4341-132

CHE 3332/16 November 11, 2016

Assignment #7

1. Sulfur dioxide is absorbed from air into water in a packed absorption tower at
25°C and atmospheric pressure. At a certain location in the tower, the mass-
transfer flux is 0.0270 kmol SO2/m2-h and the liquid-phase mole fractions are
0.0025 and 0.0003 at the two-phase interface and in the bulk liquid, respectively.
Determine the local mass-transfer coefficient, kc in m/s, and the film thickness in
m, neglecting the bulk-flow effect.

2. At one point in an absorption tower the bulk compositions were found to be x A=

0.0 and yA= 0.08. The corresponding interfacial compositions were estimated to
be xAi= 0.025 and yAi= 0.04. If the overall mass transfer coefficient for the liquid
phase is 50 kmol/(m2h), determine the percentage resistance to mass transfer for
the gas phase. Assume dilute solutions and that Henry’s Law applies for the
equilibrium.

3. In an experimental study of absorption of ammonia by water in a wetted-wall

column, the overall mass transfer coefficient KG was found to be 2.74x10-9 kmol/
(m2sPa). At one point in the column, the gas phase contained 8 mole % ammonia
and the liquid phase concentration was 0.064 kmol NH3//m3 of solution. The tower
is operated at 293 oK and atmospheric pressure. At that temperature, ammonia-
water solutions follow Henry’s law up to 12 mole% of ammonia in the gas, with
the Henry’s constant of 1,360 Pa/(kmol/m3). If 85% of the total resistance to the
mass transfer is encountered in the gas phase, calculate the individual film mass
transfer coefficients kG (kmols/(m2s Pa) and kL (m/s), and the interfacial
concentrations in kPa and kmol/m3 for the gas and liquid phase, respectively.

4. Do problem 10.4.1 from the text.

Note: Use Eqn’s 10.4-26 and 10.4-27 from the text in solving this question.

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Due date: Nov. 21, 4:00 p.m.