Absorption / Stripping

Typical Absorber
Solvent (water)
1943 kgmol / hr

Effluent Air
70 ppm (molar) acetone

Packed Tower

Water Out

Feed (air + acetone)

703 kgmol / hr
1.4 mol % acetone

Mass Balance
Lo, Lm, xo, Xo

G1, Gm, y1, Y1

Tray 1

Tray N
LN, Lm, xN, XN

GN+1, Gm, yN+1, YN+1

The Theoretical Stage

LN-1, Lm, xN-1, XN-1

Leaving streams
in thermodynamic
equilibrium

GN, Gm, yN, YN

Stage N

Passing streams
linked by material
balance

LN, Lm, xN, XN

GN+1, Gm, yN+1, YN+1

Absorber Operating Line

Solvent 200

80/4

4 CO2
200/4

Molar Flows

80/8

4 CO2
200/8

Tray 3

80/16

4 CO2
Solvent / CO2 200/16

Tray 2

80/12

4 CO2
200/12

Tray 1

80/20

Tray 4
N2 / CO2

Graphical Technique

Figure 6.8 Continuous steady-state

operation in a counter-current
contactor with equilibrium stages (aabsorber, bstripper) .

Graphical Technique

Figure 6.9 Operating lines for an

absorber

Graphical Technique

Kremser Method for Theoretical Trays

(Absorber)
y N 1 m xo 1 1
log
1
y1 mxo A A

N
log A

Lo, xo

G1,y1
Tray 1
Tray N

LN, xN

GN+1, yN+1

L
where : A
mG

Kremser Method for Theoretical Trays

(Stripper)

y N 1
xo m 1 1
1
log
xN y N 1 S S

m
N
log S
Lo, xo

G1,y1

Tray 1
Tray N
LN, xN

GN+1, yN+1

mG
where : S
L

Kremser Chart

Example
Carbon Disulfide, CS2, used as a solvent in a chemical plant, is evaporated from the product in
a drier into an inert gas (essentially N2) in order to avoid an explosion hazard. The vapor-N2 mixture
is to be scrubbed with an absorbent oil, which will be subsequently steam stripped to recover the CS2.
The CS2-N2 mixture has a partial pressure of CS2 equal to 50 mm Hg at 24 C and is to be blown into
the absorber at essentially standard atmospheric pressure at the rate of 50,000 ft3 / hr. The vapor
content of the gas is to be reduced to 0.5 %. The absorption oil has a molecular weight of 180.
The oil enters the absorber free of CS2. The oil CS2 solution follows Raoults Law. The vapor pressure
of CS2 at 24 C is 346 mm Hg.

Determine:

The minimum liquid / gas ratio

For a liquid / gas ratio of 1.5 times the minimum, determine
the flow rate of oil in lb / hr
The required theoretical stages graphically and from
the Kremser method.

Packed Tower Design

Random Packing

Structured Packing

Fair, J.R., Seibert, A.F., Behrens, M., Saraber, P.P., and Olujic, Z. Structured Packing
Performance-Experimental Evaluation of Two Predictive Models ,Ind. Eng. Chem.
Res. 39 (6), 1788-1796 (2000).

Structured Packing

Area = S

Mass Balance

V dy K y a y y
dZ

Change in gas
composition

Flux out of gas

Design Equations
L' L (1 x) and V ' V (1 y )
y
dy
dy
V '
d (V y ) V ' d

V
(1 y ) 2
(1 y )
1 y
y1
V
dy
Z '
y 2 K aS (1 y )( y y * )
y

(1 y ) LM

(1 y ) (1 y * )

ln (1 y )
*
(1 y )

HTUOG
Z

y1

y2

K ' a (1 y ) S
LM
y

Mass

NA

NTUOG
(1 y ) LM dy
(1 y )( y y * )

cD AB ( y A1 y A 2 )
z 2 z1 (1 y A ) LM

Unidirectional diffusion
Eqn. 3-35

HTUOG Calculation
1
1 m

K y k y kx
Two resistance theory - need individual coefficients and
area from mass transfer model:

Onda, K., Takeuchi, H., Okumato, Y., Mass Transfer Coefficients Between Gas
and Liquid Phases in Packed Columns, Journal of Chemical Engineering of Japan,
1, 56 (1968).

Onda Equations
1
k y
aP DAB

5.23

aP G

1/ 3

k x L
g L

0.70

0.0051
aw L

aw aP 1 exp

ScG 1/ 3 aP d P 2

2/3

ScL 1/ 2 aP d P 0.40

0.05
0.1
0.2
0.75

2
2

L
L
a
L

1.45 c

aP L L g L aP

c= 61 dyne /cm for ceramic packing

c= 75 dyne /cm for steel packing
c= 33 dyne /cm for plastic packing
Units on ky and kx are length per time

Effective Area (aw)

Structured Packing Wetted Area

NTUOG Calculation
(Absorber Example)

Lin = 488 lbmol/hr

Vout = 62 lbmol/hr
3.2 mol % NH3

35
95 % NH3 removal

NTUOG

30

(1 y ) LM dy
3.44
0.032 (1 y )( y y * )

Area

25
20

0.40

15

10
Vin = 100 lbmol/hr
40 mol % NH3

0.0

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

NTUOG Calculation
(log mean approximation)
NTU OG

yin yout

*
yin yin* yout yout

y
in
in

ln
*

yout yout

Assumes dilute solution and plug flow of each phase

Packed Column HETP Behavior

Mass Transfer Results
24.0 psia - C6/C7
25

RSR-#0.5
1" SS Pall Rings
IMTP-40
20

HETP ( in )

IMTP-40

15
1" SS Pall Rings
RSR-#0.5

10

0
0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.2

f-Factor ( ft/s(lb/ft^3)^0.5 )

1.4

1.6

1.8

Packed Absorber Example

Solvent (water)
2.2 kmol / sec
xo = 0

Effluent Air (y1 = 0.004)

Data:
yi = 40 xi

kx = 0.0176 kmol /m2 sec

ky = 0.0080 kmol / m2 sec
aw = 100 m2 / m3

Water + SO2 Out

Packed Tower
CSA = 1.5 m2

Find: NOG, HOG, Z

Feed (air + SO2)

0.062 kmol / sec
(yN+1 = 0.016)

10 Minute Problem
A packed absorption tower yields a concentration based. NTUOG of 10.
Determine the tower height given the following information (The concentrations
of the transferred component are dilute in both the liquid and gas).
Data:

Tower diameter = 5 ft.

Gas density = 0.20 lb/ ft3
Gas superficial velocity = 3 ft / sec
Kog = 0.01 m /sec
m = 2.0
P = 1 atm, T = 80 F
ae = 200 m2 /m3

Packed Tower Hydraulics

(random packing)

1) Leva plot technique

2) Stichlmair model

Pressure Drop Behavior

Pressure Drop Results
24.0 psia - C6/C7

10
RSR-#0.5
1" SS Pall Rings
IMTP-40

1" SS Pall Rings

DP/Z ( in H2O/ft )

RSR-#0.5

0.1

IMTP-40

0.01
0.1

f-Factor ( ft/s(lb/ft^3)^0.5 )

10

Pressure Drop (Leva) Plot

Figure 6.35 (a) Generalized pressure drop correlation for packed columns.
(b) Correction for liquid density. (c) Correction for liquid viscosity.

Packing Factors

Stichlmair Model

DPirr

DPDry

h
1 1

(1 )

4.65
h
1

2C
3

DPIrr

h ho 1 20

g
L

Stichlmair, J., Bravo, J.L., Fair, J.R., General Model for

Prediction of Pressure Drop and Capacity of Countercurrent Gas/Liquid
Packed Columns, Gas Separations and Purification, 3:19-28 (1989)

Stichlmair Model
C1
ho 0.555 Fr

fo

1/ 3
L

C1
C
21 C3
Re g Re 2
g

DPDry

2
L
4.65

V a
FrL
g

Re g

3 1 Z 2
f o 4.65 g Vg
4 dP

d pVg g

Re g

C2

2 Re g 2
fo

dp

61
a

Stichlmair Model (flood point)

DPIrr

DPDry

Infinite pressure drop at the flood point

2c
40
ho
DPIrr
186 ho
3

0
2
2

Z L g flood
DPIrr
DPIrr
1 ho 1 20
ho 1 20

g
Z

L flood
L flood
2

Stichlmair Constants

Example
A tower packed with 1 in. Ceramic Intalox saddles is to be built to
treat 25,000 ft3/ hr of entering gas. The ammonia content of the
entering gas is 2 percent by volume. Ammonia-free water is used as
the absorbent. The temperature is 68 F and the pressure is 1 atm.
The ratio of the gas flow to the liquid flow is 1 lb of gas per lb of liquid.
The tower diameter is 1.67 ft.
Using both the Leva plot and the Stichlmair correlation determine the
total tower pressure drop if the tower packed height is 20 feet.

10 Minute Problem
An air-water test is being run on a 10 foot bed of 1
inch (25 mm) metal Pall rings. The air rate is 350 ft3 /
min and the liquid rate is 15 GPM / ft2. The tower is
16.8 inches in diameter, the operating pressure is 1
atm and the temperature is 80 F. What is the total
column pressure drop?

Carbon Capture and Sequestration

Power

Boiler / Generator

Coal

N2

H2O

CO2 + N2 + H2O

Air (O2 + N2)

CO2 Recovery

CO2

Trace
Components

Underground Formation

Absorption with Chemical Reaction

Flue Gas Out

4065 C

CO2

Absorber

Heat X

Stripper

Flue Gas In
5 % O2
12 % CO2
83 % N2

100120 C

Reboiler
Rich Amine

Lean Amine

Commercial Process Configuration

Mass Transfer with Fast Reaction

CO2 + 2MEA = MEACOO- + MEAH+

Mass Transfer with Fast Chemical Reaction

(CO2 + MEA)

N CO2

DCO2 kRxn[CMEA ]interface

*
( PCO2,interface PCO
2 , bulk )
H CO2

MEA (monoethanolamine)