1.

A gas mixture containing 31weight% ammonia and 69weight % Air is absorbed in a water in
a counter current packed tower. The gas and the liquid flow rates on solute free basis are
2150 moles/hr.m2. and 5276moles/hr.m2 respectively. The inlet water is pure and the exit gas
contains 1.5% of ammonia entering the tower .The equilibrium relation is Y*=1.6X
Where Y*= Kg ammonia/kg air, X=kg ammonia/kg water.
Compute the number of overall gas phase transfer units. (ANS: NTU=6.14)
2. Sulphur dioxide is to be removed from an air stream in which it is present at a concentration
of 2.96%v/v .A packed absorption twer is used of such a diameter that the gas flow rate is
0.00922kmol/m2.s. Pure water will be fed t the top of the tower and it will descend at
0.437kmol/m2s counter current t the gas. At 293K and 1atm., the following data are
available:
KGa=0.019kmol/m3.s.atm ; y* =29.6x .
Calculate the height of packing needed to remove 95% of the entering SO2 under these
conditions.
(ANS:Height of packing=2.7089)
3. An absorber of packed height 10.7m is used to reduce ammonia conc. In an air stream from
4.93%v/v to 0.2% by counter current absorption with fresh water. The inlet gas rate is
0.136kmol/m2s, based on the tower cross sectional area, and the inlet water flow rate is 1.4
times the minimum required for the separation.The operating conditions are 298K,1atm and
equilibrium given by y*=1.08x.Determine:
A) The absorption rate of ammonia
B) The concentration of ammonia in the exit liquid stream
C) The overall mass transfer coefficient KGa under the conditions.
(ANS:a) 6.43x10-3kmol/m2s b) x1=3.26% c)KGa= 0.0519kmol/m3.s.atm
4. A mixture of acetone vapor and air containing 5% by volume of acetone is to be freed of its
acetone content by scrubbing it with water in a packed bed absorber.The flow rate of the gas
mixture is 700m3/hr of acetone-free air measured at NTP and that of water is 1500kg/hr.The
absorber operates at an average temperature of 20C and a pressure of 101Kpa.The scrubber
absorbs 98% acetone.The equilibrium relation for the acetone vapor-water system is given
by:
 Y*(Kmol acetone/kmol dry air)=1.68X(Kmol acetone/kmol water)
Calculate: a) Mean driving force for absorption b) Mass transfer area if the overall mass
transfer coefficient is Kg=0.4 kmol of acetone/m2.hr.(kmol acetone/kmol dry air)
(Ans:a) 0.0065(kmol acetone/kmol dry air) b)619.6m2)
5. Some experiments are made on the absorption of CO2 air mixture in 2.5N caustic soda using
250mm diameter tower packed to a height of 3m with 19mm Raschig rings.In one
experiment at 1 atm, the following results were obtained:
Gas rate =G’=0.34kg/m2.s liquid rate=L’=3.94kg/m2.s.
The CO2 in the inlet gas is 3.15ppm and in the exit gas 31ppm.Estimate the value of the
overall gas transfer coefficient,kGa. (Hint:material balance: Gs(y1-y2)A=kGa P(y-ye)ZA)
ANS:8.93X10-5Kmol/m3.s.(kN/m2)
6. Carbon-di sulphide is to be absorbed from a dilute gas mixture of CS2-N2 into a pure non-
volatile oil at atm. Pr. In a counter current absorber.The mole fraction of CS 2 in the inlet gas
stream is 0.05 and the flow rate of gas stream, G is 1500kmol/hr. the equilibrium relation is
given by: y=0.5x.It is desired to reduce the mole fraction of CS2 in the exit gas stream to
0.005.
a) Calculate the minimum value of L/G where L is liquid flow rate in kmol/hr (ans:0.675)
b) Derive the equation for the operating line if L/G is equal to 1.5times the min value(ANS:
Y=1.5(L/G)MIN(X1-X2)+Y2
7. A counter current plate absorber is to be installed for scrubbing of an air mixture containing
5% NH3 by volume.The scrubber is fed with water containing 0.002mol NH3 per mole of
water.The scrubbing water flows at a rate of 1mole water per mole air.It is necessary to
absorb 85% of the ammonia present in the gas by operating the absorber at 20C.
k=0.8mol of NH3/(mole NH3/mol H2O). Calculate the concentration of NH3 in the outgoing
liquid and estimate the number of stages for this operation.(Hint: Use equation for dilute
soln. that involves absorption factor) (ANS: X1=0.002mol NH3/mol of H2; NP=4)
8. It is desired to absorb 95% of acetone by water from a mixture of acetone and nitrogen
containing 1.5% of the component in a countercurrent tray tower. Total gas input is 30
kmol/hr and water enters the tower at a rate of 90 kmol/hr. The tower operates at 27ºC and 1
atm. The equilibrium relation is Y=2.53X. Determine the number of ideal stages necessary
 for the separation using (a) graphical method as well as (b) Kremser analysis
method.(HINT:Kremser is Ntog=f(y,x,A).)( Ans: Graphical= 8 ; kremsers=7.75~8)
9. The experimental data given below are obtained for the absorption of ammonia from air into
water using a 2.5 cm diameter Rasching rings packed in a 25 cm diameter up to 2 m. The
total pressure is 1 atm and the average temperature is 20oC. Air flow rate excluding ammonia
is 105 m3/hr and the water flow rate is 400 kg/hr. Ammonia concentration in the gas inlet is
7% and in the outlet is 0.314%. The interfacial area of packing is 185 m2/m3. Partial pressure
of ammonia at equilibrium with the solution at the bottom is 0.011 atm and at the top is
zero/since pure water is used. Assuming that both equilibrium and operating line are straight,
calculate:
(i) Overall mass transfer coefficient for the system.
(ii) The number of overall gas phase transfer unit.
(iii) The height of overall gas phase transfer unit.
10. An effluent gas containing 12% benzene is to be scrubbed in a packed column continuously,
operating in countercurrent manner at 43oC and 1 atm pressure. The column is to be designed
for treating 15 m3 of entering gas per hour per square meter of the column cross section,
such that the exit gas will contain 1% benzene. The solvent for scrubbing is mineral oil
which will enter the top of the column at a rate of 28 kmol/hr.m2 and a benzene content of
1%. Determine the height of the column assuming height of transfer unit to be 0.75 m. The
equilibrium concentration at the operating conditions may be estimated as y* = 0.263 x.
11. An absorption tower operating at 20oC and 1 atm pressure was used to absorb SO2 from an
air mixture into water. At one point in the equipment, the partial pressure of SO2 was 30 mm
Hg and concentration of the contacting liquid film was 1.2148 kmol/m3 of solution. The
individual film mass transfer coefficients at 20oC and 1 atm were kC = 6.347 kmol / [hr.m2
(kmol/m3)] and kG = 1.44 kmol / hr.m2.atm.
The equilibrium data at 20oC are as follows:

Partial pressure of SO2, mm Hg 0.5 3.2 8.5 26 59

Concentration of SO2 kmol/m3 0.306 1.459 2.784 6.2151 10.909

(i) Evaluate the interfacial composition CAi and PAi

(ii) Find KG and KL
 (iii) What percentage of overall resistance to mass transfer lies in the gas phase?
12. 5000 kg/hr of a SO2 - air mixture 5% by volume SO2 is to be scrubbed with 2,00,000 kg/hr of
water in a packed tower. The exist concentration of SO2 is reduced to 0.15%. The tower
operates at 1 atmosphere. The equilibrium relationship is given by Y = 30 X
where Y = mole SO2 / mole air;
X = mole SO2 / mole water
If the packed height of the tower is 420 cm, estimate the height of transfer unit (H.T.U).
13. An oil containing 2.55 mole % of a hydrocarbon is stripped by running to oil down a column
up which live steam is passed, so that 4 moles of steam are used per 100 moles of oil
stripped. Determine the number of theoretical plates required to reduce to hydrocarbon
content of 0.05 mole % assuming the oil is non-volatile. The vapor liquid relation of the
hydrocarbon in the oil is given by y = 33 x, where y is the mole fraction in the vapor and x is
the mole fraction in the liquid. The temperature is maintained by interval heating.