EXPERIMENT 3: Air Pressure Differential Across Dry Column (Gas Absorption Packed

Column)
1. ABSTRACT
- This gas absorption experiment was conducted so that we could determine the air
pressure differential across the column as function of air flow rate. The result
obtained is to be compared between theoretical values that has been calculated.
For every flow rate, it was run for different air flow rate which are 20L/min,
40L/min, 60L/min, 80L/min, 100L/min, 120L/min, 140L/min, 160L/min and
180L/min. A graph of pressure drop against the air flow rate was plotted. The
graph of generalized theoretical pressure drop was then compared to the
experimented graph of the pressure drop against the air flow rate. Both of the
graph have the same principle where the higher the pressure drop, the higher the
air flow rate.

2. INTRODUCTION
- Absorption is a mass transfer process in which vapour solute in a gas mixture is
dissolved into a liquid phase which the solute is more or less soluble. The gas
mixture contains of an inert gas and the soluble. The liquid is in the gas phase
which vaporisation into the gas phase is relatively little. An example of absorption
is the absorption of the solute ammonia from an air-ammonia mixture by water.
Absorption usually use some sort of special equipment for bringing gas and liquid
phases in contact through the process of distillation. Meanwhile, in the reverse
process desorption or more known as stripping, the same principle and equations
hold. The gas absorption in this experiment is meant to display the absorption of
air into water in a packed water in a packed column. The gas absorption is also
created to operate at an atmospheric pressure in a continuous operation.

The packed tower in this experiment consists of a tower, gas inlet which
distributes space at the bottom, a liquid inlet which distributes at the top and a gas
and liquid outlet at the top and bottom. In a packed tower, there is a restraint to the
rate of gas flow which is called flooding velocity. The tower cannot operate if it
exceeds this restriction.

3. OBJECTIVES
- The main purpose of this experiment is to determine the air pressure differential
across the column as a function of air flow rate.

4. APPARATUS AND CHEMICAL

- Packed column, and air

5. PROCEDURE
1- The column was dried completely by passing the maximum air flow until all
of the moisture in the packing had disappeared.
2- Valves V1, V2, and V3 were set up so that differential pressures in the top and
bottom sections of the column are indicated on the two water manometers.
 3- Manometer readings of pressure differential across the column were recorded
to identify the range of air flow rates. The total pressure differential is the sum
of the of the differential across the top and bottom halves of the column such
as the addition of the reading from the two water manometers.

*Total pressure differential = manometer top + manometer bottom

6. RESULT AND CALCULATION

Air Flow Rate ManometerTop ManometerBottom
(l/min) x y a b
160 226 216 174 166
140 225 216 173 167
120 224 217 173 168
100 224 218 172 169
80 223 218 171 169
60 222 218 170 169
40 222 218 170 169
20 221 219 171 170
0 221 219 171 170
Table 3.1
Total pressure differential = ManometerTop + ManometerBottom
= (x-y) + (a-b)

Air Flow 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0

rate (l/min)
Total 18 15 12 9 7 5 5 3 3
Pressure
Differentia
l
Log Air 2.20 2.15 2.08 2.00 1.90 1.78 1.60 1.30 0.00
Flow rate
(l/min)
(x-axis)
Log Total 1.26 1.18 1.08 0.95 0.86 0.70 0.70 0.48 0.48
Pressure
Differentia
l (y-axis)
Table 3.2
a) Plot graph Log Total Pressure Differential versus Log Air Flow rate by using excel or
graph paper.
1.4

1.2
LOG TOTAL PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
LoG AIR FLOW Rate

7. DISCUSSION
- This main objective of this experiment was to determine the air pressure
differential across the column as a function of air flow rate which air 0.0, 20.0,
40.0, 60.0, 80.0, 100.0, 120.0, 140.0 and 160.0L/min. The pressure drop occurred
in the packed column due to the difference in pressure at the top and bottom. This
because of the interface between the liquid and gas flow streams in the packed
column.

Based on this experiment, the results were recorded in the table accurately. By
referring to the data that has been recorded and calculated in Table 3.2, a graph of
log total pressure differential against log air flow was plotted. Based on the
observation of the graph, the pattern of log total pressure differential, increased
proportionally with log air flow rate. Thus, when the log air flow rate increased,
the log total pressure differential also increased. The experiment also showed that
there were no loading point or flooding that occurred.

There are a few key criterias when conducting this particular experiment in order
to achieve the purpose of this experiment. Firstly, making a mistake during the
experiment such as the time adjustment on the valve might be an imperfection to
attain the most accurately value. Thus, the nearest value is set during the
experiment. Moreover, the vapour that is considered as moist content still exist in
the tower. This also affected the readings in the experiment.
8. QUESTIONS
a) Compare the theoretical graph (in notes) for log total pressure differential vs. log
air flowrate with the experimental one. Discuss any difference between them.

- Based on the theoretical and the experimental graphs, there is a slight difference in
the gradient. In the theoretical graph, the gradient is proportionally direct which
means that there should be a straight line sloping from left to right that has a
positive gradient. However, in the experimental graph, the gradient for the graph
is still sloping from left to right and has a positive gradient, but it is not in a
straight line or linear due to a few errors.

b) Is there any loading and flooding point exist in dry packed column? Give reason
why.

- No, there is no loading and flooding point that exists in dry packed column. This
is due to the fact that this experiment is a dry packed column and it only consists
of gas. Thus, there is no loading and flooding due from excessive gathering of
water vapour.

9. CONCLUSION
- In conclusion, the objective of this experiment which is to determine the air
pressure differential across the column as a function of air flow rate is achieved.
As the air flow rate increases, the pressure drop also increases.

10. REFERENCES
- https://www.cpp.edu/~tknguyen/che313/pdf/chap5-1.pdf