ABSTRACT

Gas absorption is a process in which the solutes are absorbed from the gas phase into

the liquid phase. Gas absorption is done in a packed column. This experiment is conducted to

examine the air pressure drop across the column as a function of air flow rate for different water

flow rate through the column. As if the pressure drop exceed to certain limit, the flooding point

will occur and the system cannot operate. Thus, flooding point is to be determined to ensure

that the process operate under the flooding point.

 THEORY

Absorption is a mass transfer process in which a vapor solute A in a gas mixture is

absorbed by means of a liquid in which the solute more or less soluble. The gas mixture consists

mainly of an inert gas and the soluble. The liquid also is primarily in the gas phase; that is, its

vaporization into the gas phase is relatively slight. A typical example is absorption of the solute

ammonia from an air-ammonia mixture by water. Subsequently, the solute is recovered from the

solution by distillation. In the reverse process desorption or stripping, the same principle and

equations hold.

Packed column are commonly used in chemical industry to absorb a gas from a mixture

of gases or strip a volatile substance from a liquid. The columns are usually countercurrent gas-liquid

contactors in which gas flows upward and liquid downward. To provide large interfacial area for mass

transfer between gas and liquid, the columns are filled with packing. The very common dumped

packings are Ceramic Berl saddles and Raschig rings. These are older types of packing that are not

much used now, although there were big improvements over ceramic spheres or crushed stone when

first introduced. The shape prevent pieces from nesting closely together, and this increasing the bed

porosity.

Design of the column involves estimation of diameter of the column and height of the

packing required for specified separation. The diameter is determined from flooding characteristics

of the column and, the height is found from mass transfer characteristics of the packing and the gas-

liquid system. The packed tower consists of a cylindrical column or tower that equipped with a gas

inlet and distributing space at the bottom. Besides that, a liquid inlet and distributor at the top while

gas and liquid outlet at the top and bottom respectively.

 On top of that, flooding depends on pressure drop across the column, it being higher at

the bottom and lower at the top to allow the gas to flow upward. The gas flow is usually

turbulent and in a dry column, the pressure drop rises with gas flow with an exponent of 1.8 to

2.0 - a typical feature of turbulent flow. The pressure drop rises with an increasing flow of liquid

because liquid fills up the column and the space for gas flow is reduced. Up to the loading point,

the pressure drop follows the same relation as in dry run. Beyond the loading point, the pressure

drop rises rapidly with gas flow and the liquid hold up in the column also rises. Eventually, at the

flooding point, the pressure drop rises drastically and the liquid may splash back from the

column. The gas velocity corresponding to the flooding point is called flooding velocity and the

column is operated at some fraction of this velocity at 60%.

RECOMMENDATION

1. Always check if any leakage of the unit has before conducting the experiment.

2. When starting up the system, always use low initial air and water velocities. Be sure the

recycle valve to the sump pump is always at least partially open to prevent build-up of

liquid and flooding.

3. Make sure the system is run more than 20 minutes to allow for the system to come to

equilibrium to achieve the maximum absorption for that particular liquid flow rate.