ABSORPTION

ABSORPTION AND STRIPPING

Absorption (or scrubbing) is the removal of a
component (the solute or absorbate) from a gas stream
via uptake by a nonvolatile liquid (the solvent or
absorbent).
Desorption (or stripping) is the removal of a
component from a liquid stream via vaporization and
uptake by an insoluble gas stream.
Thus, absorption and stripping are opposite unit
operations, and are often used together as a cycle.
Both absorption and stripping can be operated as
equilibrium stage processes using trayed columns or,
more commonly, using packed columns.

Absorber/Stripper Cycle

Absorption Systems Physical

Examples:
CO2 and water
CO and water
H2S and water
NH3 and water
NO2 and water

Acetylene and acetic acid

NH3 and acetone
Ethane and carbon disulfide
N2 and methyl acetate
NO and ethanol

Physical absorption relies on the solubility of a particular gas in a liquid.

This solubility is often quite low; consequently, a relatively large amount of liquid solvent is
needed to obtain the required separation.

This liquid solvent containing the solute is typically regenerated by heating or stripping to
drive the solute back out.

Because of the low solubility and large solvent amounts required in physical absorption,
chemical absorption is also used

Absorption Systems Chemical

Chemical absorption relies on reaction of a particular gas with a reagent in a liquid.

Examples:
CO2 / H2S and aqueous ethanolamines
CO2 / H2S and aqueous hydroxides
CO and aqueous Cu ammonium salt
SO2 and aqueous dimethyl aniline
HCN and aqueous NaOH
HCl / HF and aqueos NaOH

This absorption can often be quite high; consequently, a smaller amount of liquid
solvent/reagent is needed to obtain the required separation.

However, the reagent may be relatively expensive, and it is often desirable to

regenerate when possible.

Absorption and Stripping the Problem

The principal difference in handling adsorption and stripping, compared to
distillation, how the equilibria (equilibrium curve) and mass balances
(operating lines) are represented.
In absorption, consider removal of the solute from the gas stream and
uptake by the solvent liquid stream; thus, the total liquid and gas stream
amounts or flow rates can change.
If we use mole fractions of the solute and assume that the gas and liquid
stream amounts or flow rates remain constant, significant error can result
if the solute concentration in the inlet gas stream is greater than about
1%.
If we can set up our equilibrium curve and operating line to account for
this change in the overall gas and liquid flow rates, we can use the
McCabe-Thiele method to solve absorption and stripping problems.

Absorption and Stripping Assumptions

We assume that:

The carrier gas is insoluble (or it has a very low solubility), e.g, N2 or Ar
in water.
The solvent is nonvolatile (or it has a low vapor pressure), e.g., water
in air at low temperatures.
The system is isothermal. e.g., the effects of heat of solution or
reaction are low or there is a cooling or heating system in the column.
The system is isobaric.
While the total gas and liquid streams can change in absorption, the
flow rate of the carrier gas, which we assume to be insoluble in the
solvent, does not change.

define the equilibrium curve and operating line in terms of mole

ratios with respect to the carrier gas and solvent, instead of
mole fractions
Similarly, the flow rate of the solvent, which we assume to be
nonvolatile, does not change.

The concentration of the solute is low, say <10% this is the limit for
the use of Henrys Law.

MATERIAL BALANCE IN AN
ABSORPTION TRAY TOWER
V1, y1

L o , x0

1
2

Vn+1, yn+1
n+1

L n , xn
N1

VN+1, yN+1

L N , xN

DESIGN OF PLATE ABSORPTION TOWERS

OPERATING-LINE DERIVATION
L(xo)
V (yn+1)
L(xn)
V (y1)
(1 xo ) + (1 yn+1) = (1 xn ) + (1 y1)

yn+1= xn (L/V) + y1 xo(L/V)

Where: x is the mole fraction A in the liquid
y is mole fraction of A in the gas
L is the total moles liquid
V the total moles gas

DESIGN OF PLATE ABSORPTION TOWERS

Graphical determination of the number of
trays
If x an y are very dilute, the denominators 1 x
and 1 y will be close to 1.0 and the OL will be
approximately straight with a slope L/V
The number of theoretical trays is determined by
stepping off the number of trays.

McCabe-Thiele Plot Absorber

EXAMPLE 1
A tray tower is to be designed to absorb SO2 from
an air stream by using pure water at 293K. The
entering gas contains 25%mol SO2 and that the
leaving 3 mol% at a total pressure of 101.3kPa.
The inert air flow rate is 100 Kg air/h-m,2 and the
entering water flow rate is 4000 kg water/h-m.2
Assuming an overall tray efficiency of 30%, how
many theoretical trays and actual trays are
needed? Assume that the tower operates at
293K.
*Equilibrium data at A.3-19

0.3

0.25

0.2

0.15

0.1

0.05

0
0

0.002

0.004

0.006

0.008

0.01

DESIGN OF PACKED TOWERS FOR ABSORPTION

V2, y2

L2, x2

dz

V, y

V1, y1

L, x

L1, x1

DESIGN OF PACKED TOWERS FOR ABSORPTION

OPERATING-LINE DERIVATION
L(x)
V (y1)
L(x1)
V (y)
+
=
+
(1 x )
(1 y1)
(1 x1 )
(1 y)
Where: x1 is the mole fraction A in the liquid
y1 is mole fraction of A in the gas
L is Kgmol inert liquid/s or kgmol inert liquid/s-m2
V is Kgmol inert liquid/s or kgmol inert liquid/s-m 2

LOCATION OF OPERATING LINES

Mole fraction,y

Absorption of A from V to L stream

y1

Tower bottom

Stripping of A from V to L stream

Equilibrium line
Operating line
Top

y2
Operating line

Equilibrium line

y2

Top

x2

x1

Mole fraction, x

y1

Tower bottom

x1

x2

Mole fraction, x

DESIGN OF PACKED TOWERS FOR ABSORPTION

OPERATING LINE DERIVATION
The equation of the line can also be written in
terms of partial pressure p1 of A. Where
y1/(1 y1) = p1/(P p1)
If x and y are very dilute, (1 x) and (1 y) can be
taken as 1.0 and the equation of OL becomes
Lx + Vy1 Lx1 + Vy

Mole fraction,y

LIMITING AND OPTIMUM L/V RATIOS

ABSORPTION
y1

Operating line for actual

liquid flow

Equilibrium line

y2

x2

x1

Operating line for minimum

liquid flow

Mole fraction, x

x1 max

LIMITING AND OPTIMUM L/V RATIOS

STRIPPING
Operating line
For actual gas
flow

Equilibrium line

y2
Operating line for minimum
gas flows

y1
x1

x2

Minimum Absorbent Rate Lmin

Lecture 21

ANALYTICAL EQUATIONS FOR THEORETICAL

NUMBER OF STEPS OR TRAYS

ln
N=

ABSORPTION

ln A

ln
N=

y1 mx2
(1 1/A) + 1/A
y2 mx2

x2 y1/m
x1 y1/m
ln (1/A)

Where : A = L/mV

(1 A) + 1/A
STRIPPING

ANALYTICAL EQUATIONS FOR THEORETICAL

NUMBER OF STEPS OR TRAYS
For absorption, at the bottom concentrated
end tray, the slope m1 or tangent at the point
x1 on the equilibrium line is used. Then
A1 = L1/m1V1
At the dilute top tray, the slope m2 of the
equilibrium line at point y2 is used. Then
A2 = L2/m2V2
A = (A1A2)1/2

ANALYTICAL EQUATIONS FOR THEORETICAL

NUMBER OF STEPS OR TRAYS
For stripping, at the top concentrated stage,
the slope m2 or tangent at point y2 on the
equilibrium line is used. Then A2 = L2/m2V2
At the bottom or dilute end, the slope m1 at
point x1 on the equilibrium line is used. Then
A1 = L1/m1V1
A = (A1A2) 1/2

Analytical Minimum Absorbent Flowrate

V(y
N+1 y1)
L =
xN x0

absorbent flowrate

KN = yN+1 /(1 + yN+1)

xN /(1 + xN)
V(yN+1 y1)
Lmin = yN+1 x0

KN

Minimum absorbent rate

Minimum absorbent flowrate for

Dilute solutions

Lmin = V KN (fraction of solute absorbed)

Minimum absorbent flow rate if xo = 0

Example 2
It is desired to absorb 90% of the acetone in a
gas containing 1 mol% acetone in air in a tray
tower. The total inlet gas flow to the tower is
30.0 kmol/h. The process is operating
isothermally at 300K and a total pressure of
101.3 kPa. The gas-liquid equilibrium relation
for this dilute stream is y = mx = 2.53x. Using
1.5 times the minimum liquid flowrate,
determine the number of trays needed a)
graphically b) analytically.