In teaching an
introductory, graduate-level
course in diffusional operations over the past several
years, I have been struck by the lack of a dci ivation
of the complete difli ential equation dosci-ibing dlSportion olicts in beds and othei multiple-phase systems. Most authors simply give a simpli find equation applicable to some special case, with no dei ivtion and with only a briefly-stated mentlon of the
equation folliiwing fFGm a water ial balance on a
component in the fluid phase in question, oi- with a
statement i efei i-ing to the comparable equation for- a
singlephase fluid.
For example, Sherwood, Pigfoi-d, and
Wilko II ]
give
rein
-E,(2xrsAz)
=
d
CA
(2ii c rArAz)
where
c
dCA
Fall 1990
E,
eE,
br
+c R + c SA '
A '0
(6)
where each term has the units of Creoles of A)/[(volume of phase i)ttime J.
Equations 6 and 7 represent two different
forms Of th8 complete differential equation