ABSORPTION

COLUMNS
Presented by
ANSHIKA JAIN-70700007
GEETINDER PUNIA-707000017
ASHIMA KANGO-70700011
BHUMIKA NATH-70700013
ABSORPTION
COLUMN IN
INDUSTRY
 CONTENTS
 INTRODUCTION
 GENERAL CONSTRUCTION
 PACKING MATERIALS
 DESIGN
 WORKING
 APPLICATIONS
 ABSORPTION
 The removal of one or more selected components from
a mixture of gases is called absorption.
 In any mixture of gases, the degree to which each gas
is absorbed is determined by its partial pressure.
Example a slightly soluble gas like oxygen requires a
much higher partial pressure of the gas in contact with
the liquid to give a solution of a given concentration.
 Also solubility of a gas is inversely proportional to the
temperature of the gas. Temperature should be
sufficiently low for adequate degree of absorption.
 GAS-LIQUID ABSORPTION
• An example of the liquid Gas out

gas system is an Distribu Liquid

absorption process tor hold in
down
where a soluble gas is plate
scrubbed from a
mixture of gases by Packed bed

means of a liquid.

Gas Packing
in support

Liquid out
ABSORPTION
COLUMNS
An
An overview
overview

Absorption columns or towers

are commonly used for gas
absorption. A soluble vapor is
absorbed from its mixture
with an inert gas by means of
a liquid in which the solute gas
is more or less soluble.
 Basic Design
 Cylindrical column with a gas inlet and distributing space at
the bottom.
 A liquid inlet and distributor at the top.
 Gas and liquid outlets at the top and bottom respectively.
 Column packing to ensure intimate contact between the liquid
and the gas.
 Packing support to give strength .
 GENERAL CONSTRUCTION
• The shell of the column may be constructed
from metals,ceramics,glass or plastics materials,
or from metals with a corrosion-resistant lining.
• The column should be mounted truly vertically
to help uniform liquid distribution.
• The bed of packing rests on a support plate
which should be designed to have at least 75%
free area for the passage of the gas so as to offer
as low a resistance as possible.
• The simplest support is a grid with relatively
widely spaced bars on which a few layers of
large raschig or partition rings are stacked.
 The gas injection plate
• The gas injection plate is
designed to provide
separate passageways for
gas and liquid so that they
need not compete for
passage through the same
opening. this is achieved
by providing the gas inlets
to the bed at a point
above the level at which
liquid leaves the bed.
The gas injection plate
GAS IS
DISTRUBUTED
DIRECTLY INTO
PACKED BED

GAS INJECTION
PLATE

LIQUID GAS

THE GAS INJECTION PLATE

THE GAS INJECTION PLATE

 Distributor
• At the top of a packed bed a liquid distributor
of suitable design provides for the uniform
irrigation of the packing which is necessary for
satisfactory operation.
 ORIFICE TYPE
SIMPLE

NOTCHED
TYPE

DISTRIBUTORS

NOTCHED
TROUGH
ED RING
PERFORAT
 Simple orifice type
• A simple orifice type
which gives fine
distribution through it
must be correctly sized
for a particular duty
and should not be used
where there is any risk
of the holes plugging.

Simple orifice type

 Perforated ring type
• The perforated ring type of
distributor for use with
absorption columns where
high gas rates and relatively
small liquid rates are
encountered. this type is
specially designed where
pressure losses is minimun.For
the larger size of tower, where
installation through manholes
is necessary,it may be made up
in flanged sections.
 Notched chimney type
• The notched chimney
type of
distributor,which has a
good range of flexibility
for the medium and
upper flowrates,and is
not prone to blockage.

Notched chimney type

 Notched trough distributor
The notched trough distributor which is
specially suitable for large sizes of tower, and,
because of its large free area, it is also suitable
for the higher gas rates.
 Requirements of packing
 Provide a large surface area-for better contact
 Have an open structure- for low resistance to
gas flow
 Promote uniform liquid distribution on the
packing material
 Promote uniform vapor gas flow across the
column cross section
 TYPES OF
PACKING

STRUCTURED

STACKED DUMPED
 RANDOM PACKING

STACKED DUMPED

Those which Those which

are stacked by are dumped
hand at random
into the tower
 RANDOM PACKING
 Random packing –
rings, saddles and
proprietary shapes,
which are dumped into
the column
Metal saddles Berl saddles Ceramic saddles

 are durable  perform better as  Resistance to heat

compared to Raschig
rings in the aspects Resistance to abrasion
of
even fluid High mechanical strength
distribution and low
resistance
Plastic saddles Pall rings

 used in acidic as Ceramic honeycombs

 are improved
well as alkaline Raschig rings  low thermal expansion
media  high heat shock
 Provide higher
capacity

 Provide lower
resistance
pressure drop
 anti oxidation
 large specific area
 corrosion resistance
Plastic pall rings Raschig rings Ceramic ball

 Reduce pressure  Adequate

drop mechanical strength
 good thermal and
 Maintain economy chemical stability
and efficiency  larger surface area
 low resistance
Structured Packing

•Made up from wire mesh or

perforated metal sheets
•Material is folded and
arranged with a regular
geometry
•Have a high surface area
•Have high void fraction
ADVANTAGES OVER
RANDOM PACKING

 lower pressure drop

 used for difficult

separations

 higher efficiency
 WORKING PRINCIPLE
 Air pass through openings
on trays from the lower part
of the tray at the certain
velocity and enter up comer,
liquid also enter up comer
through space between trays
and up comer to become
membrane. Gas and liquid
co-current ascend, at the
same time they contact on
the surface of liquid
membrane.
 Then they enter packing
and liquid is cracked on
the surface of packing to
contact air furthermore.
Vapor which comes from
packing enter upper
packing, but liquid enter
lower tray to continue
contacting and
separating.
Working
 The inlet liquid, which maybe a pure solvent
or a dilute solution of solute in the solvent and
which is called the weak liquor, is distributed
over the packings uniformly by the
distributors.
 The solute containing gas, or rich gas enters
the distributing space below the packing and
flows upwards through the spaces in the
packing in the counter current to the flow of
the liquid.
CONTD………

 The packing provides a large area of contact

between the liquid and gas.
 The solute in the rich gas is absorbed by the
fresh liquid entering the tower, and dilute or
lean, gas leaves the top.
 The liquid is enriched in solute as it flows down
the tower, and concentrated liquid, called the
strong liquor, leaves the bottom of the tower
through the liquid outlet.
 SIMPLE FLOW CHART OF WORKING OF
ABSORPTION COLUMN

●
LIQUID GETS
●
LIQUID SOLVENT DISTRIBUTD
LIQUID ENTERS FROM BOTH START
THROUGH IMPURITY
●
INTERACTION
DESCENSDES TOP DISTRIBUTION BETWEEN LIQ
TRICKLING GETS
AND GAS
●
GAS MIXTURE IN PLATE ON TOP ABSORBED AND GAS IN
ASCENDS IN
THE COLUMN PACKED BED IN LIQUID
ENTERS FROM ●
GAS IS INJECTED COLUMN
BOTTOM THROUGH GAS
INJECTION PLATE
 VARIOUS FACTORS
AFFECTING DESIGN
& WORKING OF
ABSORPTION COLUMNS
 MATERIAL BALANCE
• One of the very
important factors
governing design of
absorption column
design and working is
the gas-liquid ratio.
 The L/G ratio is important in the economics
of absorption in a counter current column

Increasing the ratio increases the driving force

but it gives a diluted product thus increasing
the cost of stripping or recovery of solvent
 SOME BASIC TERMS
 LIQUID HOLD-UP:-
When a liquid flows through a
bed, a part of the open space is
occupied by the liquid,this is
called liquid hold-up.
 LOADING POINT:-
When the gas rate is increased at a
constant velocity up to a certain
point liquid hold up increase up to
point called loading point.
 FLOODING POINT:-If
the gas flow rate is further
increased ,the liquid
accumulation rate
increases very sharply.
Liquid accumulates more
in the upper region of the
bed almost preventing the
flow of gas. this
phenomenon is called
flooding
 Effect of Pressure
 Absorption columns are often operated under
pressure to give increased capacity and higher
rates of mass transfer.

 Gas flow is turbulent, and up to a certain point

it varies with volumetric flow rate as u G1.8
 4 2
3
y y
Pressure
drop

x
x 1

Gas velocity
• Curve one represents the dry gas flow
rate
• Curve two represents the wet gas flow
rate
• Curve three represents low liquid rate
• Curve four represents high liquid rate
• But as the liquid hold up starts
increasing,up to a certain point X called
the loading point pressure drop rises more
steeply as uG2.5 up to a certain point Y
called flooding point after which the
curve rises vertically. Absorption columns
generally operate in range X to Y.
 EFFECT OF TEMPRATURE
• Generally absorbers deal with dilute gas
mixtures and liquids, and in those cases it’s
frequently satisfactory to assume operation
isothermal.
• But actually absorption operations are usually
exothermic, and when large quantities of
solute gas are absorbed to form concentrated
solutions, the temperature effects can’t be
ignored
 Contd……

• If by absorption the temperature of the liquid is

raised to a considerable effect, the equilibrium
solubility of the solute will be appreciably reduced
and the capacity of the absorber decreased or else
much large flow rate of liquid is required.
• If the heat evolved is excessive, cooling coils can
be installed in the absorber or the liquid can be
removed at intervals, cooled and returned to the
absorber.
 ABSORPTION WITH CHEMICAL
REACTION
• Reaction of the absorbed solute and a reagent
leads to destruction of absorbed solute as it
forms a compound reducing the equilibrium
partial pressure of the solute, consequently
increasing the concentration difference
between the bulk gas and the interface; and the
absorption rate is also increased.
 CHOICE OF SOLVENT FOR
ABSORPTION
CONSIDERATIONS:-
a)PURPOSE OF ABSORPTION:-
If the principal purpose of absorption is to
produce a specific solution then the nature of
solvent is determined by the nature of product
or if the principal purpose is to remove some
constituent from the gas, many choices are
possible
b)GAS SOLUBILITY:-
The gas solubility should be high, thus
increasing the rate of absorption and
decreasing the quantity of solvent required.
Generally solvents of chemical nature similar
to that of solute to be absorbed will provide
good stability.
c) VOLATILITY:-
The solvent should have low vapor pressure since
the gas leaving an absorption operation is
ordinarily saturated with the solvent and much
may thereby be lost.
d) VISCOSITY:-
Low viscosity is preferred for reasons of rapid
absorption rates, improved flooding
characteristics in absorption towers.
e) MISCELLANEOUS:-
The solvent if possible should be non-toxic, non-
flammable, chemically stable, non- corrosive and
economical.
 APPLICATIONS
• The absorption process is most commonly
applied to post-combustion capture.
• In post-combustion systems, the flue gas needs
to be cooled and impurities removed so that
the solvent can efficiently be reused.
• The flue gases containing CO2 and N2 are then
fed into the absorber tower. The flue gas comes
into the bottom of the tower while the solvent
is fed into the top of the tower. The flue gas
flows up through the packing in the tower,
making contact with the solvent as it falls
down. The CO2 is absorbed by the solvent as
the flue gas rises so that the gas that comes out
of the top of the tower contains very little CO2.
• The solvent, with dissolved CO2, is then
removed from the chamber. The N2 is released
as it is not absorbed in the solvent. The
recovery of CO2 from the solvent is called
desorption. The usual parameter for recovery
of CO2 from the solvent is temperature
change. Other parameters include pressure
changes and the use of membranes with
solvents.
• For recovery, where absorption is most
important criteria; packed bed provides
maximum surface area.
• In immobilized bio reactor catalyst is being
immobilized by packed bed, substrate is
converted into product when substrate is in
contact with surface area, after sometime we
get steady state, constant product is formed
continuously.
 REFRENCES
• Coulson & Richardson’s CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING
VOLUME 6 by R K Sinnott
Article 11.14
• UNIT OPERATIONS OF CHEMICAL
ENGINEERING by Warren L.McCabe,Julian
C.Smith,Peter Harriott
Chapter 18 Gas Absorption
CONTD…….

• www.google.co.in
• www.chereresources.com
• www.yahoo.com
• http://www.itoms.com/packed_beds_flow_m
easurement_bubble_columns
• www.co2crc.co.au
• MASS-TRANSFER OPERATIONS by Robert
E.treybal chapter 8
Contd……..

• Coulson & Richardson’s CHEMICAL

ENGINEERING VOLUME 2
by J F Richardson & J R Backhurst
chapter 4 and chapter 12
THANK-YOU