Mass transfer design principles

Principles of Rigorous Absorber Design Danckwerts and Alper [Trans. Tn.st. Chem. Eng., 53, 34 (1975)] have shown that when adequate data are available for the Idnetic-reaciion-rate coefficients, the mass-transfer coefficients fcc and /c , the effective interfacial area per unit volume a, the physical solubility or Henry s-law constants, and the effective diffusivities of the various reactants, then the design of a packed tower can be calculated from first principles with considerable precision. 

The mass-transfer coefficients depend on complex functions of diffii-sivity, viscosity, density, interfacial tension, and turbulence. Similarly, the mass-transfer area of the droplets depends on complex functions of viscosity, interfacial tension, density difference, extractor geometry, agitation intensity, agitator design, flow rates, and interfacial rag deposits. Only limited success has been achieved in correlating extractor performance with these basic principles. The lumped parameter deals directly with the ultimate design criterion, which is the height of an extraction tower. 

In this chapter, consideration will be given to the basic principles underlying mass transfer both with and without chemical reaction, and to the models which have been proposed to enable the rates of transfer to be calculated. The applications of mass transfer to the design and operation of separation processes are discussed in Volume 2, and ihe design of reactors is dealt with in Volume 3. 

When two or more phases are present, it is rarely possible to design a reactor on a strictly first-principles basis. Rather than starting with the mass, energy, and momentum transport equations, as was done for the laminar flow systems in Chapter 8, we tend to use simplified flow models with empirical correlations for mass transfer coefficients and interfacial areas. The approach is conceptually similar to that used for friction factors and heat transfer coefficients in turbulent flow systems. It usually provides an adequate basis for design and scaleup, although extra care must be taken that the correlations are appropriate. 

Modules Every module design used in other membrane operations has been tried in pervaporation. One unique requirement is for low hydraulic resistance on the permeate side, since permeate pressure is very low (0.1-1 Pa). The rule for near-vacuum operation is the bigger the channel, the better the transport. Another unique need is for heat input. The heat of evaporation comes from the liquid, and intermediate heating is usually necessary. Of course economy is always a factor. Plate-and-frame construction was the first to be used in large installations, and it continues to be quite important. Some smaller plants use spiral-wound modules, and some membranes can be made as capillary bundles. The capillary device with the feed on the inside of the tube has many advantages in principle, such as good vapor-side mass transfer and economical construction, but it is still limited by the availability of membrane in capillary form. 

Volumes 1, 2 and 3 form an integrated series with the fundamentals of fluid flow, heat transfer and mass transfer in the first volume, the physical operations of chemical engineering in this, the second volume, and in the third volume, the basis of chemical and biochemical reactor design, some of the physical operations which are now gaining in importance and the underlying theory of both process control and computation. The solutions to the problems listed in Volumes 1 and 2 are now available as Volumes 4 and 5 respectively. Furthermore, an additional volume in the series is in course of preparation and will provide an introduction to chemical engineering design and indicate how the principles enunciated in the earlier volumes can be translated into chemical plant. 

Chemical reactions carried out on an industrial scale are subject to control by processes such as mass transfer and heat transfer, which, in small-scale work, may often be reduced to negligible proportions by judicious choice of conditions. Volume 23 deals with these aspects of reaction kinetics, which must always be considered when significant scale-up is contemplated and which may be expected to be of paramount importance in industrial operations. The principles of chemical reactor design are treated in a form digestible by chemists and there is some emphasis on the way in which available kinetic data may be utilised by the chemical engineer. 

In the following pages we shall see that reactor design involves all the basic principles of chemical engineering with the addition of chemical kinetics. Mass transfer, heat transfer and fluid flow are all concerned and complications arise when, as so often is the case, interaction occurs between these transfer processes and the reaction itself. In designing a reactor it is essential to weigh up all the... 

We see that, in principle, the overall reaction rate can be expressed in terms of coefficients such as the reaction rate constant and the mass transfer coefficient. To be of any use for design purposes, however, we must have knowledge of these parameters. By measuring the kinetic constant in the absence of mass transfer effects and using correlations to estimate the mass transfer coefficient we are really implying that these estimated parameters are independent of one another. This would only be true if each element of external surface behaved kinetically as all other surface elements. Such conditions are only fulfilled if the surface is uniformly accessible. It is fortuitous, however, that predictions of overall rates based on such assumptions are often within the accuracy of the kinetic information, and for this reason values of k and hD obtained independently are frequently employed for substitution into overall rate expressions. 

Before developing specific relationships to describe cooling tower operations, it is worthwhile to review some elementary principles in developing material and energy balances. In addition, we need to review heat and mass transfer analogies before tackling design problems. The more experienced reader may wish to proceed to Chapter 4 or try the example problems at the end of the chapter as a refresher. 

Our discussion up to now has concerned the cooling of hot process waters exclusively. However, we insisted back in Chapter 1 that a cooling tower is nothing more than a device that transfers heat from one mass to another. Therefore, gas coolers are governed by the same theory of operation and design principles as are water cooling towers. 

Heat and Mass Transfer in Packed Beds, NWakao S Kaguei Three-Phase Catalytic Reactors, P A Ramachandran R V Chaudari Drying Principles, Applications and Design, by Cz Strumillo T Kudra... 

The interplay of mass transfer, partition and enzymatic substrate conversion determines the dynamic measuring range, response time, and accessibility towards interferences of enzyme sensors. New principles for designing the analytical performance by coupled enzyme reactions are presented in this paper ... 

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