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Mass Transfer Operations (ENV 425)
Problem Set 4
1 (10.4-1)
Example 10.4-1: The solute A is being absorbed from a gas mixture of A and B in wetted-wall tower
with the liquid flowing as a film downward along the wall. At a certain point in
the tower the bulk gas concentration yAG = 0.38 and the bulk liquid
concentration is xAL = 0.10. The tower is operating at 298 K and 1.013×105 Pa and
the equilibrium data are as follows:
The solute A diffuses through stagnant B in the gas phase and then through
nondiffusing liquid. Using correlations for dilute solutions in wetted-wall
towers:
k’y = ky= 1.465×10-3 kgmol A/s.m2.mol frac and
k’x = kx = 1.967×10-3 kgmol/s.m2. mol frac
2 An existing tower contains the equivalent of 3 theoretical trays and is being used to
absorb component A from air by pure water at 293 K and 1 atm. The entering gas
contains 20 mol % A and the inlet gas flow rate is 150 kmol /h·m2. The entering water
rate is 600 kg/h·m2. Calculate the outlet composition of the gas. The Equilibrium
relation is y=1.5x, where x &y are mole fractions
3 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 kmol/h and it contains 4
mol % alcohol. It is desired to recover 90% of the alcohol. The equilibrium relationship
is y = 0.68x for this dilute stream. Using 1.3 times the minimum liquid flow rate.
Determine the number of trays needed using the analytical solution for
countercurrent tray contact
4 (10.6-3)
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5 A straw oil used to absorb benzene from coke-oven gas is to be steam-stripped in a
sieve-plate column at atmospheric pressure to recover the dissolved benzene.
Equilibrium conditions at the
operating temperature are approximated by Henry's law such that, when the oil phase
contains 10 mol% C6H6, the C6H6 partial pressure above the oil is 5.07 kPa. The oil
may be considered non-volatile. The oil enters containing 8 mol% benzene, 75% of
which is to be recovered. The steam leaving contains 3 mol% C6H6.
(a) How many theoretical stages are required?
(b) How many moles of steam are required per 100 mol of oil-benzene mixture?
(c) If 85% of the benzene is to be recovered with the same oil and steam rates, how
many theoretical stages are required?
6 A solvent-recovery plant consists of a plate-column absorber and a plate-column
stripper. Ninety percent of the benzene (B) in the gas stream is recovered in the
absorption column. Concentration of benzene in the inlet gas is 0.06 mol B/mol B-free
gas. The oil entering the top of the absorber contains 0.01 mol B/mol pure oil. In the
leaving liquid, X = 0.19 mol B/mol pure oil. Operating temperature is 25 oC. Open,
superheated steam is used to strip benzene out of the benzene-rich oil at 110°C.
Concentration of benzene in the oil = 0.19 and 0.01 (mole ratios) at inlet and outlet,
respectively. Oil (pure)-to-steam (benzene-free) flow rate ratio = 2.0. Vapors are
condensed, separated, and removed. MW oil = 200; MW benzene = 78; MW gas = 32.
Calculate:
(a) The molar flow rate ratio of B-free oil to B-free gas in the absorber
(b) The number of theoretical plates in the absorber
(c) The minimum steam flow rate required to remove the benzene from 1 mol of oil
under given terminal conditions, assuming an infinite-plates column.
7 Experimental data have been obtained for air containing 1.6% by volume SO 2 being
scrubbed with pure water in a packed column of 1.5 m2 in cross-sectional area and 3.5
m in packed height. Entering
gas and liquid flow rates are 0.062 and 2.2 kmol/s, respectively. If the outlet mole
fraction of SO2 in the gas is 0.004 and column temperature is near ambient with
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equilibrium relation of y= 40x. With the analytical solution for dilute mictures,
calculate from the data:
(a) The NoG for absorption of SO2
(b) The HOG
(c) The volumetric overall mass-transfer coefficient for SO2
8 (10.6-6)
