GAS ABSORPTION

Definition
Gas absorption is an operation in which a
gas mixture is contacted with a liquid for
the purpose of preferentially dissolving
one or more components of the gas
mixture and to provide a solution of them
in the liquid. (Treybal p. 275).

Gas absorption is an operation in which a
soluble gas (vapor) is absorbed from its
mixture with an inert gas by means of a
liquid in which the solute gas is soluble.
Application of Gas Absorption
Technology
1. Removal of CO
2
and H
2
S from natural gas or
synthesis gas by absorption in amines and
alkaline salt solutions.
2. Removal of NH
3
from gas from by-product
coke ovens by washing with water.
3. Removal of benzene and toluene vapors from
gas from by-product coke ovens with oil
after washing with water.
In the above situation mass transfer occur from the gas
stream to the liquid stream and the operation is called
Gas Absorption.
However, when the mass transfer is in the opposite
direction (liquid stream to the gas stream) the
operation is referred to as Desorption or Stripping.
Here the solute gas is removed from the liquid steam
by contacting it with an inert gas.
Absorption and Desorption operations are ordinarily
used only for solute recovery or solute removal.
Separation of solute from each other to any important
extent requires the fractionation techniques of
distillation.

Gas Solubility
If a gas and relatively non
volatile liquid are in
equilibrium, the resulting
concentration of the
dissolved gas in the liquid
is said to be the gas
solubility at the prevailing
temperature and pressure.
At a fixed temperature the
solubility concentration
will increase with pressure
If the equilibrium pressure of a given gas at a given
liquid concentration is high as in curve A, the gas is
said to be relatively insoluble in the liquid while if it
is low the gas solubility is said to be relatively
soluble in the liquid.

The solubility of any gas is influenced by the
temperature in a manner described by Vant Hoffs
law of mobile equilibrium: if the temperature of a
system at equilibrium is raised that change will
occur which will absorb heat. Solution of a gas
usually evolves heat and solubility of a gas
decreases with increasing temperature.
Multicomponent Systems
If a mixture of gases is in contact with liquid under
certain conditions the equilibrium solubilities of
each of the gases will be independent of the others
provided however that the equilibrium is described
in terms of the partial pressure in the gas mixture.

If all but one of the components of the gas mixture
are substantially insoluble, their concentration in
the liquid will be so small that these cannot
influence the solubility of the relatively soluble
component.
Mass Transfer for a One Component
System
Material balance
Ls = non volatile solvent (mol/area)
Let G = total gas stream at any point in the tower,
[mol/ (area of tower cross section) (time)]
Made up of diffusing solute A of mole fraction y,
partial pressure and mole ratio Y
And non-diffusing, essentially insoluble gas Gs =
[mol/ (area) (time)]
Such that

p
.......(2) .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........
1
) 1 ( G
(1) ........ ......... .......... .......... .......... ..........
1
s
Y
G
y G
p p
p
y
y
Y
t
+
= =

Similarly for the liquid stream,

L
total
= [mol/ (area) (time)] containing x mole
fraction of soluble gas or mole ratio X and
essentially non-volatile solvent Ls = [mol/ (area)
(time)]

Such that



(4) .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........
X 1
L
) 1 ( L
......(3) .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........
1
s
+
= =

=
x L
x
x
X
Note
Solvent gas and Solvent liquid are essentially
unchanged in quantity as they pass through the
absorption/ stripping tower. It is convenient to
express the material balance in terms of these
quantities.

Which is equation of a straight line passing
through (X
1
, Y
1
)


The operating line with slope L
s
/G
s


(5) ....... .......... .......... ) ( ) (
1 1
X X L Y Y G
s s
=
(6) .. .......... .......... ) (
1 1
X X
G
L
Y Y
s
s
=
(7) ........ .......... .......... ) ( Y
1 1
Y X X
G
L
s
s
= +
The operating line is straight when plotted in terms
of mole ratio units
Each point on the operating line indicates the relationship
between the liquid and gas concentration at any level in the
tower.
Each point on the equilibrium-solubility curve represents the
gas concentration in equilibrium with the corresponding
liquid at its local concentration and temperature.
The operating line is straight when plotted in
terms of mole-ratio units. In terms of mole
fraction or partial pressures the operating line
is curved.
(8) .... ..........
1 1
1
1 1
1
1
1
1
1
1
|
|
.
|

\
|

=
|
|
|
.
|

\
|

=
|
|
.
|

\
|

x
x
x
x
L
p
p
p p
p
G
y
y
y
y
G
s
t
s s
Where the total pressure P
t
can be considered
constant at any point throughout the tower.
Minimum Liquid-Gas Ratio for Absorber

When operating line concedes with the
equilibrium line, driving force for mass transfer
is zero and
1.Contact time is infinitely long
2.Tower height is infinitely high.
The maximum possible liquid concentration and the
minimum possible liquid rate L
s
occur when the
operating line just touches the equilibrium line. At
this point the driving force or the concentration
gradient for mass transfer is zero and an infinitely
tall absorption tower is necessary.
The driving force for mass transfer is or
where is the equilibrium composition in the gas
phase. y* is proportional to the vertical distance
between the operating line and the equilibrium curve
on the above diagram.

In general the liquid rate for the absorber should be
between 1.1 and 1.5 times the minimum rate


when the liquid for the absorption is to be discarded
and not regenerated.


-
y y
-
Y Y
Concurrent Flow Absorber

For concurrent flow in an absorber, the operating line
has a negative slope L
s
/G
s
.
There is no limit on the ratio of liquid to gas and an
infinitely tall tower will give an exit liquid and gas
equilibrium at (X
e
, Y
e
) on the plot above.

A concurrent flow may be used
1. If gas to be dissolved in the liquid is a pure
substance where there is no advantage to
countercurrent operation.
2. If a rapid, irreversible chemical reaction with the
dissolved solute occurs in the liquid where only the
equivalent of one theoretical stage is required.
Rate of Absorption

Rate of absorption per unit volume of packed
column is given by any of the following equations
(12) ... .......... .......... ) (
(11) ... .......... .......... ) (
(10) ... .......... .......... ) (
(9) ... .......... .......... ) (
x x a k r
y y a k r
x x a k r
y y a k r
x
y
i X
i Y
=
=
=
=
-
-
a = interfacial area per unit volume of packed
column or device
k
X
a, k
Y
a, k
y
a and k
x
a are based on a unit
volume.

K
x
a and k
y
a are overall coefficients

k
Y
a volumetric mass transfer coefficient, kg
mol/m
3
h unit mole fraction for gas phase.
Overall Transfer Coefficients

The overall transfer coefficients may be obtained
from k
y
a and k
x
a using the following equations:
(13) ......... ..........
1 1
a k
m
a k a k
x y Y
+ =
(14) . ..........
1 1 1
a mk a k a k
y x X
+ =
And
where m is the local slope of the equilibrium curve.
a k a k
x y
m
and
1
are resistances to mass transfer in
the gas film and liquid film respectively.
Solubility and Slope of Equilibrium
Curve

1. When solubility is very high, slope of
equilibrium curve m is very small.

2. When solubility is very low, m is very
high.

Design of Absorption Tower

1. Calculation of tower height
(15) . .......... ) ( Sdz y y a k Vdy
y
-
=
} }
-
= =
b
a
T y y
y y
dy
V
aSZ K
dz
V
aS K
(16) ..........
Let S be the cross sectional area of the tower.

Then differential volume in height dz is Sdz

Assume change in water flow rate V is negligible,
then the amount absorbed in dz is Vdy
ie
2. Calculation of Number of Transfer Units
(number of equilibrium stages or number of ideal stages)

From equation (16) the column height is given as:

parallel and straight are ) ( and line operating iff
(17) ..... height column the
/
X f Y
y y
dy
a K
S V
Z
b
a
y
T
=

-
=
-
}
}
-
b
a
y y
dy
The integral represent the change in vapor
concentration divided by the average driving force
and is the number of transfer units (NTU) N
OY.

length. in is dimension (HTU)
(18) .... unit transfer of height
/
OY
y
OY
H
a K
S V
H =
(19) .........
OY OY T
H N z =
H
OY
is obtained from literature or from mass
transfer correlations.

If operating line and equilibrium line (curve) are
parallel and straight,

(20) ... .......... .......... ..........
-

=
y y
y y
N
a b
OY

(21) ........
L
a b
OY
y
y y
N
A

=
| | ) /( ) ( ln
) )( (
where
- -
- -


= A
a a b b
a a b b
L
y y y y
y y y y
y
For straight operating and equilibrium lines

x
X X
N
a b
OX
A

=
For liquid phase

N
OX
N
OY
unless operating line and equilibrium line
are straight and parallel.

Assignment April 2014
Example: A gas stream containing 3% A is passed
through a packed column to remove 99% of the A by
absorption in water. The absorber will operate at 25
o
C
and I atm, and the gas and liquid rates are to be 20
mol/h.m
2
and 100 mol/h.m
2
respectively. Mass transfer
coefficients and equilibrium data are given below:
y* = 3.1x at 25
o
C
k
x
= 60 mol/h.m
3
unit mol fraction
k
y
= 15 mol/h.m
3
unit mol fraction
i). Find N
Oy
, H
Oy
and Z
T
, assuming isothermal operation
and neglecting changes in gas and liquid flow rates.
What percent of the total resistance is in the gas
phase?
Ii) Calculate Z
T
using N
Ox
and H
Ox