Absorption and Stripping of Dilute Mixtures

 In absorption (also called gas absorption, gas scrubbing, and gas washing).
 Gas mixture is contacted with a liquid (absorbent or solvent) to selectively
dissolve one or more components by mass transfer from the gas to the liquid.
 The components transferred to the liquid are referred to as solutes or
absorbate.
 Absorption is used for:
i. Separate gas mixtures.
ii. Remove impurities, contaminants, pollutants.
iii. Recover valuable chemicals.
 The opposite of absorption is stripping (also called desorption), where in a
liquid mixture is contacted with a gas to selectively remove components by
mass transfer from liquid to the gas phase.
 Cont…
A typical absorption operation-absorption of acetone by water

Source: (Seader)
Cont…
 Cont…
Commercial Applications of Absorption:
 Cont…

Equipment
 Cont…
Details of a contacting tray in a Trayed tower:
 Cont…
Details of a contacting tray in a Trayed tower:…
 Cont…
Ideally:
 the liquid carries no vapor bubbles (occlusion) to the
tray below
 the vapor carries no liquid droplets (entrainment) to
the tray above
 there is no weeping of liquid through the holes in the
tray.
 With good contacting, equilibrium between the
exiting vapor and liquid phases is approached on each
tray.
Types of trays (3)
 Cont…
Comparison of Types of Trays:
 Cont..
Details of internals used in a Typical materials used in packed
packed column. column (i) random packing materials
Typical materials used in packed column…(ii) structural
Cont…

Comparison of Types of Packing

Cont…
Cont…
The ideal absorbent should:
 Cont…

The most common absorbents:

 Water
 Hydrocarbon oil
 Aqueous solutions of acids and
bases

The most common stripping agents are:

 Water vapor
 Air
 Inert gases
 Hydrocarbon gases
 Cont…
 For absorber, operating pressure should be high and temperature low:
i. To minimize stage requirements and/or absorbent flow rate.
ii. To lower the equipment volume required to accommodate the gas flow.
 Unfortunately, both compression and refrigeration of a gas are expensive.
 Therefore, most absorbers are operated at feed-gas pressure,
 For a stripper,
 operating pressure should be low and temperature high to minimize stage
requirements or stripping agent flow rate.
 However, maintenance of a vacuum is expensive.
 Also a high temperature can be used, but it should not be so high as to cause
undesirable chemical reactions.
 GRAPHICAL EQUILIBRIUM-STAGE METHOD FOR TRAYED TOWERS
 Consider the countercurrent-flow, trayed tower for absorption (or stripping)
operating under isobaric, isothermal, continuous, steady-state flow conditions.
 For convenience, the stages are numbered from top to bottom for the absorber
and from bottom to top for the stripper.
 Phase equilibrium is assumed to be achieved at each of the N trays between the
vapor and liquid streams leaving the tray.
 That is, each tray is treated as an equilibrium stage. Assume that the only
component transferred from one phase to the other is the solute.
 For application to an absorber, let:
 Cont…

 Note that with these definitions, values of L' and V' remain
constant through the tower, assuming no vaporization of
absorbent into carrier gas or absorption of carrier gas by
liquid.
 For the solute at any equilibrium stage, n, the K-value is
given in terms of X and Y as:
Eq.1
 Cont…
absorber
 The balances are
written around
one end of the
tower and an
arbitrary
intermediate
equilibrium
stage, n.
Eq.2
 For the
absorber: operating-line equations
Eq.3
 Cont…

Stripper operating-line equations,

Eq.4

Eq.5
 Cont…
 For the absorber, the operating line is above the equilibrium line
because, for a given solute concentration in the liquid, the solute
concentration in the gas is always greater than the equilibrium value,
thus providing the driving force for mass transfer of solute from the gas
to the liquid.
 For the stripper, the operating line lies below the equilibrium line for
the opposite reason.
 For the coordinate systems, the operating lines are straight with a slope
of L'/ V'.
 Cont…
 For an absorber, the terminal point of the operating
line at the top of the tower is fixed at Xo by the
amount of solute, if 1 any, in the entering absorbent,
and the specified degree of absorption of the solute,
which fixes the value of Y1 in the leaving gas.
 The terminal point of the operating line at the bottom
of the tower depends on YN+1 and the slope of the
operating line and, thus, the flow rate, L', of solute-free
absorbent.
 Minimum Absorbent Flow Rate
 Minimum Absorbent Flow Rate
Operating lines for four different
absorbent flow rates are shown.
 each operating line passes through the
terminal point, (Y1, Xo), at the top of the
column, and corresponds to a different
liquid absorbent rate and corresponding
slope, L'/ V'.
 To achieve the desired value of Y1 for
given YN+1, Xo, and V', the solute-free
absorbent flow rate L', must lie in the
range of ∞(operating line 1) to L’min,
(operating line 4).
 The value of the solute concentration in
the outlet liquid, XN, depends on L' by a
material balance on the solute entire
absorber.
 For n=N: Cont…
Eq.6

Eq.7
 The value of L’min, corresponds to a value of XN Eq.8
(leaving the bottom of the tower) in equilibrium
with YN+1, the solute concentration in the feed gas From Eq.8 solving for XN and substituting the
 It takes an infinite number of stages for this result into Eq.7 gives:
equilibrium to be achieved.
 An expression for L’min, of an absorber can be Eq.9
derived from (Eq.7) as follows.
 For stage N, (Eq.1) becomes, for the minimum
absorbent rate:
Eq.10
Furthermore, if the entering liquid contains no solute, that is, Xo =0, Eq. 10
approaches

L‘min = V’KN Eq.11( fraction of solute absorbed)

 Cont…
 This equation is reasonable because
it would be expected that L’min,
would increase with increasing V', K-
value, and fraction of solute
absorbed.

 The selection of the actual operating

absorbent flow rate is based on
some multiple of L’min typically from
1.1 to 2.
 A value of 1.5 corresponds closely to
the value of 1.4 for the optimal
absorption factor mentioned earlier.
 Cont…
 Operating lines 2 and 3
correspond to 2.0 and 1.5
times L’min, respectively.
 As the operating line
moves from 1 to 4, the
number of required
equilibrium stages, N,
increases from zero to
infinity.
 Thus, a trade-off exists
between L' and N, and an
optimal value of L' exists.
 Cont…
Stripper
 A similar derivation
of V’min, for the
stripper, results in
an expression
analogous to Eq.11
is:

Eq.12
 Number of Equilibrium Stages
 The number of equilibrium stages required for a particular
absorbent flow rate corresponding to the slope of the
operating line, which is for (L’/ V') = 1.5(L’min/ V'), is stepped
off by moving up the staircase, starting from the point (Y1,
Xo), on the operating line and moving horizontally to the right
to the point (Y1, X1) on the equilibrium curve.
 From there, a vertical move is made to the point (Y2, X1) on
the operating line.
 Proceeding in this manner, the staircase is climbed until the
terminal point (YN+1, XN) on the operating line is reached.
 the stages are counted at the points of the staircase on the
equilibrium curve.
 As the slope (L‘/V') is increased, fewer equilibrium stages are
required.
 As (L‘/V') is decreased, more stages are required until (L’min,/
V') is reached, at which the operating line and equilibrium
curve intersect at a so-called pinch point, for which an infinite
number of stages is required.
 Cont…
• The number of equilibrium stages required for
stripping a solute is determined in a manner
similar to that for absorption.
• For given specifications of Yo, XN+1, and the extent
of stripping of the solute, which corresponds to a
value of X1, V’min, is determined from the slope of
the operating line that passes through the points
(Yo, X1), and (YN, XN+1) on the equilibrium curve.
• The operating line is for V' = 1.5V’min or a slope of
(L'/V') = (L'/V’min,)/1.5.
• the number of equilibrium stages for the
absorber and stripper is exactly three each.
• These integer results are coincidental.
• Ordinarily, the result is some fraction above an
integer number of stages, as is the case in the
following example.
• In practice, the result is usually rounded to the
next highest integer.
 ALGEBRAIC METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE NUMBER OF
EQUILIBRIUM STAGES
 The application of a graphical method can become very tedious
when
i. the problem specification fixes the number of stages rather than
the percent recovery of solute,
ii. when more than one solute is being absorbed or stripped,
iii. when the best operating conditions of temperature and pressure
are to be determined so that the location of the equilibrium curve
is unknown, and/or
iv. if very low or very high concentrations force the graphical
construction to the comers of the diagram so that multiple y-x
diagrams of varying sizes and dimensions are needed.
 Cont…
 Then, the application of an algebraic method may be preferred.
 The Kremser method for single-section cascades, is ideal for absorption and stripping of dilute
mixtures.
 In terms of the fraction of solute absorbed or stripped as:

Eq.13 Eq.14

 where the solute absorption and stripping factors are, respectively,

The advantage of (6-13) and (6-14) is that they can be solved directly for the percent absorption or
stripping of a solute when the number of theoretical stages, N, and the absorption or stripping factor are
known.
Eq.15
Values of L and V in moles per unit time may be taken
as entering values. Values of Ki depend mainly on
temperature, pressure, and liquid-phase composition.
Eq.16
 Cont…
 At near-ambient pressure, for dilute mixtures, some common expressions for
estimating K-values are:
Eq. 17:for ideal solutions involving solutes at subcritical temperatures.
Eq. 18: for moderately non ideal solutions when activity coefficients are
known at infinite dilution.
Eq. 19:For solutes at supercritical temperatures
Eq. 20: For sparingly soluble solutes at subcritical temperatures,
when solubility data in mole fractions, x*i, are available.
 Cont…
 This expression is derived by considering a three-phase system
consisting of an ideal-vapor-containing solute, carrier vapor, and
solvent; a pure or near-pure solute as liquid (1); and the solvent
liquid (2) with dissolved solute.
 In that case, for solute, i, at equilibrium between the two liquid
phases:

From (Eq. 18):

 STAGE EFFICIENCY

• Graphical and algebraic methods for determining stage

requirements for absorption and stripping assume
equilibrium with respect to both heat and mass transfer at
each stage.
• Thus, the number of equilibrium stages (theoretical stages,
ideal stages, or ideal plates) is determined or specified
when using those methods.
 Cont…

 To determine the actual number of plates, the number of equilibrium stages

must be adjusted with a stage efficiency (plate efficiency or tray efficiency).

 where Eo is the fractional overall stage efficiency, usually less than 1.0;
 Nt, is the calculated number of equilibrium (theoretical) stages; and
 Na is the actual number of contacting trays or plates (usually greater than N,)
required
 There are also a number of empirical equations to determine stage efficiency.
 Q1:Graphical method

When molasses is fermented to produce a liquor containing ethyl alcohol, a

C02-rich vapor containing a small amount of ethyl alcohol is evolved. The
alcohol can be recovered by absorption with water in a sieve-tray tower.
For the following conditions, determine the number of equilibrium stages
required for countercurrent flow of liquid and gas, assuming isothermal,
isobaric conditions in the tower and neglecting mass transfer of all
components except ethyl alcohol.
• Entering gas: 180 kmol/h; 98% CO2, 2% ethyl alcohol; 30°C, 110 kPa
• Entering liquid absorbent: 100% water; 30°C, 110 kPa
• Required recovery (absorption) of ethyl alcohol: 97%
 Solution
 Assume that the exiting absorbent will be dilute in ethyl alcohol, whose K-
value is determined from a modified Raoult's law:
K = фPS/P
 The vapor pressure of ethyl alcohol at 30°C is 10.5 kPa.
 At infinite dilution in water at 30°C, the liquid-phase activity coefficient of
ethyl alcohol is taken as 6.
 Therefore,
K=KN = (6)(10.5)/110 = 0.57.
 The minimum solute-free absorbent rate is given by (Eq.11), where the solute-
free gas rate:
V‘=(0.98)(180) = 176.4 kmol/h.
 Thus:
L’min= 176.4* 0.57*0.97=97.5kmol/h
 Cont…
 The actual solute free absorbent rate at 50% above the minimum rate is:
L’=1.5*97.5= 146.2 kmol/h
 Amount of ethyl alcohol transferred from the gas to the liquid is 97 % and the amount of
alcohol in the entering gas:
0.97*0.02*180= 3.49 kmol/h
 The amount of ethyl alcohol remaining in the exit gas is:
(1-0.97)*0.02*180=0.11kmol/h
 Compute the ethyl alcohol mole fraction at both ends of the operating lines:
Top: x0= 0, Y1=0.11/176.4=0.0006
Bottom: YN+1=(0.11+3.49)/176.4=0.0204, XN=3.49/146.2=0.0239

 The equation for the operating line with xo=0 is:

 Cont…
 Develop equilibrium curve for the ethyl alcohol using K=0.57 and

Then solving for Y:

 Cont…

The required number of theoretical stages for 97% absorption of ethyl alcohol is more than 6.
 Q2:Algebric method
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be stripped from wastewater by air. Such
compounds are to be stripped at 70°F and 15psia from 500 gpm of wastewater with
3,400 scfm of air (standard conditions of 60°F and 1 atm) in an existing tower
containing 20 plates. A chemical analysis of the wastewater shows three organic
chemicals in the amounts shown in the following table. For all three organic
compounds, the wastewater concentrations can be shown to be below the solubility
values. It is desirable that 99.9% of the total VOCs be stripped, but the plate efficiency
of the tower is uncertain, with an estimated range of 5% to 20%, corresponding to one
to four theoretical stages for the 20-plate tower.
 Calculate and plot the percent stripping of each of the three organic compounds
for one, two, three, and four theoretical stages.
 Under what conditions can we expect to achieve the desired degree of stripping?
 Cont…
Determine V and L
 standard cubic feet (SCF) at 60°F and 1 atm
 Ideal gas law conversion factor 379.3 scf/lbmol
 At 60F, water weighs 8.33 pounds per gallon and 18.02 lb/lbmol is molar wt.
V= (3400*60)/379.3=538 lbmol/h
L=(500*60*8.33)/18.02=13,870 lbmol/h
 Cont…
 Fraction stripped:

 Sbenzene = kiV/L=255*538/13870=9.89

 Fraction stripped= (9.89(1+1)-9.89)/(9.89(1+1) -1)= (9.892-8.89)/(9.892-

1)=90.82
 Then develop table:
Plot

Table
 Cont…
 To achieve 99.9% removal of the total VOCs, three theoretical stages are needed
 But, corresponding to the necessity for a 15% stage efficiency in the existing 20-tray tower It is
best to process the exiting air to remove or destroy the VOCs, particularly the benzene, which
is a carcinogen.
 The amount of benzene stripped is:
There are about 3.785 liters per galon
Benzene stripped= 500 gal/min*60 min/h *3.785 liters/gal *150 mg/liters =17032.5 g/h

Given target
Read example 6.3 from text

Thank you!