GAS ABSORPTION

Background
Gas Absorption of or also known as scrubbing is an operation in which gas mixture is contacted with a liquid
for the purpose of preferentially dissolving one or more components of the gas mixture and to provide a
solution of them in the liquid. One component of the gas solute is being absorbed. The other components of
the gas are assumed to be non-soluble in the liquid(inert), and the liquid is non-volatile.
The purpose of the equipment used for mass-transfer operations is to provide intimate contact of the
immiscible phases in order to permit interphase diffusion of the constituents. The rate of mass transfer is
directly dependent upon the interfacial area exposed between the phases, and the nature and degree of
dispersion of one phase into the other are therefore of prime importance.
The operations which include humidification and dehumidification, gas absorption and desorption, and
distillation all have in common the requirement that a gas and a liquid phase be brought into contact for the
purpose of diffusional interchange between them. The equipment for gas-liquid contact can be broadly
classified according to whether its principal action is to disperse the gas or the liquid, although in many devices
both phases become dispersed. In principle, at least, any type of equipment satisfactory for one of these
operations is suitable for the others, and the major types are indeed used for all.
Packed Towers
Packed towers, used for continuous contact between liquid and gas in both countercurrent and cocurrent flow,
are vertical columns which have been filled with packings or devices of large surface, as in Figure 4.1. The
liquid is distributed over, and trickles down through, the packed bed, exposing a large surface to contact the
gas. The tower packing, orfill, should provide a large interfacial surface between liquid and gas per unit
volume of packed space. It should possess desirable fluid-flow characteristics. This means that the fractional
void volume &in the packed bed should be large enough to permit passage of the volumes of gas and liquid to
be processed at relatively high velocity, with low pressure drop for the gas. The packing should be chemically
inert to the fluids being processed, and should possess structural strength to permit easy handling and
installation.
Packing Materials

Packings are of two major types, random and regular.

Random packings are simply dumped into the tower during installation and allowed to fall at random. The
Raschig ring, first patented by Dr. Fritz Raschig in Germany in 1907, was the first standardized packing. Until
then, coke or broken glass and pottery were used as packings. Until the 1960s, packed columns were mostly
filled with Raschig rings or Berl saddles, known as first-generation packings. Then development of more
advanced packings with higher separation efficiency at low pressure drop accelerated. Today, Pall rings
(second-generation) and exotically shaped saddles made of ceramics, metals, or plastics (third generation)
are widely used as packings.
Metal packings are lighter and resist breakage better than ceramic packings, making metal the choice for deep
beds. Metal also lends itself to packing geometries that yield higher efficiencies than ceramic or plastic packing
shapes. Compared to standard plastic packings, metal packings withstand higher temperatures and provide
better wettability. Ceramic packings manufactured in chemical porcelain offer optimal corrosion resistance for
applications such as SO, and SO, absorption, mercaptan removal, natural gas or LPG sweetening, and
corrosive distillation. Plastic packings offer the advantage of lightness in weight, but they must be chosen
carefully since they may deteriorate rapidly with certain organic solvents and with oxygen-bearing gases at
only slightly elevated temperatures.
Raschig rings are hollow cylinders, as shown, of diameters ranging from 6 to 100 mm or more. They may be
made of metal, ceramic, or plastic. Pall rings (and as a variant, Hy-Pak), cylinders with partitions, are available
in metal and plastic in five nominal sizes from 16 to 89 mm. The saddle-shaped packings, Intalox and Super
Intalox saddles, are available in sizes from 6 to 75 mm, made of ceramic or plastic. The Super Intalox saddle
has scalloped edges and holes for improved mass transfer and reduced settling and channeling. The IMTP
packing is ideal in a wide range of mass-transfer services. It is used extensively in distillation towers and in
absorbers and strippers. It is available in most metals and in six nominal sizes, ranging from 15 to 70 mm.
Other, more exotic packing shapes are available, such as the plastic 38-mm Snowflakes.

As a rough guide, packing sizes of 25 mm or larger are ordinarily used for gas rates of 0.25 m3/s, and 50 mm
or larger for gas rates of 1 .O m3/s or more. During installation, the packings are poured into the tower to fall at
random, and in order to prevent breakage of ceramic packings, the tower may first be filled with water to
reduce the velocity of fall (Treybal, 1980).
Regular or structured packings are of great variety. They offer the advantages of low pressure drop for the
gas and greater possible flow rates, usually at the expense of more costly installation than random packing.
Wood grids, or hurdles, are inexpensive and frequently used where large void volumes are required, as with
cooling towers.
Packed tower shells may be of wood, metal, chemical stoneware, acidproof brick, plastic- or glass-lined metal,
or other material, depending on corrosion conditions. For ease of construction and strength, they are usually
circular in cross section. An open space at the bottom of the tower is necessary for ensuring good distribution
of the gas into the packing. The support must, of course, be strong enough to carry the weight of a reasonable
height of packing, and it must have ample free area to allow for flow of liquid and gas with a minimum of
restriction. Specially designed supports which provide separate passageways for gas and liquid are available.
Liquid Distribution
Adequate initial distribution of the liquid at the top of the packing is of paramount importance. Otherwise, a
significant portion of the packing near the top of the tower will remain dry. Dry packing, is of course, completely
ineffective for mass transfer, and various devices are used for liquid distribution. The arrangement shown in
the figure below, or a ring of perforated pipe, can be used in small towers. For large diameters, special liquid
distributors are available. In the case of random packings, the packing density (i.e., the number of packing
pieces per unit volume) is ordinarily less in the immediate vicinity of the tower walls, and this leads to a
tendency of the liquid to segregate toward the walls and the gas to flow in the center of the tower (channeling).
This tendency is much less pronounced when the diameter of the individual packing pieces (dp) is smaller than
one-eighth the tower diameter (D). It is recommended that the ratio dp/D = 1/15 (Treybal, 1980). Even so, it is
customary to provide for redistribution of the liquid at intervals varying from 3 to 10 times the tower diameter,
but at least every 6 or 7 m.

Analysis of Pressure Drop in Packed Columns

Pressure drop occurs when frictional forces, caused by the resistance to flow, act on a fluid as it flows As the
flow rate of liquid or gas is increased through a packed column of constant diameter, the pressure drop per foot
of packing increases. The pressure drop in wet packing material is greater than that in dry packing, because
the liquid in the tower reduces the space available for gas flow.
When the packing is dry, the line obtained is straight and has a slope of about 1.8. The pressure drop
therefore increases with the 1.8 power of the velocity. If the packing is irrigated with a constant flow of liquid,
the relationship between pressure drop and gas flow rate initially follows a line parallel to that of the dry
column.

• With a dry packing (i.e. no liquid flow, L = 0), pressure drop increases as gas velocity increases
according to the linear relationship as shown by line a-a
• With liquid flowing in the column, the packings now become wetted (irrigated). Part of void volume in
the packings now filled with liquid, thereby reducing the cross-sectional area available for gas flow.
• For a constant liquid flow (say L = 5000), at low to moderate gas velocity G; the pressure drop
characteristics is similar to that of dry packings, i.e. section b-c of the plot is still straight on log-log plot.
Up to this point, there is an orderly trickling of the liquid down the packings. There is no observable
liquid being trapped among the packings (no liquid hold-up).
• As the gas velocity is increased further, the pressure drop increased. Some liquid started to be
retained in the packings. When point c is reached, the quantity of liquid retained in the packed bed
increases significantly. There is a change in slope of the line at point c as pressure drop increases
more rapidly with G. Point c is known as the loading point, as liquid starts to accumulate (load) in the
packings.
• From point c to d to e, there is a sharp increase in pressure drop at higher G: there is a greater amount
of liquid hold-up, a gradual filling of the packing voids with liquid (starting at the bottom of the column),
and the column is slowly "drowned" in the liquid.
• At point e, there is another sharp change in the slope. At this point the entire column is filled liquid
and the gas now has to bubble through the liquid in the packing voids. The gas pressure drop is now
very high. Point e is known as the flooding point. The gas velocity at this point is known as
the flooding velocity (limiting velocity)
Points to Note
 At constant liquid rate, gas pressure drop increases with gas velocity.
 At constant gas velocity, the gas pressure drop is higher at larger liquid rate.
 Each liquid rate has its own loading and flooding points.
 At higher liquid rate, the loading and flooding points occur at lower gas pressure drop.
 Operation of a gas absorption column is not practical above the loading point. For optimum design, the
recommended gas velocity is 1/2 of the flooding velocity.
 An important aspect of absorber operation is selection of the relative gas and liquid flow rates to give
good contacting between the gas and liquid streams.
 The contacting behavior changes qualitatively as one gas increases the gas flow rate with the liquid
flow rate held constant.
 This can be explored by measuring the pressure drop across the column as a function of gas flow rate.
 These data can be used to determine several regimes of gas-liquid contacting.