) with a bubble
column (semi-batch process).
To observe the effect of different flow rates
on the performance of the two columns.

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Structured Packing

Raschig Rings

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Bubble Tray for Absorption Column

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