CL319 Autumn 2015 Saturday, 10 October 2015

Mass Transfer

Topic 7 > 7.1 Analysis of mass transfer equipment (contd..)

7.1.2 (Steady state) Countercurrent contact:

The schematic for this situation is shown in Fig 7.2. The symbols have meanings as in the
previous section. `a and `b stand for the places where phase L enters and leaves respectively
(in this case the top and bottom of the column). We consider transfer of A from V to L.

Fig 7.2: Schematic of a mass transfer tower of the differential contacting type. (a) Tower
schematics, (b) y-x diagram with operating and equilibrium line information.

A balance on the solute across envelope 1 shown, which extends from station a to some level z
gives, for steady state operation,
La xa + V y = Lx + Va ya
which, on rearrangement, gives
L V a ya L a x a
y= Vx + V (7.3)
This is the operating line equation for this case, and is of positive slope. The equation is shown
plotted in Fig 7.1(b), which also shows the equilibrium curve. Note
- that the operating line is above the equilibrium line, consistent with the direction of transfer
assumed. A typical point on the operating line may be identified with the point P (see
construction shown to locate the interfacial concentration) in Fig 6.2 in our discussion of
interphase mass transfer rates.

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CL319 Autumn 2015 Saturday, 10 October 2015
- in general, for the direction of transfer assumed, L and V both have their minimum values at
the top of the column and increase down the column; the operating line is therefore usually a
curve, as indicated in the figure. If the mixtures are dilute, the variation in flow rates may be

small and we may use an average value for the ratio L/V , and a straight operating line
results.

- As the ratio L/V is reduced, the composition point at the bottom (station b) moves closer to
the equilibrium value. The value of L/V for which the two curves touch at some point between
a and b is thus the minimum value of the ratio of flow rates for which the desired separation is
possible; for this ratio, the tower height required will be infinite. (In the figure shown, the two
curves touch for the minimum ratio at the top of the column, but this is because of the shape of
the equilibrium curve chosen for illustration).
The existence of a limiting value as shown above is characteristic of countercurrent operation.
The choice of an appropriate phase flow rate ratio has implications on the economics of the
operation. The higher the ratio, the shorter the tower, but more dilute will be the liquid solution at
the bottom and hence larger will be the cost of recovering the solute from it. Typical ratios used
are 1.1 to 1.5 times the minimum.
As in the previous case of co-current devices, a straight operating line can be achieved even if
the solutions are not dilute (or the amounts transferred, small) provided only one component is
being transferred. In this case, we choose mole ratio co-ordinates, and use molar flow rates of
the non-A component in each phase, resulting in:
Ls
Y= (X Xa ) + Ya . (7.4)
Vs

7.2 Calculation of Number of ideal stages:

Material balances on the equipment length scale give us relationships between the bulk phase
concentrations as the phases move through the equipment. For equipment sizing, we need to
look at what is happening within the equipment, i.e., examine the process on a smaller length
scale. We do this for stage wise contacting in this section, and for continuous contacting in the
next.

In stagewise contacting devices, the equipment height depends on the number of stages. Here
the standard is the Ideal stage, in which the contacting phases get to equilibrium, and leave the
stage. The ideal stage is also referred to as the Equilibrium stage or the Theoretical stage.
The number of ideal stages required to achieve a required separation depends on the mode of
contacting.

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CL319 Autumn 2015 Saturday, 10 October 2015
Clearly, the co-current process studied in sec. 7.1.1 is a single stage, and the operating line will
terminate in the equilibrium line if the stage is ideal. This is therefore taken as the model for an
ideal stage. A real stage can be described in terms of a stage efficiency, which compares the
actual separation achieved with what an ideal stage would achieve in some manner. While
different definitions are possible, the Murphree efficiency is the most frequently used, and
compares the actual separation achieved to what would be achieved if the leaving phase were to
be in equilibrium with the exit composition of the other phase. Thus, for phase V, it is:
Ya Yb
EMV = ,
Ya Yb*

and for the phase L, it is:

Xb X a
EMV = .
Xb* Xa

The two are clearly not equal, but are related through the slopes of the operating and equilibrium
lines. Further, while mole ratio units have been employed in the above definitions, the choice of
units depends on what gives a straight (or nearly straight) operating line. One has to therefore
specify the units employed as well as the reference phase while mentioning Murphree
efficiencies.
Stages are usually combined in cascades so that phases flow from one stage to the next, in
order to improve separations over what is possible in a single stage. Since co-current devices
are always a single stage, while combining stages, it is usually counter-current or cross-current
contact that is of interest.

7.2.1 Cross-current cascades:

A schematic is shown in Fig. 7.3, with the corresponding design diagram. Transfer is from L to V

Fig. 7.3. A cross-current cascade (correction needed)

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CL319 Autumn 2015 Saturday, 10 October 2015

These are often encountered in liquid-liquid extraction, leaching, adsorption etc. Here, while one
phase passes from one stage to the other, a fresh aliquot of the second phase is used in each
stage.

Each stage is a co-current device, and the direction of transfer is from phase L to phase V in this
case. The construction of the number of ideal stages required to get a separation from xa to xb is
as shown. The operating line for each stage (assumed straight here on mole fraction co-
ordinates) depends on the molar ratio L/V for that stage. If stage efficiencies are known, the
number of real stages can be calculated by stopping each operating line short of the equilibrium
line as shown by the dashed line.