VAPOUR IN AIR DIFFUSION

AIM OF THE EXPERIMENT:

• To determine the diffusion coefficient of an organic vapor (acetone) in air.
• To study the effect of temperature on diffusion coefficient.

THEORY
Diffusivity, represented by DAB, is a crucial parameter in mass transfer operations for estimating the
feasibility, profitability, and kinetics of a separation process. To determine the molecular diffusivity
of volatile species such as CCl4, acetone, etc. in a flowing medium like air, a specialized setup called
the T-Tube or Stefan's Tube is employed for experimental measurement. This setup involves the
diffusion of A in stagnant B, or vice versa, which is known as diffusing through a non-diffusing or
stagnant media.

When one gas is diffusing into another with continuous supply of the other gas at the end of the
diffusion path, it helps to maintain a constant concentration gradient. This is known as steady state
diffusion. In terms of concentration, the expression for D is:

Where,
Final height from the top of the tube at time t = 𝑥
Initial height from the top of the tube = 𝑥0
Drop in liquid (𝐶𝐶𝑙4) level in time t = 𝑥 − 𝑥0
Total molar concentration: 𝐶𝑇 = 𝑃/𝑅𝑇
Mean molar concentration: 𝐶𝐵𝑀
Density of the component given for the experiment = 𝜌, such that:
C𝐴 = Molar concentration of A
C𝐵 = Molar concentration of B
Usually, 𝑥0 is not measured accurately, nor is the effective distance for diffusion x, at time t.
Accurate value of (𝑥 − 𝑥0) are available, hence, equation (i) can be re-written as:

Where,
V = molar volume, 𝑐𝑚3/𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑙,
M= molecular weight, 𝑔/𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑙,
Atomic volume of C = 14.8 𝑐𝑚3/𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑙
Atomic volume of Cl = 21.6 𝑐𝑚3/𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑙
Atomic volume of C = 29.9 𝑐𝑚3/𝑔 𝑚𝑜𝑙
T = Temperature, 𝑇
P = System pressure (ambient pressure), 𝑎𝑡𝑚
D = Diffusivity, 𝑐𝑚2/𝑠
(Molar volumes of components can be obtained from Perry’s handbook). Experimental values of
diffusion coefficient are:
PROCEDURE
• Set the water bath temperature at desired level (40℃- 50℃) and wait till the bath attains the
set temperature.
• Fill the T- tube with carbon tetrachloride to within two centimetres of the top of Capillary leg.
Note down the initial diffusion height of the liquid in the capillary from the top end (𝑥0).
• Make the connection with the air or vacuum pump and allow a gentle current of air to flow
over the capillary.
• Record the height of liquid (x) from the top of the capillary tube after every 15 mins.
• Repeat the steps 1 to 4 for different temperatures.
• Plot diffusion coefficient against absolute temperature on a log - log graph and determine the
slope. It should lie between 1.5 to 1.8.

SETUP DESCRIPTION
The main components of the experimental setup as shown in Figure, are:
• Glass T- Tube
• Constant temperature water bath.
• Air pump
• Traveling Microscope
• Volatile component is filled in the T- tube and air passed over it by the pump and change in the
level is seen by the sliding microscope.
OBSERVATIONS
RUN-I: Temperature = 40°C
Time (min) 𝜃 (sec) 𝑥 (mm) 𝑥 − 𝑥0 (mm) 𝜃/(𝑥 − 𝑥0)

0 0 7.9 0 -
20 1200 7.6 0.3 4000
40 2400 7.3 0.6 4000
60 3600 7.1 0.8 4500

RUN-II: Temperature = 50°C

Time (min) 𝜃 (sec) 𝑥 (mm) 𝑥 − 𝑥0 (mm) 𝜃/(𝑥 − 𝑥0)

0 0 7.1 0 -
20 1200 6.7 0.4 3000
40 2400 6.35 0.75 3200
60 3600 5.95 1.15 3130.43

RESULTS AND CALCULATIONS:

For acetone,

At T=40°C (Run-I)
 Plot of Diffusivity
4600

4500

4400 y = 921.05x + 3644.7

4300
t/(x-x0)

4200

4100

4000

3900

3800
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9
x-x0

From the equation of trendline, slope = 921.05

Thus, 𝐷𝐴𝐵 = 0.89523 𝑚𝑚2/𝑠 = 0.0089523 𝑐𝑚2/𝑠

At T=50°C (Run-II)
Thus,

Plot of Diffusivity
3250
y = 165.68x + 2983.1
3200

3150
t/(x-x0)

3100

3050

3000

2950
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4
x-x0

From the equation of trendline, slope = 165.68

Thus, 𝐷𝐴𝐵 = 8.512 𝑚𝑚2/𝑠 = 0.08435 𝑐𝑚2/𝑠