59

Absorption and Stripping

59.1 59.2 59.3 59.4 59.5 Basic Property Data Design Methodology Absorption Design Methodology Stripping Stage Efciency Packed Columns

James R. Fair
University of Texas, Austin

Absorption and stripping are two chemical process operations that normally are coupled in order to remove a minor component, the solute, from an incoming process gas stream and then recover that same component in a more concentrated form (see Figure 59.1). A carefully selected solvent, in which the solute is selectively soluble, is fed to the absorber (or scrubber), and the rich solvent is then fed to the stripper, where the solute is recovered. In some cases, absorbers are used separately when the rich solvent does not need further processing. Likewise, strippers can be used alone for separating a minor component from a liquid mixture. An example of the coupled system, other than the one shown in Figure 59.1, is the removal of carbon dioxide from natural gas by absorption in an aqueous amine solution, with subsequent recovery of high purity carbon dioxide by stripping at a lower pressure and a higher temperature. The gas is puried and a useful product results. Examples of the separate systems include the absorption of ammonia in water to form ammonium hydroxide and the stripping of dissolved volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from contaminated groundwater using air as the stripping gas. A representative ow diagram of a separate stripping system is shown in Figure 59.2.

59.1 Basic Property Data

If an absorber is to be designed for efcient and economical service, it is critical to select the proper solvent. Attributes of a good solvent for coupled systems include availability, cost, stability, and volatility. Further, the solvent should be nonhazardous. But by far the most critical property is the solubility of the solute in the solvent. This is usually the rst consideration. The equilibrium solubility of component i may be expressed in terms of a Henrys Law coefcient H i: Hi = partial pressure of i in gas pi = mole fraction of i in liquid x i (59.1)

A related term, used both in absorption and stripping and in distillation, is the equilibrium ratio Ki:

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Discharge Gas

Lean Solvent E-1 C.W. E-3 Scrubber D-1 C.W.

Still D-2

T-1

Feed Gas Blower B-1

E-2 Steam Product Acetone

E-4

P-1

P-2

P-3

FIGURE 59.1 Coupled absorption-stripping system. Acetone is recovered from air using a water solvent. The acetonewater solution is then stripped to provide high purity acetone.

C.W. Bottoms (Stripped water)

CONDENSER

Organics Feed DECANTER

FEED-BOTTOMS EXCHANGER STRIPPING COLUMN

REBOILER

FIGURE 59.2 Flow diagram for the steam stripping of contaminants from process water. Since water is the stripped product, it can be produced in situ with a reboiler. Alternately, external steam can be used.
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Absorption and Stripping

59-3

Ki =

yi xi

(59.2)

It is important to recognize that these terms are based on thermodynamic equilibrium. Usually, Daltons Law is applicable, so that Hi = Ki P (59.3)

where P is the total pressure of the system. For the nonideal systems usually encountered in absorption and stripping, the Ki value can be expressed as follows: Ki = g i pisat P (59.4)

where gi is the liquid phase activity coefcient for i in the solvent, psat is the vapor pressure of i, and P is the total pressure. Handbooks usually report solubilities as Henrys Law coefcients. However, design procedures usually employ the K value, easily obtained from H by Equation (59.3). When solubility data are not available for the conditions at hand, there is methodology for estimating values of the activity coefcient, one summary being in the book by Reid et al. Vapor pressure data are widely available. Equation (59.1) through Equation (59.4) apply to a single solute. For dilute mixtures, equations for other solutes, if present, are considered to be independent of each other. For more concentrated mixtures, thermodynamic interactions must be determined, and effective values of K and H obtained.

59.2 Design Methodology Absorption

The rst step in design is to establish separation specications. For example, a vent gas containing 2000 parts per million by volume (ppmv) of a pollutant must be scrubbed to a level of 200 ppmv in the exit gas. Or for a gaseous mixture which is a nonpollutant, the specication may deal with the fractional recovery (proportion absorbed) of that constituent in the rich solvent. For stripping, an example is the removal of dissolved contaminants in water to a level compatible with environmental regulations. Fractional removal and limiting composition are interchangeable in a given process, and the former will be used in the design equations given here. In designing an absorber or stripper, one must ascertain some index of difculty of separation. The index to be used here is the number of required theoretical stages. An alternate criterion, often used for absorbers containing packing, is the required number of transfer units. Easy separations require few theoretical stages or transfer units. Very difcult separations may require many stages, perhaps 20 or more. Absorption stages may be calculated from the so-called KremserBrown equation: Y N +1 - Y1 AiN +1 - Ai = N +1 Y N +1 - Y o* Ai - 1

E Ai =

(59.5)

where Eai = fraction of i absorbed; YN + 1 = moles i per mole of solute-free gas entering; Y1 = moles i per mole solute-free gas leaving the top of the absorber; Yo* = moles i per mole solute-free gas, determined as in equilibrium with the entering solvent composition; N = number of required theoretical stages; Ai = absorption factor for component i = L/(V Ki); L = total moles of liquid (solvent + solute) owing down the column; and V = total moles of vapor owing up the column. Note that in Equation (59.5), superscripts are exponents. If the amount absorbed is relatively low, as in most environmental applications, heat effects are minimal and the operation may be assumed to be isothermal. For this case, L and V are essentially constant.
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Lean Process Gas V1 1 V2

Lean Solvent LO

LN+1 VN N LN VN1

Rich Stripping Gas

Cooler L1

Absorber

Interchanger Stripper L2 V1

VN

LN1

VN+1 Rich Process Gas

LN Rich Solvent

L1

VO Lean Stripping Gas

FIGURE 59.3 Nomenclature for use of the equations for absorbers or strippers. In order to maintain similarity of the design equations, for absorption the stages are numbered down from the top and for stripping the stages are numbered up from the bottom.

Equation (59.5) is a rating equation; it tells how much recovery can be obtained with a given number of stages N. A more useful equation is a rearrangement explicit in N: E - Ai ln Ai E Ai - 1 -1 N= ln Ai

(59.6)

The solubility effect is contained in the absorption factor Ai. If the entering solvent contains none of the solute (e.g., completely stripped out), then the term Yo* drops out of Equation (59.5). Note that the compositions are in terms of mole ratios; for very dilute mixtures, mole fractions y can be used. In Equation (59.5) and Equation (59.6), the stages are numbered down from the top. Figure 59.3 includes a guide to the nomenclature for both absorption and stripping.

59.3 Design Methodology Stripping

For stripping, a liquid mixture is fed to the column and a stripping gas is used to remove one or more key components of the mixture. If the feed stream comes from a coupled absorber, then the composition is known, and the key components are likely to be those that were selectively absorbed. The stripping gas may be an external stream such as steam or air, or it may be generated by a reboiler as shown in Figure 59.1. In some respects, a reboiled stripper resembles a conventional distillation column and may even have a reux stream. If the stripper stages are numbered up from the bottom, Equation (59.5) and Equation (59.6) have exact counterparts: X N +1 - X 1 SiN +1 - Si = N +1 * X N +1 - X o Si - 1

E Si =

(59.7)

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Absorption and Stripping

59-5

E -S ln Si i E Si - 1 -1 N= ln Si

(59.8)

where ESi = fraction of i stripped; XN + 1 = moles i per mole of solute-free liquid entering; X1 = moles i per mole solute-free liquid leaving the bottom of the stripper; Xo* = moles i per mole solute-free liquid, determined as in equilibrium with the entering stripping gas composition; N = number of required theoretical stages; Si = absorption factor for component i = (V Ki)/L; L = total moles of liquid (solvent + solute) owing down the column; V = total moles of gas (stripping gas + solute) owing up the column. Superscripts in Equation (59.7) are exponents. If the amount stripped is relatively low, V and L are essentially constant. If the stripping gas contains no solute, Xo* drops out of the equation. For the methodology given here, absorption and stripping are direct counterparts. The absorption factor A is the reciprocal of the stripping factor S. A short example shows the use of Equation (59.8) [and Equation (59.6)]: Example A plant efuent liquid ows at 295,800 lb/h and contains 15 lb/h benzene. The benzene removal is to be 99.95%. Steam is to be the stripping gas. The stripping factor is 100. Using Equation (59.8), 0.9995 - 100 ln 0.9995 - 1 N= - 1 = 1.65 theoretical stages ln 100 Few theoretical stages are required because of the low solubility of benzene in water (high stripping factor). However, because contacting operations in stripping towers are inefcient, 20 or more actual stages may be required. This is discussed in the next subsection.

59.4 Stage Efciency

Since gasliquid contacting efciency in absorbers and strippers is relatively inefcient, the required number of theoretical stages must be corrected to actual, or real, stages (plates, trays) by a stage efciency: No. actual plates (trays)= No. theoretical stages N = Stage efficiency E oc (59.9)

where Eoc is an overall column efciency, dependent on the mass transfer characteristics of the system and the uid mechanics of the counterowing phases. A great deal of theory and practice is available for the estimation of Eoc, as described in Perrys Chemical Engineers Handbook. A low solubility invariably leads to a low efciency. For approximate work, typical values may be used: Absorbers Eoc = 0.30 = 30% Strippers Eoc = 0.20 = 20%. The required height of the contacting zone is Z= N TS E oc (59.10)

where TS is the height spacing between actual trays.

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59.5 Packed Columns

One may infer that the preceding material applies only to absorbers or strippers with trays (valve, sieve, etc.) but this is not the case. Packed columns do not contain such devices and operate in a continuum of gas and liquid ows. A more fundamental approach to estimating the required height is through the use of transfer units. There is a mathematical connection between theoretical stages and transfer units, expressed approximately as: ln S N og = N S - 1 (59.11)

where Nog = number of overall transfer units required (gas phase basis); N = number of theoretical stages required; S = stripping factor (V K)/L, which apples to absorbers as well as strippers. The objective is to determine the height of packing required for a given separation. This height is calculated by: Z = (HETP)(N) or Z = (Hog)(Nog) (59.12a) (59.12)

where the height Z is expressed in the same units (ft, m) as HETP and Hog. Values of HETP and Hog differ with the type and size of packing used. Approximate values can be obtained from vendors, but for more rigor, special mass transfer equations must be used. A discussion of the values together with the fundamental methods for calculating them may be found in Chapter 14 of Perrys Chemical Engineers Handbook, as well as from many other sources.

Dening Terms
Absorption Process for removing a minor component (or solute) from a gas stream using a liquid solvent. Absorber (or absorption tower) Usually a metal column containing packing materials or plates and designed to enhance gasliquid contacting efciency. Rich solvent Solvent + solute owing from the absorber. Solute Component to be removed from the gas entering the absorber or from the liquid entering the stripper. Solvent Liquid employed for removing solute from the incoming solute-rich gas stream. Stripper (or stripping tower) Usually, a metal column containing packing materials or plates and designed to enhance gasliquid contacting efciency. Stripping Process for removing relatively insoluble solutes from a liquid mixture.

References
Fair, J. R. 1997. Gas absorption and gasliquid system design. In Perrys Chemical Engineers Handbook, 7th ed., R. H. Perry and D. W. Green, Eds. McGraw-Hill, New York. Section 14. Reid, R. C., Prausnitz, J. M., and Poling, B. E. 1987. Fluid phase equilibria in multicomponent systems. In The Properties of Gases and Liquids, 4th ed., McGraw-Hill, New York. pp. 314332.

Further Information
Palmer, D. A. 1987. Handbook of Applied Thermodynamics. CRC, Boca Raton, FL. Sherwood, T. K., Pigford, R. L., and Wilke, C. R. 1975. Mass Transfer. McGraw-Hill, New York.
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