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Mass Xfer Coeffic
Mass Xfer Coeffic
literature. From Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook, 6th ed., p. 4-38 (1984), the ChiltonColburn correlations can be expressed in the following manner. The mass transfer coefficient for species A in a gas, k gA , is given by:
2 / 3 0.41 Sc Re
2 / 3 0.51 Sc Re
See below for explanation of these correlations in terms of Chilton-Colburn jD factors. Reynolds number:
Re d pG = momentum convection momentum diffusion
momentum diffusion mass diffusion
Schmidt number:
Sc
f DA
kg m G 2 = m s Ax
2 2
The Schmidt number and the Reynolds number are dimensionless , M is mean molecular weight of the gas (kg/mol), dp is catalyst pellet diameter (m), is fluid viscosity (Pa . s = kg/s/m), f is gas density (kg/m3), DA is the diffusion coefficient of A (m2/s) in the gas mixture, m is mass flow rate into reactor (kg/s), drxr is the internal diameter of the reactor vessel (m), Ptotal is the gas total pressure (Pa), PA is the partial pressure of reactant species A (Pa), and A is the change in moles with reaction per mole species A ((moles products minus moles reactants) / moles A). The rate of mass transfer rate of species A from the bulk gas to the external surface of catalyst pellets is given by:
The subscript "es" refers to conditions at the external surface of the pellets and p is the pellet density (kg/m3), The correlations for kgA given above are from rearrangement of the Chilton-Colburn jD factor correlations
G mol k gA = 0.99 2 MPfa s m Pa 2 / 3 0.41 Sc Re
m km d p [ m] s Sherwood number: Sh 2 m DA s
Note that the Chilton-Colburn jD factor is a function of Reynolds number only. The correlation can also be expressed as:
Sh = 0.99Sc1/ 3 Re0.59
The Sherwood number is a dimensionless mass transfer coefficient and can also be considered a dimensionless concentration gradient. It is also referred to as the Nusselt number for mass transfer.