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Absorption
Unit operation and is mass transfer phenomena where the solute of a gas
are removed by being placed in contact with a nonvolatile liquid solvent that
removes the components from the gas.

Solvent:
Liquid applied to remove the solute from a gas stream.

Solute:
Components to be removed from an entering stream.
Purpose :
The purpose of such gas scrubbing operations may be any of the
following;

For Separation of component having the economic value.

As a stage in the preparation of some compound.
For removing of undesired component (pollution).

Types of absorption:
Physical absorption
Chemical Absorption
Physical Absorption:
In physical absorption mass transfer take place purely by diffusion and
Physical absorption occurs when the absorbed compound dissolves in the
solvent. These properties are temperature dependent, and lower temperatures
generally favor absorption of gases by the solvent.

Chemical Absorption:
Chemical absorption occurs when the absorbed compound and the
solvent react.
Types of absorber:
Packed column
Plate column
1. Packed column:
Packed towers are columns filled with packing materials that provide a
large surface area to facilitate contact between the liquid and gas. Packed tower
absorbers can achieve higher removal efficiencies.

2.Plate column:
Plate, or tray, towers are vertical cylinders in which the liquid and gas are
contacted in stepwise fashion on trays (plates). Liquid enters at the top of the
column and flows across each plate and through a downspout (down comer) to
the plates below. Gas moves upwards through openings in the plates, bubbles
into the liquid, and passes to the plate above.
 Plate column Packed column
Can handle wide range of liquid Flooding can occur due to
rates without flooding fluctuation in liquid rates

For large diameter column For small diameter column

Liquid hold up is high Liquid hold up is low

Pressure drop more Pressure drop is low

Total weight of dry plate tower is Total weight of packed tower is high
less than packed tower than plate tower

Expensive Less expensive

Packed column:
Packed Tower Internals:
1.Tower shell:
2.Mist eliminator:
3. Packing:

4. distributors:
5.Redistributors:

6.Support plates:
Types of packing:

1. random dumped packing

2. structured packing

Packing material can be used instead of trays to improve

separation in distillation columns. Packing offers the
advantage of a lower pressure drop across the column

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Rashing Rings:

Carbon rings metal rings ceramic rings

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Contact between a liquid and gas:
Channeling:
Channeling often occurs in a packed tower.  This phenomenon
takes place when the fluid moving down the column moves
towards the region of greatest void space; this occurs at the
region near the wall where the packing is not tightly packed. 
Thus, liquid redistributors are used to redirect the fluid flow
towards the column center.

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 Packing Characteristics:
           Packing materials must have the following
characteristics: a large wetted surface area per unit
volume of packed space (this allows a large interfacial
area to exist), a large void volume (needed for low
pressure drops), good wetting characteristics,
corrosion resistance, low bulk density, and low cost. 
No one type of packing will possess all these
characteristics

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Pressure drop and limiting flow rates:

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