Molecular diffusion theory

Equations 15.9 and 15.10 are empirical with respect to the dehnition of the mass transfer coefficients, but the form of the equations is based on molecular diffusion theory. Applying the theory to a multi-component mixture where each component has a distinct diffusivity is impractically complex and must rely on diffusivity data for all the components in the mixture. To derive usable equations from the diffusion theory, certain simplifying assumptions must be made. The basis for the derivation of Equations 15.9 and 15.10 is to assume that mass transfer takes place either as equimolar counterdiffusion or as unimolar diffusion under dilute conditions. 

Laminar flow with radial and axial molecular diffusion theory... 

Figure 10.10 (15) also applies the molecular diffusion theories of de Gennes (17), Doi and Edwards (18), and Daoudi (19), which assume that the major mode of molecular relaxation is by reptation. In this way, the chains move back and forth within a hypothetical tube. Relaxation occurs by the chain disengaging itself from the tube, only at the ends, in a backward-and-forward reptation. 

Film Theory. Many theories have been put forth to explain and correlate experimentally measured mass transfer coefficients. The classical model has been the film theory (13,26) that proposes to approximate the real situation at the interface by hypothetical "effective" gas and Hquid films. The fluid is assumed to be essentially stagnant within these effective films making a sharp change to totally turbulent flow where the film is in contact with the bulk of the fluid. As a result, mass is transferred through the effective films only by steady-state molecular diffusion and it is possible to compute the concentration profile through the films by integrating Fick s law ... 

Neither the penetration nor the surface renewal theory can be used to predict mass transfer coefficients directiy because T and s are not normally known. Each suggests, however, that mass transfer coefficients should vary as the square root of the molecular diffusivity, as opposed to the first power suggested by the film theory. 

The dispersion coefficient is orders of magnitude larger than the molecular diffusion coefficient. Some rough correlations of the Peclet number are proposed by Wen (in Petho and Noble, eds.. Residence Time Distribution Theory in Chemical Tngineeiing, Verlag Chemie, 1982), including some for flmdized beds. Those for axial dispersion are ... 

The molecular diffusivity D may be expressed in terms of the molecular velocity um and the mean free path of the molecules Xrn. In Chapter 12 it is shown that for conditions where the kinetic theory of gases is applicable, the molecular diffusivity is proportional to the product umXm. Thus, the higher the velocity of the molecules, the greater is the distance they travel before colliding with other molecules, and the higher is the diffusivity D. 

In this approach, it is assumed that turbulence dies out at the interface and that a laminar layer exists in each of the two fluids. Outside the laminar layer, turbulent eddies supplement the action caused by the random movement of the molecules, and the resistance to transfer becomes progressively smaller. For equimolecular counterdiffusion the concentration gradient is therefore linear close to the interface, and gradually becomes less at greater distances as shown in Figure 10.5 by the full lines ABC and DEF. The basis of the theory is the assumption that the zones in which the resistance to transfer lies can be replaced by two hypothetical layers, one on each side of the interface, in which the transfer is entirely by molecular diffusion. The concentration gradient is therefore linear in each of these layers and zero outside. The broken lines AGC and DHF indicate the hypothetical concentration distributions, and the thicknesses of the two films arc L and L2. Equilibrium is assumed to exist at the interface and therefore the relative positions of the points C and D are determined by the equilibrium relation between the phases. In Figure 10.5, the scales are not necessarily the same on the two sides of the interface. 

Kishinev ski/23 has developed a model for mass transfer across an interface in which molecular diffusion is assumed to play no part. In this, fresh material is continuously brought to the interface as a result of turbulence within the fluid and, after exposure to the second phase, the fluid element attains equilibrium with it and then becomes mixed again with the bulk of the phase. The model thus presupposes surface renewal without penetration by diffusion and therefore the effect of diffusivity should not be important. No reliable experimental results are available to test the theory adequately. 

A pure gas is absorbed into a liquid with which it reacts. The concentration in the liquid is sufficiently low for the mass transfer to be governed by Pick s law and the reaction is first order with respect to the solute gas. It may be assumed that the film theory may be applied to the liquid and that the concentration of solute gas falls from the saturation value to zero across the film. Obtain an expression for the mass transfer rate across the gas-liquid interface in terms of the molecular diffusivity, 1), the first order reaction rate constant k. the film thickness L and the concentration Cas of solute in a saturated solution. The reaction is initially carried our at 293 K. By what factor will the mass transfer rate across the interface change, if the temperature is raised to 313 K7... 

From the penetration theory, the mass transfer rate per unit area N, is given in terms of the concentration difference AC, between the interface and the bulk fluid, the molecular diffusivity D and the age t of the. surface clement by ... 

The devolatilization of a component in an internal mixer can be described by a model based on the penetration theory [27,28]. The main characteristic of this model is the separation of the bulk of material into two parts A layer periodically wiped onto the wall of the mixing chamber, and a pool of material rotating in front of the rotor flights, as shown in Figure 29.15. This flow pattern results in a constant exposure time of the interface between the material and the vapor phase in the void space of the internal mixer. Devolatilization occurs according to two different mechanisms Molecular diffusion between the fluid elements in the surface layer of the wall film and the pool, and mass transport between the rubber phase and the vapor phase due to evaporation of the volatile component. As the diffusion rate of a liquid or a gas in a polymeric matrix is rather low, the main contribution to devolatilization is based on the mass transport between the surface layer of the polymeric material and the vapor phase. 

A final point has to do with the relative Insensitivity of the pore averaged dlffuslvlty on the density structure. Both the LADM and the generalized tracer diffusion theory provide a rational explanation for this fact. The reasons for the Insensitivity may be Identified In the double (triple for the tracer diffusion theory) smoothing Induced by the volume averaging and by the very nature of the molecular Interactions In liquids which makes some type of averaging over the densities In the neighborhood of a certain point necessary. 

Diffusion of small molecular penetrants in polymers often assumes Fickian characteristics at temperatures above Tg of the system. As such, classical diffusion theory is sufficient for describing the mass transport, and a mutual diffusion coefficient can be determined unambiguously by sorption and permeation methods. For a penetrant molecule of a size comparable to that of the monomeric unit of a polymer, diffusion requires cooperative movement of several monomeric units. The mobility of the polymer chains thus controls the rate of diffusion, and factors affecting the chain mobility will also influence the diffusion coefficient. The key factors here are temperature and concentration. Increasing temperature enhances the Brownian motion of the polymer segments the effect is to weaken the interaction between chains and thus increase the interchain distance. A similar effect can be expected upon the addition of a small molecular penetrant. 

NA Peppas, PJ Hansen, PA Buri. A theory of molecular diffusion in the intestinal mucus. Int J Pharm 20 107-118, 1984. 

If ordinary molecular diffusion is the dominant mass transfer process, the kinetic theory of gases indicates that the diffusivity is proportional to T3/2 and it is easily shown that... 

The molecular weight (M) dependence of the steady (stationary) primary nucleation rate (I) of polymers has been an important unresolved problem. The purpose of this section is to present a power law of molecular weight of I of PE, I oc M-H, where H is a constant which depends on materials and phases [20,33,34]. It will be shown that the self-diffusion process of chain molecules controls the Mn dependence of I, while the critical nucleation process does not. It will be concluded that a topological process, such as chain sliding diffusion and entanglement, assumes the most important role in nucleation mechanisms of polymers, as was predicted in the chain sliding diffusion theory of Hikosaka [14,15]. 

Hummel et al. (1966) have used radiations from 37Ar to determine the free-ion yield in n-hexane (see Sect. 9.3.1), but no molecular product has yet been measured with this radiation, which is highly desirable in view of its mono-energetic (2400 eV) character. Mozumder (1971) has developed a diffusion theory for ion recombination for (initially) multiple ion-pair cases, which can be applied to 3H and 37Ar radiations. According to this theory, the track is cylindrically symmetric to start with. As neutralization proceeds, the track... 

The gas A must transfer from the gas phase to the liquid phase. Equation (1) describes the specific (per m2) molar flow (JA) of A through the gas-liquid interface. Considering only limitations in the liquid phase, this molar flow notably depends on the liquid molecular diffusion coefficient DAL (m2 s ). Based on the liquid state theories, DA L can be calculated using the Stokes-Einstein expression, and many correlations have been developed in order to estimate the liquid diffusion coefficients. The best-known example is the Wilke and Chang (W-C) relationship, but many others have been established and compared (Table 45.4) [28-33]. 

Two-film theory (Lewis and Whitman, 1924) the theory is based on molecular diffusion through two stagnant films, a liquid and a gas film, at the air-water interface. 

The two-film theory considering molecular diffusion through stagnant liquid and gas films is the traditional way of understanding mass transfer across the air-water boundary. As briefly described, other theories exist. However, the two-film theory gives an understanding of fundamental phenomena that may lead to simple empirical expressions for use in practice. 

For higher-order reactions, the fluid-element concentrations no longer obey (1.9). Additional terms must be added to (1.9) in order to account for micromixing (i.e., local fluid-element interactions due to molecular diffusion). For the poorly micromixed PFR and the poorly micromixed CSTR, extensions of (1.9) can be employed with (1.14) to predict the outlet concentrations in the framework of RTD theory. For non-ideal reactors, extensions of RTD theory to model micromixing have been proposed in the CRE literature. (We will review some of these micromixing models below.) However, due to the non-uniqueness between a fluid element s concentrations and its age, micromixing models based on RTD theory are generally ad hoc and difficult to validate experimentally. 

In the case of polyethylene, the volatile component was cyclohexane and here, too, good agreement was obtained between the measured exit concentration and the predicted values using Pe = 40 in the solution of Eq. (38) (see Fig. 16). Tliese data also suggest that mass transfer is occurring by molecular diffusion through a wiped film since the exit concentration varies with N in accordance with the theory. It is somewhat disconcerting, however, that the value of B used in the theoretical expression was not reported, and the question naturally arises as to whether realistic values were used to obtain the fit with the data. 

---