Packed absorption columns, thermodynamic

Besides fluid mechanics, thermal processes also include mass transfer processes (e.g. absorption or desorption of a gas in a liquid, extraction between two liquid phases, dissolution of solids in liquids) and/or heat transfer processes (energy uptake, cooling, heating, drying). In the case of thermal separation processes, such as distillation, rectification, extraction, and so on, mass transfer between the respective phases is subject to thermodynamic laws (phase equilibria) which are obviously not scale dependent. Therefore, one should not be surprised if there are no scale-up rules for the pure rectification process, unless the hydrodynamics of the mass transfer in plate and packed columns are under consideration. If a separation operation (e.g. drying of hygroscopic materials, electrophoresis, etc.) involves simultaneous mass and heat transfer, both of which are scale-dependent, the scale-up is particularly difficult because these two processes obey different laws. 

Absorption. Sec. 4, Thermodynamics and Sec. 18, Liquid Gas Systems. For plate columns, see Sec. 18, Gas-Liquid Contacting Plate Columns. For packed columns, see Sec. 18, Gas-Liquid Contacting Packed Columns. ... 

For infinite dilution operation the carrier gas flows directly to the column which is inserted into a thermostated oil bath (to get a more precise temperature control than in a conventional GLC oven). The output of the column is measured with a flame ionization detector or alternately with a thermal conductivity detector. Helium is used today as carrier gas (nitrogen in earlier work). From the difference between the retention time of the injected solvent sample and the retention time of a non-interacting gas (marker gas), the thermodynamic equilibrium behavior can be obtained (equations see below). Most experiments were made up to now with packed columns, but capillary columns were used, too. The experimental conditions must be chosen so that real thermodynamic data can be obtained, i.e., equilibrium bulk absorption conditions. Errors caused by unsuitable gas flow rates, unsuitable polymer loading percentages on the solid support material and support surface effects as well as any interactions between the injected sample and the solid support in packed columns, unsuitable sample size of the injected probes, carrier gas effects, and imprecise knowledge of the real amount of polymer in the column, can be sources of problems, whether data are nominally measured under real thermodynamic equilibrium conditions or not, and have to be eliminated. The sizeable pressure drop through the column must be measured and accounted for. 

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