Chapter 7
Chapter 7
▪ Mass transfer occurs in many processes, such as absorption, evaporation, drying, precipitation, membrane
filtration, and distillation.
Example of mass transfer operations
▪ Distillation, evaporation, Extraction processes as indicates in figure below.
Example of mass transfer operations
▪ Drying, absorption, adsorption and membrane filtration as indicated below.
Mechanisms of mass transfer
▪ There are basically two modes of mass transfer:
▪ Mass Transfer by Diffusion - the transport of mass by random molecular motion
in sluggish or laminar flowing fluids.
▪ To enhance its rate of mixing, a mechanical agitation is provided and this will cause a
turbulent motion. This method of mass transfer is known as eddy or turbulent or
convective diffusion.
Diffusivity or diffusion coefficient
▪ Diffusion mainly depends upon the concentration gradient. In other words, the
driving force for diffusion to occur is concentration gradient.
▪ This mass transfer phenomenon is defined by Fick’s first law of diffusion, which
states that molar flux is directly proportional to the concentration gradient.
▪ Mathematically, it can be expressed as:
▪ Mass transfer involves both mass diffusion occurring at a molecular scale and bulk transport of mass
due to convection flow.
Mass transfer coefficient
▪ The mass transfer coefficient is a diffusion rate constant that relates the mass transfer rate,
mass transfer area, and concentration change as a driving force.
▪ Note that:
➢ Rate of mass transfer ∝ concentration gradient.
➢ Rate of mass transfer ∝ Area of contact between the phases.
Mass transfer coefficient
▪ The specific definition and calculation of mass transfer coefficients can vary depending
on the type of mass transfer process and the system involved.
▪ Here are some common scenarios:
▪ Gas – liquid mas transfer
▪ Liquid – liquid mass transfer
▪ Solid – gas mass transfer
▪ Packed bed mass transfer
▪ Determining mass transfer coefficients often involves experimental measurements or complex
simulations, as they depend on various factors, including the physical properties of the
substances, fluid dynamics, and the specific geometries of the systems.
▪ Accurate values of mass transfer coefficients are essential for designing and optimizing
chemical/food processes and equipment.
Interphase mass transfer
▪ Interphase mass transfer refers to the transport of a particular species across the
interface or boundary between two phases.
▪ Examples: distillation, liquid – liquid extraction