Absorption and Stripping

Engr. Elisa G. Eleazar

School of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering and Sciences

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 1

 Outline
Module 2.4: Learning Outcomes
ABSORPTION AND STRIPPING
1. Explain the mechanism and general design considerations
Fundamentals of Absorption and Stripping in Absorption and Stripping
Single-Stage Equilibrium Contact 2. Perform equilibrium and material balance calculations for
Absorption and Stripping
Countercurrent Multiple Contact Stages 3. Perform calculations involving single-stage and
countercurrent multiple contact stages
4. Calculate stage efficiencies

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 2

 Fundamentals of Absorption and Stripping
Absorption Stripping
unit operation where one or more components of a gas opposite of absorption; one or more components of a
stream are moved by being taken up in a nonvolatile liquid liquid stream are removed by being vaporized into an
insoluble gas stream
Physical Absorption
the gas is removed because it has greater solubility in the
solvent than the other gases Gas
A B
example: removal of butane and pentane from a refinery
gas mixture with a heavy oil Liquid
C
Chemical Absorption Mechanism: molecular and turbulent diffusion
the gas to be removed reacts with the solvent and remains of solute A through a non-diffusing gas B into
in solution liquid C

example: removal of CO2 and H2S by reaction with NaOH

or with MEA

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 3

 Fundamentals of Absorption and Stripping
Industrial Example Design Considerations

Entering gas conditions (flow rate, comp, T, P)

Desired degree of recovery of one or more solutes
Choice of absorbent (or stripper)

Operating P and T, allowable gas pressure drop

Minimum and actual absorbent flow rate
Number of equilibrium stages and stage efficiency

Heat effects and need for cooling (or heating)

Type of absorber (stripper) equipment

Height and diameter of absorber (stripper)

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 4

 Fundamentals of Absorption and Stripping
Properties of an Ideal Absorbent Most Common Absorbents
Have high solubility for solute to minimize the need for absorbent • Water
• Hydrocarbon oil
Have low volatility to reduce loss • Aqueous solutions of acids and bases
Stable to maximize absorbent life Most Common Stripping Agents
Noncorrosive to permit use of common materials for construction • Steam
• Air
Have a low viscosity to provide low pressure drop • Inert gases
Nonfoaming • Hydrocarbon gases

Nontoxic and nonflammable Operating Temperature

Available, if possible, within the process to reduce expenses should be low to minimize stage requirements
and/or absorbent flow rate and to lower
For a given feed-gas flow rate, extent of solute absorption, operating equipment volume
temperature and pressure, and absorbent composition, a minimum
Operating Pressure
absorbent flow rate exists that corresponds to an infinite number of
countercurrent equilibrium contacts between the gas and liquid phases. should be high

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 5

 Single-Stage Equilibrium Contact
Assumptions: V1 V2
• Carrier gas in insoluble. 1
L0 L1
• Solvent is nonvolatile.
• The system is isothermal and isobaric. 𝐿0 + 𝑉2 = 𝐿1 + 𝑉1
𝐿0 𝑥0 + 𝑉2 𝑦2 = 𝐿1 𝑥1 + 𝑉1 𝑦1
Phase Rule
𝐿′ 𝑋0 + 𝑉 ′ 𝑌2 = 𝐿′ 𝑋1 + 𝑉 ′ 𝑌1
𝐹 =𝐶−𝑃+2
𝐹 =3−2+2= 3 𝑦
𝑌=
1−𝑦
Henry’s Law 𝐿′ = 𝐿0 1 − 𝑥0
𝑃𝐵
𝑃𝐵 = 𝐻𝐵 𝑥𝐵 𝑦𝐵 =
𝑃 L’ moles inert liquid
𝐻𝐵 V’ moles inert gas
𝑦𝐵 = 𝑥
𝑃 𝐵 X, Y mole ratio

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 6

 Single-Stage Equilibrium Contact
SP1. A gas mixture at 1.0 atm pressure containing air and CO2 is contacted in a single-stage mixer continuously with pure
water at 293 K. The two exit gas and liquid streams reach equilibrium. The inlet gas flow rate is 100 kmol/h, with a mole
fraction of CO2 = 0.20. The liquid flow rate entering is 300 kmol water/h. Calculate the amounts and compositions of the two
outlet phases. Assume that water does not evaporate into the gas phase. H = 0.142 x 104 atm/mol frac

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 7

 Countercurrent Multiple Contact Stages

Absorption Tower Stripping Column

Assumptions
Phase equilibrium is achieved at each of the N trays between the vapor and liquid streams leaving the tray
The only component transferred from one phase to the other is the solute

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 8

 Countercurrent Multiple Contact Stages
Equilibrium Line 𝐿𝑛−1
relates the solute concentration in the vapor 𝑉𝑛
leaving an equilibrium stage to the solute
concentration in the liquid leaving the same
stage
n
𝐿𝑛−1
𝑉𝑛

𝑉𝑛+1 𝐿𝑛

n
Operating Line
relates the solute concentration in the vapor
passing upward between two stages to the
𝐿𝑛 solute concentration in the liquid passing
𝑉𝑛+1 downward between the same stages

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 9

 Countercurrent Multiple Contact Stages
OPERATING LINE EQUATION

𝐿′ 𝑋0 + 𝑉 ′ 𝑌𝑛+1 = 𝐿′ 𝑋𝑛 + 𝑉 ′ 𝑌1
𝑋𝑁 , 𝑌𝑁+1

For the absorber, the operating line is above the

equilibrium line because, for a given solute
concentration in the liquid, the solute concentration in
the gas is always greater than the equilibrium value,
providing the driving force for mass transfer.

𝐿′
𝑋0 , 𝑌1 𝑠𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 =
𝑉′

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 10

 Countercurrent Multiple Contact Stages
MINIMUM ABSORBENT FLOW RATE

Material Balance
𝐿′ 𝑋0 + 𝑉 ′ 𝑌𝑁+1 = 𝐿′ 𝑋𝑁 + 𝑉 ′ 𝑌1

𝑉 ′ 𝑌𝑁+1 − 𝑉 ′ 𝑌1 = 𝐿′ 𝑋𝑁 − 𝐿′ 𝑋0

′
𝑌𝑁+1 −𝑌1
′
𝐿 =𝑉
𝑋𝑁 −𝑋0

Equilibrium Relationship
𝑦
𝐾𝑁 =
𝑥
𝑌𝑁+1 1 + 𝑋𝑁
𝐾𝑁 =
𝑋𝑁 1 + 𝑌𝑁+1

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 11

 Countercurrent Multiple Contact Stages
MINIMUM ABSORBENT FLOW RATE
L’min corresponds to a value of XN in Substitute XN to L’ For pure absorbent,
equilibrium with YN+1
𝑌𝑁+1 −𝑌1 𝑥0 = 0
𝑌𝑁+1 1 + 𝑋𝑁 𝐿′ = 𝑉′
𝐾𝑁 = 𝑋𝑁 −𝑋0 𝑦𝑁+1 − 𝑦1
𝑋𝑁 1 + 𝑌𝑁+1 𝐿′𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝑉 ′ 𝑦𝑁+1
𝑌𝑁+1 − 𝑌1
𝐾𝑁 𝑋𝑁 + 𝐾𝑁 𝑋𝑁 𝑌𝑁+1 = 𝑌𝑁+1 + 𝑋𝑁 𝑌𝑁+1 𝐿′𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝑉′ 𝐾𝑁
𝑌𝑁+1
− 𝑋0
𝐾𝑁 1 + 𝑌𝑁+1 − 𝑌𝑁+1 𝐿′𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝑉 ′ 𝐾𝑁 𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑐 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑒𝑑
𝐾𝑁 𝑋𝑁 + 𝐾𝑁 𝑋𝑁 𝑌𝑁+1 − 𝑋𝑁 𝑌𝑁+1 = 𝑌𝑁+1
𝑌𝑁+1 − 𝑌1
𝐾𝑁 𝑋𝑁 + 𝑋𝑁 𝑌𝑁+1 𝐾𝑁 − 1 = 𝑌𝑁+1 𝐿′𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝑉 ′
𝑌𝑁+1
− 𝑋0
𝑌𝑁+1 𝐾𝑁 − 1 + 𝐾𝑁
𝑋𝑁 𝐾𝑁 + 𝑌𝑁+1 𝐾𝑁 − 1 = 𝑌𝑁+1

𝑋𝑁 𝐾𝑁 + 𝐾𝑁 𝑌𝑁+1 − 𝑌𝑁+1 = 𝑌𝑁+1 For dilute solutions,

𝑋𝑁 𝐾𝑁 1 + 𝑌𝑁+1 − 𝑌𝑁+1 = 𝑌𝑁+1 𝑋 ≈ 𝑥, 𝑌 ≈ 𝑦

𝑦𝑁+1 − 𝑦1
𝑌𝑁+1 𝐿′𝑚𝑖𝑛 = 𝑉′ 𝑦𝑁+1
𝑋𝑁 = − 𝑥0
𝐾𝑁 1 + 𝑌𝑁+1 − 𝑌𝑁+1 𝑦𝑁+1 𝐾𝑁 − 1 + 𝐾𝑁

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 12

 Countercurrent Multiple Contact Stages
MCCABE-THIELE GRAPHICAL METHOD

For an absorber;

• Plot the operating and equilibrium curves

• Start at the top of the tower (X0, Y1)
• Continue on to X1 in equilibrium with Y1 (on the
equilibrium line)
• Each stage is represented by a step
• Continue the steps until YN+1 is reached
CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 13
 Countercurrent Multiple Contact Stages
MCCABE-THIELE GRAPHICAL METHOD

For a stripper;

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 14

 Countercurrent Multiple Contact Stages
KREMSER METHOD

Preferable when:
• the problem specification fixes the number of stages rather than the percent recovery
• more than one solute is being absorbed or stripped
• the best operating conditions of T and P are to be determined (the location of the equilibrium curve is unknown)
• very low or very high concentrations are given

Absorption Stripping
𝐴𝑁+1
𝑖 − 𝐴𝑖 𝐿 𝑆𝑖𝑁+1 − 𝑆𝑖 𝐾𝑖 𝑉
𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑐 𝑎𝑏𝑠𝑜𝑟𝑏𝑒𝑑 = 𝑁+1 𝐴𝑖 = 𝐹𝑟𝑎𝑐 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑑 = 𝑆𝑖 =
𝐴𝑖 −1 𝐾𝑖 𝑉 𝑆𝑖𝑁+1 − 1 𝐿
𝑦𝑁+1 − 𝑚𝑥0 1 1 𝑦
log 1 − + 𝑥𝑁+1 − 𝑚0
𝑦1 − 𝑚𝑥0 𝐴 𝐴 log
𝑁 = 𝑦0 1 − 𝐴 + 𝐴
log 𝐴 𝑥1 −
𝑚
𝑦𝑁+1 − 𝑦1 𝑁 =
1
𝑁 = log 𝐴
𝑦1 − 𝑚𝑥0
𝑥0 − 𝑥𝑁
𝑁 = 𝑦
𝑥𝑁 − 𝑁+1
𝑚
CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 16
 Outline
Module 2.4: Learning Outcomes
ABSORPTION AND STRIPPING
1. Explain the mechanism and general design considerations
Fundamentals of Absorption and Stripping in Absorption and Stripping
Single-Stage Equilibrium Contact 2. Perform equilibrium and material balance calculations for
Absorption and Stripping
Countercurrent Multiple Contact Stages 3. Perform calculations involving single-stage and
countercurrent multiple contact stages
4. Calculate stage efficiencies

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 19

 Absorption and Stripping

Engr. Elisa G. Eleazar

School of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering and Sciences

CH138P: SEPARATION PROCESSES 20