1

Module 3:
Convective heat and mass transfer

Lecture 28:
Application of Mises Transformation to
the problem of Mass Transfer from a
sphere in Creeping (Stokes) flow

NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering

Stokes flow Re =

v a

<< 1( No momentum boundary layer )

High Sc >> 1, valid for thin mass transfer boundary layer

Also assume constant physical and transport properties (Use pseudo-steady state to find time of
dissolution)

Fig. 1

Convective-diffusion equation in spherical coordinates

vr

2 c 2 c
c v c

c
1
+ .
= D 2 +
+ 2
. sin . (1)
r r

r r r sin
r

Assumptions: constant physical properties, no volume reactions, axis symmetry

NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering

Stream function for Stokes Flow

Fig. 2

v
3
1 a3
sin 2 r 2 ar +

2
2
2 r

(2)

Since r = y + a and y  a, eqn. (2) yields

3
4

= v y 2 sin 2

Then v =

1
1 3 y

= v sin
r sin y
a sin y 2 a

(3)

(4)

At small values of y (y << a), indicates thin boundary layer, so curvature effects can be neglected,
or
2c
2 c
>>
(in eqn. (1))
2
r
r r

NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering

Using eqn. (4) into eqn. (1) in terms of variables (, )

c
1 c
= Da sin
( a sin v )

a
Expressing v in terms of , one finds

c
c
2
2

= Da sin 3v

Set t = Da 2 3v sin 2 d

(5)

eqn. (5) turns into

c

c
=

(6)

Boundary conditions (deposition)

c = 0 at = 0 ( at the surface where y =0 )

( as y )
at = 0, = 0 ( at the leading edge A )

c = c0 at
c = c0

NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering

Fig. 3
Equation (6) can be solved by a combination of variables (similarity transformation)

, then eqn. (6) becomes

t2 3

2 dc
d
dc

=

3 d d
d
Setting z = yields
d 2 c 3 2 dc
+ z
=0
dz 2 4 dz

(7)

Integration and use of boundary conditions yield

NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering

dz

0
c = c0
4 3
0 exp 9 z dz

exp 9 z

c=

c0

or

exp z
1
9

4
0
1 3
9
3

dz

(8)

The surface flux is

Ny

y =0

= D

c
y

13

=
y =0

Dc0 3v
sin

13
2
1.15 4 Da
sin 2

(9)

13

sin 2

If we consider f ( ) =
then
2

f ( )

0
1

(2 )

13

Hence the flux is highest at the point of incidence ( = 0) decreases with and becomes zero at =
.
The diffusion layer thickness is

NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering

13

sin 2

1.15
Ny

4 Da 2 1 3
2
y =0

=
=

Dc0
sin
3v

As increases increases and at = ,

In practice never reaches infinity and
Ny

y = 0, =

At large values of (close to ) analysis is breaks down because boundary layer is not thin.
However, there is no significant effect of the region around = on the total mass transfer rate to
the particle.

Nt = N y ds = 2 a

sin d

(10)

Nt = 7.98c0 D 2 3v1 3a 4 3
Arranging dimensionless numbers in eqn. (10), we get
Sh = 0.635 Re1 3 Sc1 3
Sh = 0.635 Pe1 3

(11)

Where

NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering

Nt

a
2
K M a 4 a c0
Sh =
=
D
D
v a
Re =
Sc =

Equation (11) is valid for Pe . For very small Pe, diffusive transport dominates, and the
governing equation becomes Laplaces equation. The concentration profile has only r
dependence on this case.
a
c = c0 1
r

The diffusional flux to the surface is

N=

Dc0
a

and Sh = 1

Combination with eqn. (11) yields

Sh = 1 + 0.635 Pe1 3 ,

(11)

which reduces to the correct limits at Pe >> 1 and Pe << 1

NPTEL,IITKharagpur,Prof.SaikatChakraborty,DepartmentofChemicalEngineering