Equipment for Gas Absorption

Instructor: Zafar Shakoor

• Absorption is used to separate • In stripping (desorption), a
gas mixtures; remove liquid mixture is contacted
impurities, contaminants, with a gas to selectively
pollutants, or catalyst poisons remove components by mass
from a gas; and recover transfer from the liquid to the
valuable chemicals. gas phase.
• Thus, the species of interest in • Strippers are frequently
the gas mixture may be all coupled with absorbers to
components, only the permit regeneration and
component(s) not transferred, recycle of the absorbent.
or only the component(s) • Because stripping is not
transferred. perfect, absorbent recycled to
• The species transferred to the the absorber contains species
liquid absorbent are called present in the vapor entering
solutes or absorbate. the absorber.
 Industrial Example
The feed: comes from a dryer in
which solid cellulose acetate fibers,
wet with water and acetone, are
dried.
The purpose: to recover acetone.
Absorbent: Water
Absorbate: Acetone
Minor amounts of O2 and N2
are also absorbed by the water.
The absorbent temperature
decreases by 3OC to supply energy
of vaporization to strip the water,

Because water is present in the feed gas and the absorbent, it can be both
absorbed and stripped. the net effect is that water is stripped.
The exit gas is almost saturated with water vapor, and the exit liquid is almost
saturated with air.
• For absorption and stripping, design procedures are well developed
and commercial processes are common.
• Physical absorption: When water and hydrocarbon oils are used as
absorbents, no significant chemical reactions occur between the
absorbent and the solute.
• Chemical absorption or reactive absorption: When aqueous NaOH
is used as the absorbent for an acid gas, absorption is accompanied
by a rapid and irreversible reaction in the liquid.
• More complex examples are processes for absorbing CO2 and H2S
with aqueous solutions of monoethanolamine (MEA) and
diethanolamine (DEA), where there is a more desirable, reversible
chemical reaction in the liquid.
• Chemical reactions can increase the rate of absorption and solvent
absorption capacity and convert a hazardous chemical to an inert
compound.
§6.1 EQUIPMENT FOR VAPOR–LIQUID SEPARATIONS
• Methods for designing and analyzing absorption, stripping, and
distillation depend on the type of equipment used for contacting
vapor and liquid phases.
• When multiple stages are required, phase contacting is most
commonly carried out in cylindrical, vertical columns containing trays
or packing of the different type.
• Absorbers and strippers are
mainly trayed towers (plate
columns) and packed
columns, and less often spray
towers, bubble columns, and
centrifugal contactors.
 §6.1.1 Trayed Columns
• A trayed tower is a vertical, cylindrical pressure vessel in which
vapor and liquid, flowing counter-currently, are contacted on trays
or plates that provide intimate contact of liquid with vapor to
promote rapid mass transfer.

Liquid flows across each

tray, over an outlet weir,
and into a downcomer,
which takes the liquid by
gravity to the tray below.
Gas flows upward through
openings in each tray,
bubbling through the liquid
on the tray.
• When the openings are holes, any of the five two-phase-flow
regimes may occur.
• Flow regimes:
– The most common and favored regime is the froth regime, in which
the liquid phase is continuous and the gas passes through in the
form of jets or a series of bubbles.
– The spray regime, in which the gas phase is continuous, occurs for
low weir heights (low liquid depths) at high gas rates.
– For low gas rates, the bubble regime can occur, in which the liquid is
fairly quiescent and bubbles rise in swarms.
– At high liquid rates, small gas bubbles may be undesirably
emulsified.
– If bubble coalescence is hindered, an undesirable foam forms.
• Ideally:
– The liquid carries no vapor bubbles (occlusion) to the tray below.
– The vapor carries no liquid droplets (entrainment) to the tray above.
– There is no weeping of liquid through the holes in the tray.
• With good contacting, equilibrium between the exiting vapor and liquid
phases is approached on each tray, unless the liquid is very viscous.
• Tray openings for vapor passage
(a) perforations, (b) valves, and (c) bubble caps.
• Perforations:
The simplest is perforations, usually 1/8 to ½ inch in diameter, used
in sieve (perforated) trays.
• Valves:
A valve tray has openings commonly from 1 to 2 inches in diameter.
Each hole is fitted with a valve consisting of a cap that overlaps the
hole, with legs or a cage to limit vertical rise while maintaining the
valve cap in a horizontal orientation. Without vapor flow, each valve
covers a hole. As vapor rate increases, the valve rises, providing a
larger opening for vapor to flow and to create a froth.
• Bubble-cap:
A bubble-cap tray consists of a cap, 3 to 6 inches in diameter,
mounted over and above a concentric riser, 2 to 3 inches in
diameter. The cap has rectangular or triangular slots cut around its
side. The vapor flows up through the tray opening into the riser,
turns around, and passes out through the slots and into the liquid,
forming a froth.
• A Tray with valve caps.

• An 11-ft-diameter tray might have 50,000 3/16 -inch-diameter

perforations, or 1,000 2-inch-diameter valve caps, or 500 4-inch-
diameter bubble caps.
 Efficiency is the mass
transfer efficiency.
Turndown ratio is
the ratio of
maximum to
minimum vapor flow
capacity.
• At the limiting flooding vapor velocity, liquid-droplet entrainment
becomes excessive, causing the liquid flow to exceed the down-comer
capacity, thus pushing liquid up the column.
• At too low a vapor rate, liquid weeping through the tray openings or
vapor pulsation becomes excessive.
• Sieve trays are preferred because of their low cost, unless flexibility in
throughput is required, in which case valve trays are best.
• Bubble-cap trays are rarely specified, but may be preferred when liquid
holdup must be controlled to provide residence time for a chemical
reaction or when weeping must be prevented.
 §6.1.2 Packed Columns
• A packed column, is a vessel containing
one or more sections of packing over
whose surface:
– the liquid flows downward as a film
or as droplets between packing
elements and
– the vapor flows upward through
the wetted packing, contacting the
liquid.
• The packed sections are contained
between:
– a gas-injection support plate, which
holds the packing, and
– an upper hold-down plate, which
prevents packing movement.
• A liquid distributor, placed above the hold-down plate, ensures uniform
distribution of liquid over the cross-sectional area of the column as it
enters the packed section.
• If the height of packing is more than about 20 ft, liquid channeling may
occur, causing the liquid to flow down near the wall, and gas to flow up
the center of the column, thus greatly reducing the extent of vapor–liquid
contact. In that case, liquid redistributors need to be installed.
• Commercial packing materials include:
– Random (dumped) packings
– Structured (arranged, ordered, or stacked) packings.
Ceramic Raschig rings and
Berl saddles have been
largely replaced by metal
and plastic Pall rings,
metal Bialecki rings, and
ceramic Intalox saddles.
which provide more
surface area for mass
transfer, a higher flow
capacity, and a lower
pressure drop. More
recently, through-flow
packings of a lattice-work
design they are called
‘‘high-efficiency’’ random
packings. A ‘‘fourth
generation’’ of random
packings, including
VSP1 rings, Fleximax1
, and Raschig super-rings
• As packing size increases, mass-transfer efficiency and pressure
drop decrease. Therefore, an optimal packing size exists. However,
to minimize liquid channeling, nominal packing size should be less
than one-eighth of the column diameter.
• Metal packings are usually preferred because of their superior
strength and good wettability, but their costs are high.
• Ceramic packings, which have superior wettability but inferior
strength, are used in corrosive environments at elevated
temperatures.
• Plastic packings, usually of polypropylene, are inexpensive and have
sufficient strength, but may have poor wettability at low liquid
rates.
Structured packings include
corrugated sheets of metal
gauze. Newer and less-expensive
structured packings, which are
fabricated from metal and
plastics and may or may not be
perforated, embossed, or
surface-roughened.
These come with different-size
openings between adjacent
layers and are stacked in the
column.
Although they are considerably
more expensive per unit volume
than random packings,
structured packings exhibit less
pressure drop per theoretical
stage and have higher efficiency
and capacity.
 §6.1.3 Spray, Bubble, and Centrifugal Contactors
• If only one or two stages and very low pressure drop are required, and the
solute is very soluble in the liquid, use of the spray tower is indicated for
absorption. This consists of a vessel through which gas flows countercurrent to
a liquid spray.
• The bubble column for absorption consists of a vertical vessel partially filled
with liquid into which vapor is bubbled. Vapor pressure drop is high because of
the high head of liquid absorbent, and only one or two theoretical stages can
be achieved. This device has a low vapor throughput and is impractical unless
the solute has low solubility in the liquid and/or a slow chemical reaction that
requires a long residence time.
• A novel device is the centrifugal contactor, which consists of a stationary,
ringed housing, intermeshed with a ringed rotating section. The liquid phase is
fed near the center of the packing, from which it is thrown outward. The vapor
flows inward. Reportedly, high mass-transfer rates can be achieved. It is
possible to obtain the equivalent of several equilibrium stages in a very
compact unit. These short-contact-time type of devices are practical only when
there are space limitations, in which case they are useful for distillation.
 §6.1.4 Choice of Device
• The dumped packings, is always favored when column diameter is less
than 2 ft and the packed height is less than 20 ft.
• Packed columns also get the nod for corrosive services where ceramic
or plastic materials are preferred over metals, or where low liquid
holdup is desirable.
• Otherwise, trayed towers, which can be designed more reliably, are
preferred.
• Although structured packings are expensive, they are the best choice for
installations when pressure drop is a factor or degree of separation is
required.
• Trayed towers are preferred when liquid velocities are low, whereas
columns with random packings are best for high-liquid velocities.
• Turbulent liquid flow is desirable if mass transfer is limiting in the liquid
phase, while a turbulent gas flow is desirable if mass transfer is limiting
in the gas phase.
§6.2 GENERAL DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS
1. Entering gas (liquid) flow rate, composition, T, and P
2. Desired degree of recovery of one or more solutes
3. Choice of absorbent (stripping agent)
4. Operating P and T, and allowable gas pressure drop
5. Minimum absorbent (stripping agent) flow rate and actual
absorbent (stripping agent) flow rate
6. Heat effects and need for cooling (heating)
7. Number of equilibrium stages and stage efficiency
8. Type of absorber (stripper) equipment (trays orpacking)
9. Need for redistributors if packing is used
10. Height of absorber (stripper)
11. Diameter of absorber (stripper)
• The ideal absorbent should have
– A high solubility for the solute(s);
– A low volatility to reduce loss;
– Stability and inertness;
– Low corrosiveness;
– Low viscosity and high diffusivity;
– Low foaming proclivities;
– Low toxicity and flammability;
– Availability, if possible, within the process;
– And a low cost.
• The most widely used absorbents are water, hydrocarbon oils, and
aqueous solutions of acids and bases.
• The most common stripping agents are steam, air, inert gases, and
hydrocarbon gases.
 Operating conditions
Absorber Stripper
• Absorber operating pressure • Operating pressure should be
should be high and low and temperature high for a
temperature low to minimize stripper to minimize stage
stage requirements and requirements and stripping
absorbent flow rate. agent flow rate.
• Unfortunately, both • However, because maintenance
compression and refrigeration of a vacuum is expensive,
of a gas are expensive. • Strippers are commonly
• Therefore, most absorbers are operated at a pressure just
operated at feed-gas pressure, above ambient.
which may be greater than
ambient pressure, and at
ambient temperature.
• For given feed-gas (liquid) flow rate,
– extent of solute absorption (stripping),
– operating P and T,
– and absorbent(stripping agent) composition,
• A minimum absorbent (stripping agent) flow rate exists that
corresponds to an infinite number of countercurrent equilibrium
contacts between the gas and liquid phases.
• In every design problem, a trade-off exists between the number of
equilibrium stages and the absorbent (stripping agent) flow rate, A
rate that must be greater than the minimum.
• Graphical and analytical methods are available for computing the
minimum flow rate to develop this trade-off for mixtures that are
dilute in solute(s).
 §6.5 STAGE EFFICIENCY AND COLUMN HEIGHT
FOR TRAYED COLUMNS
• Assumption of temperature: Except when temperatures change significantly
from stage to stage, the assumption that vapor and liquid phases leaving a
stage are at the same temperature is reasonable.
• Assumption of Equilibrium: However, the assumption of equilibrium at each
stage may not be reasonable, and for streams leaving a stage, vapor-phase
mole fractions are not related exactly to liquid-phase mole fractions by
thermodynamic K-values.
• Stage efficiency: To determine the actual number of required plates in a trayed
column, the number of equilibrium stages must be adjusted with a stage
efficiency (plate efficiency, tray efficiency).
• Applicability: Stage efficiency concepts are applicable when phases are
contacted and then separated—that is, when discrete stages and interfaces can
be identified.
• For packed column: For these, the efficiency is embedded into equipment- and
system-dependent parameters, like the HETP or HETS (height of packing
equivalent to a theoretical stage)
Overall Stage Efficiency
• A simple approach for preliminary design and evaluation of an
existing column is to apply an overall stage (or column) efficiency,
defined by Lewis as:

• Where Eo is the fractional overall stage efficiency;

Nt is the calculated number of equilibrium stages;
and Na is the actual number of trays or plates required.
• The overall stage efficiency has been found to be a complex
function of:
– geometry and design of the contacting trays;
– flow rates and flow paths of vapor and liquid streams; and
– compositions and properties of vapor and liquid streams.
• Efficiency prediction: Values of Eo can be predicted by four methods:
– comparison with performance data from industrial columns;
– use of empirical efficiency equations derived from data on
industrial columns;
– use of semi-theoretical models based on mass- and heat-
transfer rates; and
– scale-up from laboratory or pilot-plant columns.
§6.5.2 Stage Efficiencies from Column Performance Data
• Performance data from trayed industrial absorption and stripping
columns generally include
– gas- and liquid-feed and product flow rates and compositions,
– pressures and temperatures at the bottom and top of the column,
– details of the tray design,
– column diameter,
– tray spacing,
– average liquid viscosity, and
– computed overall tray efficiency with respect to one or more
components.
• From these data, particularly if the system is dilute with respect to the
solute(s), the graphical or algebraic methods, can estimate the number
of equilibrium stages, Nt, required.
• Then, knowing Na, can be applied to determine the overall stage
efficiency, Eo, whose values for absorbers and strippers are typically low,
especially for absorption, which is often less than 50%.
 §6.5.3 Empirical Correlations for Stage Efficiency
• From 20 sets of performance data from industrial absorbers and
strippers, Drickamer and Bradford correlated key component overall
stage efficiency with just the molar average viscosity of the rich oil at
the column temperature:

• where Eo is in % and μ is in cP, fits the data with an average % deviation

of 10.3%.
• Equation should not be used for non-hydrocarbon liquids.
• The following empirical equation by O’Connell predicts most of the
data to within about a 15% deviation for water and hydrocarbons:
§6.5.6 Column Height

• Based on estimates of Na and tray spacing, the height of a column

between the top tray and the bottom tray is computed.
• By adding another 4 ft above the top tray for removal of entrained
liquid and 10 ft below the bottom tray for bottoms surge capacity,
the total column height is estimated.
• If the height is greater than 250 ft, two or more columns arranged
in series may be preferable to a single column.
• However, perhaps the tallest column in the world, located at the
Shell Chemical Company complex in Deer Park, stands 338 ft tall.
When trays are designed properly:
(1) Vapor flows only up through the open
regions of the tray between the downcomers.
(2) Liquid flows from tray to tray only through
downcomers.
(3) Liquid neither weeps through the tray
perforations nor is carried by the vapor as
entrainment to the tray above.
(4) Vapor is neither carried (occluded) down by
the liquid in the downcomer nor allowed to
bubble up through the liquid in the downcomer.

Tray design determines tray diameter

and division of tray crosssectional
area, A, as shown in Figure.
When the tray diameter is fixed, vapor
pressure drop and mass-transfer
coefficients can be estimated.
§6.6.1 Flooding and Tray Diameter
• At a given liquid flow rate,
for a sieve-tray column, a
maximum vapor flow rate
exists beyond which column
flooding occurs because of
backup of liquid in the
downcomer.
• Two types of flooding occur:
(1) entrainment flooding or
(2) downcomer flooding.
• For either type, if sustained,
liquid is carried out with the
vapor leaving the column.
• Downcomer flooding takes place when the liquid backup is caused
by downcomers of inadequate cross-sectional area, Ad, to carry the
liquid flow.
• It rarely occurs if downcomer cross-sectional area is at least 10% of
total column cross-sectional area and if tray spacing is at least 24
inches.
• Entrainment flooding is caused by excessive carry-up of liquid, at
the molar rate e, by vapor entrainment to the tray above.
• At incipient flooding, (e + L) >> L and downcomer cross-sectional
area is inadequate for the excessive liquid load (e + L).
• To predict entrainment flooding, tray designers assume that
entrainment of liquid is due to carry-up of suspended droplets by
rising vapor or to throw-up of liquid by vapor jets at tray
perforations, valves, or bubble-cap slots.
• At low vapor velocity, a droplet settles out; at high vapor velocity, it
is entrained.