Turbulent mass transfer coefficient

Since the term local in the case of turbulent flow refers to a path of length xa, the local turbulent mass transfer coefficient should be defined as the average... 

In a packed absorption column, the fluid is in turbulent motion. Mass transfer through the Aims is deflned by ky and k, which are now turbulent mass transfer coefficients. An equation similar to that for molecular diffusion can be used to describe the mass transfer. However, in this case, the concentration difference is expressed in terms of mole fractions at the interface. The molar mass transferred Na can be found from Eq. (18). 

With high phase turbulence, mass transfer coefficients are large... 

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 ... 

Under equiUbrium or near-equiUbrium conditions, the distribution of volatile species between gas and water phases can be described in terms of Henry s law. The rate of transfer of a compound across the water-gas phase boundary can be characterized by a mass-transfer coefficient and the activity gradient at the air—water interface. In addition, these substance-specific coefficients depend on the turbulence, interfacial area, and other conditions of the aquatic systems. They may be related to the exchange constant of oxygen as a reference substance for a system-independent parameter reaeration coefficients are often known for individual rivers and lakes. 

Mass-Transfer Coefficient Denoted by /c, K, and so on, the mass-transfer coefficient is the ratio of the flux to a concentration (or composition) difference. These coefficients generally represent rates of transfer that are much greater than those that occur by diffusion alone, as a result of convection or turbulence at the interface where mass transfer occurs. There exist several principles that relate that coefficient to the diffusivity and other fluid properties and to the intensity of motion and geometry. Examples that are outlined later are the film theoiy, the surface renewal theoiy, and the penetration the-oiy, all of which pertain to ideahzed cases. For many situations of practical interest like investigating the flow inside tubes and over flat surfaces as well as measuring external flowthrough banks of tubes, in fixed beds of particles, and the like, correlations have been developed that follow the same forms as the above theories. Examples of these are provided in the subsequent section on mass-transfer coefficient correlations. 

Note that the group on the left side of Eq. (14-182) is dimensionless. When turbulence promoters are used at the inlet-gas seclion, an improvement in gas mass-transfer coefficient for absorption of water vapor by sulfuric acid was obsei ved by Greenewalt [Ind. Eng. Chem., 18, 1291 (1926)]. A falhug off of the rate of mass transfer below that indicated in Eq. (14-182) was obsei ved by Cogan and Cogan (thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1932) when a cauTiiug zone preceded the gas inlet in ammonia absorption (Fig. 14-76). 

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. 

Volumetric mass transfer coefficient, kLa The proportionality coefficient reflecting both molecular diffusion, turbulent mass transfer, and specific area for mass transfer. 

The mass transfer coefficient for non-coalescing air bubbled in the fermentation broth in turbulent regime is frequently discussed in the literature.6 The volumetric mass transfer coefficient is defined by the following correlation ... 

Tlie power for laminar flow is proportional to agitation rate, N2, and if the flow is turbulent the power is proportional to N3Dt2. Let us assume the mass transfer coefficients remain constant (Kha unchanged) ... 

In addition, it was concluded that the liquid-phase diffusion coefficient is the major factor influencing the value of the mass-transfer coefficient per unit area. Inasmuch as agitators operate poorly in gas-liquid dispersions, it is impractical to induce turbulence by mechanical means that exceeds gravitational forces. They conclude, therefore, that heat- and mass-transfer coefficients per unit area in gas dispersions are almost completely unaffected by the mechanical power dissipated in the system. Consequently, the total mass-transfer rate in agitated gas-liquid contacting is changed almost entirely in accordance with the interfacial area—a function of the power input. 

The relation between CAi[ and CAi2 is determined by the phase equilibrium relationship since the molecular layers on each side of the interface are assumed to be in equilibrium with one another. It may be noted that the ratio of the differences in concentrations is inversely proportional to the ratio of the mass transfer coefficients. If the bulk concentrations, CAt> and CA02 are fixed, the interface concentrations will adjust to values which satisfy equation 10.98. This means that, if the relative value of the coefficients changes, the interface concentrations will change too. In general, if the degree of turbulence of the fluid is increased, the effective film thicknesses will be reduced and the mass transfer coefficients will be correspondingly increased. 

In addition to momentum, both heat and mass can be transferred either by molecular diffusion alone or by molecular diffusion combined with eddy diffusion. Because the effects of eddy diffusion are generally far greater than those of the molecular diffusion, the main resistance to transfer will lie in the regions where only molecular diffusion is occurring. Thus the main resistance to the flow of heat or mass to a surface lies within the laminar sub-layer. It is shown in Chapter 11 that the thickness of the laminar sub-layer is almost inversely proportional to the Reynolds number for fully developed turbulent flow in a pipe. Thus the heat and mass transfer coefficients are much higher at high Reynolds numbers. 

Equation 12.105 is often referred to as the Lewis Relation. It provides an approximate method for evaluating a mass transfer coefficient if the heat transfer coefficient is known. The assumption that the turbulent eddies can penetrate right up to the surface is justified however only in special circumstances and the problem is considered further in the next section. 

For flow in a smooth pipe, the friction factor for turbulent flow is given approximately by the Blasius equation and is proportional to the Reynolds number (and hence the velocity) raised to a power of -2. From equations 12.102 and 12.103, therefore, the heat and mass transfer coefficients are both proportional to w 75. 

Obtain the Taylor-Prandtl modification of the Reynolds Analogy between momentum transfer and mass transfer (equimolecular counterdiffusion) for the turbulent flow of a fluid over a surface. Write down the corresponding analogy for heat transfer. State clearly the assumptions which are made. For turbulent flow over a surface, the film heat transfer coefficient for the fluid is found to be 4 kW/m2 K. What would the corresponding value of the mass transfer coefficient be. given the following physical properties ... 

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. 

First, there is a term to account for turbulent gas-phase mixing between adjacent subchannels. This is accounted for by a term that has the form of a concentration difference between the subchannels multiplied by a mass transfer coefficient and the area available for transfer. This representation was used, as it is similar to the equation used for deposition. 

Numerous turbulent mass-transfer relationships are given in Eqs. (39)-(50), Table VII. Although the most important ones in practical applications are those for channels and tubes, several other configurations also have been investigated because of their hydrodynamic interest. Generally, it is not possible to predict mass-transfer rates quantitatively by recourse to turbulent flow theory. An exception to this is for the region of developing mass transfer, where a Leveque-type correlation between the mass-transfer coefficient and friction coefficient/can be established ... 

Diffusion is characterized by a mass transfer coefficient U8 of 104 m/h, which can be regarded as a molecular diffusivity of 2 x 10 6 m2/h divided by a path length of 0.02 m. In practice, bioturbation may contribute substantially to this exchange process, and in shallow water current-induced turbulence may also increase the rate of transport. Diffusion in association with organic colloids is not included. The D value is thus given as Us AwZ2. 

Considerable interest has been generated in turbulence promoters for both RO and UF. Equations 4 and 5 show considerable improvements in the mass-transfer coefficient when operating UF in turbulent flow. Of course the penalty in pressure drop incurred in a turbulent flow system is much higher than in laminar flow. Another way to increase the mass-transfer is by introducing turbulence promoters in laminar flow. This procedure is practiced extensively in enhanced heat-exchanger design and is now exploited in membrane hardware design. 

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