By

Dr. T. SUBBURAJ, M.Tech., Ph.D.,

Assistant Professor,
Dept. of Chemical Engineering,
Kalasalingam University,

Dr. T. SUBBURAJ

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MASS TRANSFER
Transfer of material from one homogeneous
phase to
another. With or without phase change.
(i)Dispersion of gases from stacks
(ii)Removal of pollutants from plant discharge
streams by absorption
(iii)Stripping of gases from waste water
(iv)Neutron diffusion within nuclear reactors
(v)Air conditioning

Dr. T. SUBBURAJ

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DIFFUSION BASED MASS TRANSFER

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DIFFUSION
The term mass transfer Diffusion is used to denote the transference of a
component in a mixture
from a region where its concentration is high to a region where the
concentration is lower.
Mass transfer process can take place in a gas or vapour or in a liquid, and
it can result
from the random velocities of the molecules (molecular diffusion) or from
the circulating
or eddy currents present in a turbulent fluid (eddy diffusion).

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Dr. T. SUBBURAJ

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DIFFUSION IN BINARY GAS MIXTURES
If A and B are ideal gases in a mixture, the ideal gas law, may be
applied
to each gas separately and to the mixture:
PA.V = nA.R.T
PB.V = nB.R.T
P.V = n.R.T
where nA and nB are the number of moles of A and B and n is the
total number of
moles in a volume V, and PA , PB and P are the respective partial
pressures and the total pressure.
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Equimolecular counter diffusion
When the mass transfer rates of the two components are equal
and opposite the process is said to be one of equimolecular
counter diffusion. Such a process occurs in the case of the box
with a movable partition,

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The removal of one or more selected components from a mixture
of gases by absorption into a suitable liquid is the major operation
of chemical engineering that is based on interphase mass transfer
controlled largely by rates of diffusion. Thus, acetone can be
recovered from an acetoneair mixture by passing the gas stream
into water in which the acetone dissolves while the air passes out.
Similarly, ammonia may be removed from an ammoniaair mixture
by absorption in water.

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Types of Distillation
Action on an Ideal Plate
Mass Balance in a Distillation Column
McCabe Thiele Analysis

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Types of
distillation
Simple distillation
Molecular
distillation
Vacuum distillation
Batch distillation
Continuous
distillation
Flash distillation
Fractional
distillation
Azeotropic
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The simplest examples of batch
distillation at a single stage.
Starting with a still pot, initially full,
heated at a constant rate. In this
process the vapour formed on
boiling the liquid is removed at
once from the system.
Since this vapour is richer in the
more volatile component, with this
result the composition of the
product progressively alters.
Thus, whilst the vapour formed
over a short period is in
equilibrium with the liquid
At the end of the process the
Dr. T. SUBBURAJ
liquid, which has been vaporized,

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Let S be the number of mols of material in the still and x be

the mol fraction of component A.
Suppose an amount dS, containing a mol fraction y of A, be
vaporised.
Then a material balance on component A gives:
ydS = d (Sx)
= S dx + x Ds
The integral on then right-hand side can be solved
graphically if the equilibrium relationship between y and x is
available.
Thus, if over the range concerned the equilibrium
relationship is a straight line of the form y= m x + c
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Flash & continuous distillation

It is used in petroleum refining, in which
petroleum fractions are heated in pipe stills and
the heated fluid flashed in to vapour and
residual streams, each containing many
components.
Flash distillation is used most for separating
components that boil at widely different
temperatures.
It is not effective separating components of
comparable volatility, which requires the use of
distillation with reflux
By definition a vapour leaving a plate are
brought into equilibrium.
Assume that the plates are numbered serially
from top down and that the plate under
consideration is the nth plate from the bottom.
Then the immediately above plate n is plate n1, and the immediately below is n+1.
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Distillation

Totalcondenser

Overheadvapor

Refluxdrum

1
Rectifyingsectionstages

Feed

Strippingsectionstages

Distillate

Reflux

FeedStage
Boilup

N
Partialreboiler
Bottoms

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Material Balance diagram for plate n:

Vn-1,yn-1
Ln-2,Xn-2
Vn,yn

Plate n -1

Plate n

Ln-1,Xn-1
Vn+1,yn+1
Ln ,xn

Plate n+1

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For example if two fluid enter plate n and two leave it, the liquid, Ln-1
mol/h, from plate n-1 and the stream of vapour, Vn+1 mol/h, from
plate n+1 are brought into intimate contact.
A stream of vapour, Vn mol/h, rises to plate n-1 and a stream of liquid,
Ln mol/h, descends to plate n+1.
Since the vapour streams are the V phase, their considerations are
denoted by y; the liquid streams are the L phase and their
concentrations are denoted by x. Then the concentrations of the
streams entering and leaving the nth plate are as follows:
Vapour leaving plate, yn
Liquid leaving plate, xn
Vapour entering plate, yn+1
Liquid entering plate, xn-1

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Boiling-Point Diagram showing rectification on ideal plate:

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McCabe -Thiele Method:

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Effect the feed condition on feed line:

If the feed is a cold liquid, the feed line
slopes will be upward and to the right;
if the feed is a saturated liquid, the line is
vertical;
if the feed is a mixture of liquid and vapour,
the lines slopes upward and to the left and the
slope is the negative of the ratio of the liquid to
the vapour;
if the feed is saturated vapour the line is
horizontal and
if the feed is superheated vapour. The lines
slope downward and to the left.
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Feed Plate location

After the location of the feed plate the
construction of the number of ideal trays is found
by the usual step-by step construction. The
process can begin at the top and also a total
condenser is used.

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Eqm line

Operting line
Eqm line

Operting line
Distillation

Operting line
Desorption

Eqm line
Absorption

Position of operating line relative to the equilibrium line decides

1. Direction of mass transfer.
2. How many stages required for given separation.
Gas-Liq.
Distillation
Absorption
Desorption
Humidification.
Dehumidification

Gas-Solid
Sublimation
Drying
Adsorption.

Liq-Solid
Crystallisation

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Liq-liq
Extraction

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EXTRACTION OPERATIONS

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LiquidLiquid Extraction
The separation of the components of a liquid mixture by
treatment with a solvent in which one or more of the desired
components is preferentially soluble is known as liquidliquid
extractionan operation which is used, for example, in the
processing of coal tar liquids and in the production of fuels in
the nuclear industry, and which has been applied extensively
to the separation of hydrocarbons in the petroleum industry. In
this operation, it is essential that the liquid-mixture feed and
solvent are at least partially if not completely immiscible and,
in essence, three stages are involved:
(a) Bringing the feed mixture and the solvent into intimate
contact,
(b) Separation of the resulting two phases, and
(c) Removal and recovery ofDr.the
solvent from each phase.
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Stage wise Extraction

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Continuous Extraction

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General principles of Leaching
Leaching is concerned with the extraction of a soluble
constituent from a solid by means
of a solvent. The process may be used either for the
production of a concentrated solution
of a valuable solid material, or in order to remove an
insoluble solid, such as a pigment,
from a soluble material with which it is contaminated. The
method used for the extraction
is determined by the proportion of soluble constituent
present, its distribution throughout
the solid, the nature of the solid and the particle size.

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Dr. T. SUBBURAJ

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EQUIPMENT FOR LEACHING
Processes involved
Three distinct processes are usually involved in leaching operations:
(a) Dissolving the soluble constituent.
(b) Separating the solution, so formed, from the insoluble solid
residue.
(c) Washing the solid residue in order to free it of unwanted soluble
matter or to obtain
as much of the soluble material as possible as the product.
Leaching has in the past been carried out mainly as a batch process
although many
continuous plants have also been developed. The type of equipment
employed depends on
the nature of the solidwhether it is granular or cellular and whether
it is coarse or fine.
The normal distinction between coarse and fine solids is that the
former have sufficiently
Dr. T. SUBBURAJ
large settling velocities for them to be readily separable from the

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Factors influencing the rate of extraction

The selection of the equipment for an extraction
process is influenced by the factors which
are responsible for limiting the extraction rate. Thus,
if the diffusion of the solute through
the porous structure of the residual solids is the
controlling factor, the material should be
of small size so that the distance the solute has to
travel is small. On the other hand, if
diffusion of the solute from the surface of the
particles to the bulk of the solution is the
controlling factor, a high degree of agitation of the
fluid is required.
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ADSORPTION
Adsorption : Tendency of a molecule from a fluid / gas
phase to adhere to the surface of the solid.
The molecule which adsorbs is called as Adsorbate & the
surface on which it adsorbs is called Adsorbent.
Separation occurs ,due to difference in MW,shape or
polarity which causes some molecules to be held
strongly on the surface than others.
For gas phase adsorption force field creates a regime of
low PE near the solid surface,molecular density near the
solid surface is generally > bulk gas density.
Rate of Adsorption from Dr.liquid
is much slower than from
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Adsorbent : Selectivity
Capacity
Mass transfer rate
Long term stability.

Equilibrium capacity : How much of

adsorbate will be
adsorbed under
given
system.
Adsorption
rate : How fast the adsorbate be adsorb
under these condition.
Life

How many times the operation rep

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Adsorptive properties : Pore size / Pore size

distribution
Nature of solid surface.
Size of bed : Gas / Liquid flow rate.
Desired cycle time.
Superficial velocity is usually 0.15 0.45 m/s.
Height of bed : Pressure drop.

Depending on the adsorbent the distribution of the pore

within the adsorbent particle may be narrow ( 20 to 50 0
or it may range widely ( 20 to several thousand 0A)

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Downward flow allows use of higher velocity.

If upward flow is selected it should be less than that a

Which lifting of Adsorbent occurs.

Fluidisation or violent agitation leads Adsorbent attriti

loss of Adsorbent,higher pressure drop.

To avoid distribution & channeling use proper L/D ratio

Use proper device to distribute flow uniformly. Avoid lo

high velocity & eliminate particle movement & channel
Adequate bed support should be provided.

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Physical Adsorption
Forces

Heat of
Adsorption
Specificity
Nature of
Adsorbed
phase

Weak Van der walls

< 2 or 3 times latent

heat of evaporation.
Non specific

Chemical

Strong forces,Ele
transfer,Bond
betn adsorbat

> 2 or 3 tim
heat of eva

Highly spec

Monolayer/multilayer
Monolayer.
No dissociation of Dissociation of
adsorbed species. Adsorbed species.
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Physical Adsorption

Chemical Ads

Reversibility

rapid, non-activated
reversible

Temp. range

Significant at relatively Possible ove

low temp.
Range of te

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activated,ma
& irreversib

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Dr. T. SUBBURAJ