FLUID-FLUID

REACTORS

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Fluid-Fluid Reactors: Design
■ First choose the right kind of contactor, then find the size needed
■ There are two kinds of contactor- towers and tanks
■ These contactors have widely different G/L volume ratios, interfacial
areas, kg and k,, and concentration driving forces
■ Factors to Consider in Selecting a Contactor
■ (a) Contacting pattern
– Towers approximate plug G/plug L.
– Bubble tanks approximate plug G/mixed L.
– Agitated tanks approximate mixed G/mixed L
■ Towers have the largest mass transfer driving force and in this respect
have an advantage over tanks. Agitated tanks have the smallest
driving force

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■ (b) kg and kl. For liquid droplets in gas kg is high, kl is low. For gas
bubbles rising in liquid kg is low, kl is high
■ (c) Flow rates. Packed beds work best with relative flow rates of about
Fl/Fg ≅ 10 at 1 bar. Other contactors are more flexible in that they
work well in a wider range of Fl/Fg values
■ (d) If the resistance is in the gas and/or liquid films you want a large
interfacial area "a," thus most agitated contactors and most columns.
If the L film dominates, stay away from spray contactors. If the G film
dominates stay away from bubble contactors.
■ (e) If the resistance is in the main body of the L you want large fl =
Vl/Vr. Stay away from towers. Use tank contactors
■ (f) Solubility. For very soluble gases, those with a small value of
Henry's law constant H (ammonia, for example), gas film controls, thus
avoid bubble contactors. For gases of low solubility in the liquid, thus
high H value (O2 N2 as examples) liquid film controls, so avoid spray
towers

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■ (g) Reaction lowers the resistance of the liquid film, so for absorption
of highly soluble gases, chemical reaction is not helpful. For
absorption of slightly soluble gases, chemical reaction is helpful and
does speed up the rate

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Straight Mass Transfer
The approach for reacting systems is a straightforward extension of
straight mass transfer

Next Step – add reaction

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Plug Flow G/Plug Flow L Countercurrent Flow in a
Tower
■ To develop the performance equation, combine the rate equation with the material
balance. For steady-state countercurrent operations for a differential element of
volume

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 −𝑟𝐴′′′′ = 𝑎 −𝑟𝐴′′

𝑝𝑈 = 𝜋 − 𝑝𝐴

𝜋𝑑𝑝𝐴
𝑑𝑌𝐴 = 2
𝜋 − 𝑝𝐴
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 𝐶𝑈 = 𝐶𝑇 − 𝐶𝐴

𝐶𝑇 𝑑𝐶𝐴
𝑑𝑋𝐴 = 2
𝐶𝑇 − 𝐶𝐴

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■ Design procedure: For dilute systems the differential material balance becomes

𝐶𝐴 ≪ 𝐶𝑇 and 𝑝𝐴 ≪ π

For any two points in the absorber

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Rate equation reduces to

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Mass Transfer + Reaction in a Countercurrent Tower

For a differential slice of absorber-reactor

For Dilute Systems

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 In general

Dilute Solutions

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■ Solution Procedure

• Pick a few pA values between pA1 and pA2

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Mass Transfer + Reaction in an Agitated Tank Contactor
Mixed Flow G/Mixed Flow L
Mass Transfer + Reaction → Bubble Tank Contactor

Plug Flow G/Mixed Flow L

• Differential balance for the loss of A from the gas because G is in

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For the liquid and the gas as a whole, a balance about the whole reactor

For dilute systems

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 ■ Batch Agitated Tank
■ Mixed Flow G/Batch Uniform L

This is not a steady-state operation,

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Find the Time Needed for a Given Operation

■ Choose a number of CB values, between CB0 and CBf

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■ If pA << π and if E = MH then E is independent of pA
■ case I and III combine to give

Next combine terms II and III to find

This time can be compared with the minimum needed if all A reacts and
none escapes the vessel. This situation is represented by pAout = 0 at all
times

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■ Combining t and tmin gives the efficiency of utilization of A

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Example-1 Straight Mass Transfer
■ The concentration of undesirable impurity in air (at 1 bar = 1E05 Pa)
is to be reduced from 0.1% (or 100 Pa) to 0.02% (or 20 Pa) by
absorption in pure water. Find the height of tower required for
countercurrent operations
The solubility of A in water

The flow rates per meter squared cross section of tower

The molar density of liquid under all conditions is

For the packing

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 ■ First solve the material balance and
since it is dilute solutions use the
simplified form of the material balance

CA3 = ?? CA2 = ??

Evaluate terms

Find % of each resistance offered

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Evaluate

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Example-2
■ To the water of Example 1 add a high concentration of reactant B, CB1 = 800 mol/m3
or approximately 0.8 N. Material B reacts with A extremely rapidly

Assume that the diffusivities of A and B in water are the same, thus

Step 1. Express the material balance and find CB2 in the

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Step 1.

pA3 = ?? pA2 = ??

Step 2. Which form of rate equation to be used?

Check both ends of the tower

Find kAgpA< or > klCB

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Step 3. Height of tower

• using a feed with CB1 = 32 mol/m3

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pA3 = ?? pA2 = ??

Find kAgpA< or > klCB

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1. using a feed with CB1 = 128 mol/m3

pA3 = ?? pA2 = ??

Find kAgpA< or > klCB

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■ Example 5 - REACTION OF A BATCH OF LIQUID
■ We wish to lower the concentration of B in the liquid (V, = 1.62 m3, C, = 55555.6
mol/m3) of an agitated tank reactor by bubbling gas (F, = 9000 mol/hr, π = 1E05
Pa) containing A (pAin = 1000 Pa) through it. A and B react as follows
■ (a) How long must we bubble gas through the vessel to lower the concentration from
CB0 = 555.6 to CBf = 55.6 mol/m3?
■ (b) What percent of entering A passes through the vessel unreacted?

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At Start and at End

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