ABSTRACT/SUMMARY

This experiment was conducted to determine the pressure drop across a packed
column as a function of air and water flow rates through the column and to
examine the relationship between the experimental pressure drop values and
correlated values for a packed column. The pressure drop which is water flow
rate from 0-3 LPM is observe from manometer and tested with increasing air flow
rate.To determine the flooding point , pressure drop chart and graph of log
pressure drop against log gas flow rate is plotted. In conclusion, when the air
flow rate increases at constant water flow rate from 0LPM to 3LPM, the pressure
drop across the packed column also increases due to the resistance to water
flows down the column as a result of increasing air flow rate. However, there are
some errors made when conducting the experiment affecting the experimental
pressure drop.

INTRODUCTION
Gas absorption is the unit operation in which one or more soluble components of
a gas mixture are dissolved in a liquid. The gas phase or gas mixture is inert gas
while the liquid phase is immiscible in the gas phase. Therefore, the liquid phase
will vaporize very slightly in gas phase. The process involves mass transfer of the
component of the gas from the gas phase to the liquid phase. The process
involves the transfer of solute from gas to liquid phase. Where the mass transfer
occur in the opposite direction known as desorption or stripping. Gas absorption
operation is widely used in controlling industrial air pollution, and to separate
acidic impurities from mixed gas streams. Packed towers are the most common
mass transfer devices used for both air pollution control and recovery of process
gases. Generally, a packed tower is made up of a piece of pipe set on its end and
is filled with inert materials or packing.

AIM
To examine the air pressure drop across the column as a function of air flow rate
for different water flow rates through the column.

THEORY
The packed tower usually operates in counter- current flow, whereby the liquid
enters the system via the top, flows down across the packings and wets the
surface of the packings, and the gas stream mixed with discharge will enter from
the bottom. When the liquid and gas are in contact with one another, effluent will
be transferred from the gas to the liquid.
Packing materials play a crucial role in the absorption process. These packing
materials provide a large surface area of contact between the liquid flows down
the column and gas containing solute that enters the column from the bottom.
Two types of commonly used packing materials will be structure packing
materials and random packing materials. In this experiment random packing is
being used because it is cheap, easily available and the material is made of
plastic.

Pressure drop is the result of fluid friction between liquid flow and the packings.
The graph above shows the relationship between pressure drop and gas flow rate
and for dry column, a straight line is plotted and wet column three curvy lines
are plotted. The three curves are parallel to the straight line. The point where
liquid holdup starts to increase is the point where the slope starts to change. This
point is known as the loading point. When the gas flow rate is further increased,
pressure drop rises tremendously until the lines plotted are almost vertical and at
this point, liquid is of continuous phase. This point is known as the flooding point
and happens when liquid accumulates due to high gas flow rate and this
accumulation continues until the packed column is completely filled with liquid.
The formulae used for the calculations of theoretical flooding point and to plot
the graphs of capacity parameter against flow rate parameter are:

APPARATUS

This is small version of gas absorption unit unlike at pilot plant.

PROCEDURE
1. General start-up procedures are performed.

2. The receiving vessel B2 through the change port with 50L of water by
opening valve V3 and V5 are filled.
3. Valve V3 is closed.
4. Valve 10 and valve V9 slightly are opened. The flow of water from vessel
B1 through pump P1 is observe.
5. Pump P1 is switched on, then valve V11 is slowly opened and adjusted to
give a water flow rate of around 1L/min. The water is allowed to enter the
top of column K1, flow down the column and accumulated at the bottom
until it overflows back into vessel B1.
6. Valve V11 is opened and adjusted to give the water flow rate 1 L/min into
column K1.
7. Valve V1 is opened and adjusted to give an air flow rate of 20 L/min into
column K1.
8. The liquid and the gas flow in the column K1 is observed, and the pressure
drop across the column at dPT-201 is recorded.
9. Steps 7-8 is repeated with different value of air flow rate, each time
increasing by 20L/min while maintaining the same water flow rate.
10.Steps 6-9 is repeated with different values of water flow rate, each time
increasing by 1 L/min by adjusting valve V11.

RESULT
Flow
rate(L/
min)
Wate
air
r
1.0
2.0
3.0

Pressure drop(mm H2O)

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

0
0
1

1
2
3

2
4
6

4
7
12

7
14
45

9
31
-

20
47
-

41
-

Log pressure drop

1.6
1.76
1.9
2
2.07
2.15
2.2

Log air flow rate

1LPM 2LPM 3LPM
0
0.3
0.48
0.3
0.6
0.78
0.6
0.8
1.08
0.8
0.95
1.65
0.95
1.3
1.3
1.61
1.61
-

graph log pressure drop against log air flow rate

log pressure drop

1.8
1.6
1.4
1.2
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0

Sample Calculations:

Density of air, air = 1.175 kg/m3

Density of water, water = 996 kg/m3
Column diameter, Dc = 80 mm

Area of packed diameter,

A c=

2
D = ( 0.08 m )2=5.027 103 m 2
4
4

Packing Factor: Fp = 900 m-1

Water viscosity, water = 0.001 Ns/m2

1 L/min
2 L/min
3 L/min

Theoretical Flooding Point

20 L
min

1 m3
1000 L

1 min
60 s

= 20 L/min =

= 0.0003

To calculate gas flow rate, GG (kg/m2s)

0.0003 m 1.175 kg

3
Gy
s
m
kg
G G=
=
=0.0779 2
3 2
Ac
5.027 10 m
m .s

To calculate capacity parameter, K4,

13.1 ( GG )2 F p
K4=

L
L

0.1

( )

G ( L G )

13.1
=

2
0.0779 kg 2 (
1 0.001 N . s/m
)
900
m
m2 s
996 kg /m3

( 1.175 kg /m3 ) ( 996 kg/m31.175 kg / m3 )

To calculate liquid flow rate, GL (kg/m2)

1 L 1 min
1m3
996 kg

G min 60 s 1000l
m3
kg
GL =
=
=3.302 2
3 2
Ac
5.027 10 m
m .s

To calculate flow parameter, FLV

G
FLV = L
GG

( )

G
=
L

kg
m2 . s
kg
0.0779 2
m .s
3.302

1.175 kg /m3
=1.46
996 kg / m3

0.1

=0.0154

Air
flow(L/min)
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160

K4

FLV
1LPM
2LPM
0.0154
1.4557
2.9115
0.0615
0.7279
1.4557
0.1385
0.4852
0.9705
0.2462
0.3639
0.7279
0.3846
0.2911
0.5823
0.5539
0.2426
0.4852
0.7539
0.2080
0.4159
0.9847
0.1820
0.3639
Table of theoretical flooding point

3LPM
4.3672
2.1836
1.4557
1.0918
0.8734
0.7279
0.6239
0.5459

K
4

Pressure Drop Correlation Chart (1LPM)

1.2
1
0.8
1LPM
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.2

1.4

1.6

K
4

FLV

Pressure Drop Correlation Chart (2LPM)

1.2
1
0.8
2LPM
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0

0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

Pressure Drop Correlation Chart (3LPM)

1.2
1

K
4

0.8
3LPM
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0

0.5

1.5

2.5

3.5

4.5

FLV

DISCUSSION
In this experiment, we only do the wet column. For wet column, the water flow
rate is constant at 3 reading which is 1LPM, 2LPM and 3LPM. Thus the air flow
rate is stated with 20LPM and increasing by 20 until 160LPM. As the air flow rate
is increase, the pressure drop also increase. This is due to the air resistance for
the water to flow down the column which is follow the gravitational force and air
is counter current with the water and produce resistance. The air resistance will
produce a pressure drop.
The graph 1 is plotted based on the result we obtain from experiment. The line of
graph should be straight line but there is some minor error that we made during
the experiment line leakage of water, so the graph that we obtain not very
smooth. As the graph is plotted, the result is still acceptable because the
gradient of the graph increased as the water flow rate increase and the is no
intercept among these 3 gradient.
When the water flow rate is low with a moderately low air flow rate, there will no
water as we see. Some of the water will be trapped in the packings due to
pressure drop which is the air flow rate is increase. The water that trap at the

bottom will rise at a certain point and cause a flood. This is called flooding point.
The flooding point is the highest point for each line in the graph of pressure drop
against gas flow rate. When flooding occurs, the process can no longer be run
because the water can interrupt the process of an equipment. This experiment
was conducted below than 160LPM for air flow rate for 1LPM water flow rate,
140LPM air flow rate for 2LPM water flow rate and 100LPM air flow rate for 3LPM
water flow rate.

CONCLUSION
For the conclusion, the result obtained is acceptable. Pressure drop is increasing
due to air resistance in the column as the air flow rate increasing for 1-3LPM
water flow rate. The graph that plotted is inaccurate due to some mistake that
we make during the experiment. The aim to examine the air pressure drop across
the column as a function of air flow rate for different water flow rates through the
column is achieved.

REFERENCE
www.che.boun.edu.tr/Courses/che302/Chapter%203.pdf
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000925090600217X
http://ct-cr4.chem.uva.nl/strucexpts/
Lab Manual