Partial differential across control

Membranes act as a semipermeable barrier between two phases to create a separation by controlling the rate of movement of species across the membrane. The separation can involve two gas (vapor) phases, two liquid phases or a vapor and a liquid phase. The feed mixture is separated into a retentate, which is the part of the feed that does not pass through the membrane, and a permeate, which is that part of the feed that passes through the membrane. The driving force for separation using a membrane is partial pressure in the case of a gas or vapor and concentration in the case of a liquid. Differences in partial pressure and concentration across the membrane are usually created by the imposition of a pressure differential across the membrane. However, driving force for liquid separations can be also created by the use of a solvent on the permeate side of the membrane to create a concentration difference, or an electrical field when the solute is ionic. 

Export processes are often more complicated than the expression given in Equation 7, for many chemicals can escape across the air/water interface (volatilize) or, in rapidly depositing environments, be buried for indeterminate periods in deep sediment beds. Still, the majority of environmental models are simply variations on the mass-balance theme expressed by Equation 7. Some codes solve Equation 7 directly for relatively large control volumes, that is, they operate on "compartment" or "box" models of the environment. Models of aquatic systems can also be phrased in terms of continuous space, as opposed to the "compartment" approach of discrete spatial zones. In this case, the partial differential equations (which arise, for example, by taking the limit of Equation 7 as the control volume goes to zero) can be solved by finite difference or finite element numerical integration techniques. 

The film diffusion process assumes that reactive surface groups are exposed directly to the aqueous-solution phase and that the transport barrier to adsorption involves only the healing of a uniform concentration gradient across a quiescent adsorbent surface boundary layer. If instead the adsorbent exhibits significant microporosity at its periphery, such that aqueous solution can effectively enter and adsorptives must therefore traverse sinuous microgrottos in order to reach reactive adsorbent surface sites, then the transport control of adsorption involves intraparticle diffusion.3538 A simple mathematical description of this process based on the Fick rate law can be developed by generalizing Eq. 4.62 to the partial differential expression36... 

The solution of the above system of partial differential equations (eqs 4-12) yields the concentration and temperature profiles inside the catalyst pellet, and if necessary across the external boundary layer, as a function of time. However, there are only few cases of practical importance where this complete solution is required, as for instance startup and shutdown periods, dynamic process control options such as the so-called Matros concept with flow reversals (for redox processes), or situations where the catalyst is rapidly deactivated. 

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