SEPARATION PROCESS I

Lecture 6

Multistage absorption limiting conditions

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 Learning objectives and outcome

Exposes the students to limiting cases for multistage absorption

and how they will affect the number of stages required.

At the end of this unit, students must be able to determine the

minimum number of stages and minimum solvent rate.

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 Absorption design variables

As seen, we generally have;

A fully determined stream to ‘clean’ (VN+1, yAN+1).
   
A desired final product (yA1).
A known purity of solvent (xA0).

Which leaves the solvent flow to be the variable

to control the system.
   

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 Absorption design variables

• Component A balance using inert material

   
When = 0,

=> ,
L’min Minimum solvent rate    

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 Graphical view

   

   

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 Stripping design variables

 
•From Inert MB
   

=> ,

V’min Minimum solvent rate    

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 Stripping design variables

   

   

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 Optimum flow rates for absorption

• The optimum flow rate is based on an economic balance

relating the cost to the quotient L’/V’ rather than actual flows.
• If we minimize the ratio (L’min) we will need infinitely many
stages to achieve the purity.
• If we increase the ratio instead, we will need a wide column
to avoid flooding and to recover the solute would be
expensive.

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 Optimum flow rates

The general case shows that;

Loptimum= 1.2-1.5 ∙L’min (1.5 commonly used)

For stripping we study V’/L’ instead. The same effect will be seen
on the size of column the optimum is;

Voptimum= 1.2-1.5 ∙V’min (1.5 commonly used)

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 Graphical method

1. Find, x2, y2, y1, V1 and V’

2. Plot equilibrium line
3. Connect the line from x2, y2 to point P touching the
equilibrium line at y1.
4. Find the x1 max from graph, substitute into material balance
and solve for L’ min

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 Example 1

A tray tower is absorbing ethyl alcohol from an inert gas stream using pure
water at 303 K and 101.3 kPa. The inlet gas stream flow rate is 100.0 kmol/h
and it contains 2.2 mol % alcohol. It is desired to recover 90% of the alcohol.
The equilibrium relationship is y=0.68x for the dilute stream. Using 1.5 times
the minimum liquid flow rate, determine the number of trays needed.
Graphical and analytical solutions.

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 Example 1

•  

Equilibrium line,

From graph,

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 Example 1

•Substitute
  into material balance eqn:

Substitute into material balance eqn to find

Re-plot the graph and step off the number of trays between the operating line
and equilibrium line

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 Example 1

•Analytical
  solution
Kremser equation
=actual=88.89 kmol/l
=88.89 +1.98 = 90.687 kmol/l

The geometric average,

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 Example 1

𝑦𝑁+1−𝑚𝑥0 1 1 0.022−0.68(0) 1 1
•

𝑁=
[ ( )][
ln 1 − + ln 1− +
𝑦1−𝑚𝑥0 𝐴 𝐴 0.0 2244−0.68(0) 1.335 1.335
= =4.03𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑠
()]
ln ⁡𝐴 ln ⁡1.335
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 Self exercise

10.6-2
10.6-4
10.6-5

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 References

C. J. Geankoplis, Transport Processes and Separation Process

Principles, 4th Ed., Prentice Hall 2003. Sections 10.3,10.6

W. L. McCabe, J. C. Smith and P. Harriott: Unit Operations of

Chemical Engineering, 7th Ed., McGraw Hill, 2004.

Chapter 18

Seader and Henley, Separation Process Principles, 2nd Ed.,

Wiley, 2006.
Sections 6.3,6.4

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