Tutorial 12 Packed Column Height
Acetone is to be recovered from an acetone-air mixture by counter-current scrubbing with water in a packed tower. The inlet gas mixture has 5 mole % acetone. The gas flow rate is 0.5 kg/m2s (MW = 29) and the liquid flow rate is 0.85 kg/m2s (MW = 18).
The overall mass transfer coefficient KYa may be taken as 0.0152 kg-mole/(m3.s.mole fraction). The system may be considered as dilute.
What should be the height of the tower to remove 98% of the entering acetone?
The equilibrium data for the mixture are:
The following equations may be used: (subscript '1' refers to conditions at the bottom of the tower, and subscript '2' refers to conditions at the top of the tower; the other symbols have their usual meanings)
Repeat the calculations for the tower height if the liquid rate used is 1.20 kg/m2.s. Compare and discuss your results.
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Ans. Approx. 7.0 m ]