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Gas Absorption
Gas Absorption
Gas Absorption
The removal of one or more selected components from a mixture of gases by absorption into a suitable liquid is the second major operation of chemical engineering that is based on interphase mass transfer controlled largely by rates of diffusion Examples:
acetone can be recovered from an acetoneair mixture by passing the gas stream into water in which the acetone dissolves while the air passes out ammonia may be removed from an ammoniaair mixture by absorption in water. oxides of nitrogen are absorbed in water to give nitric acid carbon dioxide is absorbed in a solution of sodium hydroxide, a chemical reaction occurs
Absorption processes are therefore conveniently divided into two groups, those in which the process is solely physical and those where a chemical reaction is occurring.
In considering the design of equipment to achieve gas absorption, the main requirement is that the gas should be brought into intimate contact with the liquid, and the effectiveness of the equipment will largely be determined by the success with which it promotes contact between the two phases In absorption, the feed is a gas introduced at the bottom of the column, and the solvent is fed to the top, as a liquid; the absorbed gas and solvent leave at the bottom, and the unabsorbed components leave as gas from the top
Vapor is produced by partial vaporization of the liquid there fore at its boiling point Diffusion of molecules is in both direction
it is important to note that the solubility falls with a rise of temperature. In many instances the absorption is accompanied by the evolution of heat, and it is therefore necessary to fit coolers to the equipment to keep the temperature sufficiently low for an adequate degree of absorption to be obtained.