Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
1) Diffusion in gases
Diffusivities are best determined by experimental
measurements.
The diffusivity of some common gases diffusing in
air at 0C and 1 atm (can be obtained from the text
book (McCabe, Smith and Harriott, Appendix 19).
The value of diffusivities can also be predicted using
various empirical equations.
1
1
0.01498 T
MA MB
DAB
------ (1.50)
where:
respectively
= Critical temperatures of A & B respectively (K)
= Critical molar volumes of A & B respectively
(cm3/gmol)
= Pressure (atm)
DAB
0.001858 T
2
P AB
D
1.5
where:
DAB
T
MA, MB
P
AB
D
k
MA MB
M AM B
0.5
------ (1.51)
= Diffusivity (cm2/s)
= Temperature (K)
= Molecular weights of component A & respectively
= Pressure (atm)
= average collision diameter
= collision integral based on the Lennard-Jones potential
= f (kT/AB )
= Boltzmanns constant
= Lennard-Jones force constant for common gases
AB A B
EKC 217: Mass Transfer - Prediction of Diffusivities
DAB , 2
PSTP T2
DAB , STP
P2 TSTP
------ (1.52)
DAB
P A
1/ 3
1/ 3 2
------ (1.53)
Example 5:
Predict the volumetric diffusivity for benzene in air at 100C and 2
atm by using the rigorous equation (1.51) and by extrapolating from
the published value for 0C and 1 atm.
Solution:
From Appendix 19 (McCabe, Smith and Harriott), the force
constants are as follows:
/k
Benzene
412.3
5.349
78.1
Air
78.6
3.711
29
Thus,
AB
5.349 3.711
4.53
2
AB
373
2.072
180
DAB
78.1 29
0.001858 x 3731.5
78.1 x 29
2 x 4.532 x 1.062
0.5
0.0668 cm 2 /s
1 373
DAB 0.0772
2 273
0.0666 cm 2 /s
Example 6:
In an oxygen-nitrogen gas mixture at 1 std atm, 25C, the
concentration of oxygen at two planes 2 mm apart are 10 and
20 vol %, respectively. Calculate the flux of diffusion of the
oxygen for the case where:
10
Solution:
Given:
A+B
A
NB = 0
pA1
= 0.2PT
pA2
= 0.1PT
2 mm
1.5
298
DO 2 N 2, 298K 1.81 x 10 x
273
2.06 x 10-5 m 2 /s
5
Component A = O2
Component B = N2
11
pA1 = 0.2 PT
pA2 = 0.1 PT
Then, pB1 = PT 0.2PT = 0.8PT
pB2 = PT 0.1PT = 0.9PT
a) For the case where nitrogen is non-diffusing, Eq. (1.37) is used:
DAB PT
NA
( p A1 p A2 )
RT ( z2 z1 ) pBM
and
pBM
pB 2 pB1
ln( pB 2 / pB1 )
Calculate pBM :
pBM
(0.9 0.8) PT
0.849 PT
ln(0.9 PT / 0.8PT )
12
PT
PT
1.178
pBM 0.849 PT
N O2
DAB PT
( p A1 p A2 )
RT ( z2 z1 ) pBM
2
m
2.06 x 10-5
1.178
5 N
s
13
DAB p A1 p A2
JA
RT ( z2 z1 )
DAB pB1 pB 2
JB
RT ( z2 z1 )
14
For nitrogen:
2
m
N
5
2.06 x 10
0.8 0.9 x 1.0133 x 105
s
m
J N2
Nm
8314
(298 K)(2 x 10 3 m)
kmole K
- 4.21 x 10-5 kmole N 2 /m 2 s
15
Ans:
a) Deviation of +10% from the experimental value (in Table 6.2-1).
b) Deviation of +4% from the experimental value.
c) DAB = 3.865 x 10-6 m2/s
16
where:
T
M
------ (1.54)
1
1
1
D pore DAB DK
17
------ (1.55)
3) Diffusion in Liquids
A widely used correlation for liquid diffusivity of small molecules,
called Wilke-Chang equation:
DAB 1.173 x 10
where:
DAB
T
B
VA
MB
0.5
(
M
)
T
16
B
------ (1.56)
B V A
0.6
= diffusivity, m2/s
= absolute temperature, K
= viscosity of B in Pa.s
= molar volume of solute as liquid at its normal
boiling point, m3/kgmole (taken from Table 6.3-2)
= association parameter of the solvent
= molecular weight of solvent B (kg/kgmole)
18
Water
2.6
Methanol
Ethanol
1.9
1.5
1.0
Eq. (1.56) is valid only at low solute concentrations and does not
apply when the solution has been thickened by addition of highmolecular-weight polymers.
19
20
21
22
Example 7:
Predict the diffusion coefficient of acetone (CH3COCH3) in water at
25C and 50C using the Wilke-Chang equation. The experimental
value is 1.28 x 10-9 m2/s at 25C (298 K).
Solution:
From Appendix 9 (McCabe and Thiele textbook), the viscosity of
water at 25C is 0.90x 10-3 Pa.s and at 50C, 0.55 x 10-3 Pa.s. From
Table 6.3-2, for CH3COCH3 with 3 carbons + 6 hydrogens + 1
oxygen,
23
DAB 1.173 x 10
0.5
(
M
)
T
16
B
B V A
0.6
24
DAB 1.173 x 10
0.5
(
M
)
T
16
B
B V A
0.6
25
Schmidt number
26
------ (1.57)
Pr
cp
------ (1.58)