SCH 2108: Transport
Phenomena
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Course Outline
1: Fluid Mechanics
Dimensional analysis
Fluids in motion
Pumping of fluids
2: Heat Transfer
Equation of heat transfer
Heat transfer types
Heat transfer equipment
3: Mass Transfer
Diffusion
Two film theory
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Mass transfer
modern transport phenomena are based on the
fundamental assumption that momentum, heat,
and mass transfer are similar in nature.
mass transfer can be defined as the transfer of
material through an interface between two or more
phases
diffusion can be defined in terms of the relative
motion of molecules from the center of mass of a
mixture, moving at the local velocity of the fluid
the most common cause of diffusion is the
concentration gradient of the diffusing component
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Diffusion
there is an analogy between diffusion and the
flow of heat, in both cases there should be a
gradient as the driving force
diffusion – concentration gradient
heat flow – temperature gradient
in each case the flux is directly proportional
to the gradient
however heat is not a substance but it is
energy in transit
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Theory of diffusion
consider a two component mixture
consisting of components A and B
the diffusion of component A is balanced by
an equal but opposite molar flow of
component B, so that there is no net molar
flow in the gas phase
diffusion of A and B takes place in opposite
directions, but the molar fluxes are unequal
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Fick’s law of diffusion
denote the molal flux by N and the volumetric
average velocity by uo,
N = ρ Mu o ,
where ρM is the molar density of the mixture
for components A and B crossing a stationary
plane, the molal fluxes are
N A = c AuA
N A = c Bu B
where c is the concentration
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the molar flux of component A ( JA) is equal to
the flux of A minus the flux due to the total
flow at velocity uo and concentration cA
JA = cAuA – cAuo = cA(uA – uo)
JB = cBuB – cBuo = cB(uB – uo)
the diffusion flux JA is assumed to be
proportional to the concentration gradient
dcA/db, and the diffusivity of component A, in
its mixture with component B, is denoted by
DAB.
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the two equations are statements of the
Fick’s first law of diffusion for a binary
mixture
the law is based on three decisions:
◦ the flux is in moles per unit area per unit time
◦ the diffusion velocity is relative to the
volume-average velocity
◦ the driving potential is in terms of the molar
concentration (moles of component A per unit
volume)
the dimensions of DAB are length squared
divided by time, (square metres per second)
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from the previous equations, it can derived that:
-DAB(dcA /db) = cAuA – cAuo
but N A = c AuA
-DAB(dcA /db) = NA – cAuo
NA = cAuo - DAB(dcA /db)
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for gases it is convenient to use mole
fractions rather than molar concentrations.
c = ρMyA and
uo= N/ρM
therefore
NA = yAN – DAB ρM(dyA /db)
this is the basic equation for mass transfer
in a non-turbulent fluid phase
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Equimolal diffusion
for equimolal diffusion in gases,
dcA = ρMdyA
JAdb = - DABdcA
this implies;
JAdb = - DABρMdyA
DAB = DBA is replaced by Dv the volumetric
diffusivity
and if the equation is integrated over a film
thickness BT assuming a constant flux JA
and rearranged to give the following:
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where
yA – mole fraction of A at outer edge of film
yAi – mole fraction of A at interface or inner edge of film
equimolal counter-diffusion is a special type
of binary mass transfer, in which equal
numbers of moles of each component are
transferred in mutually opposite directions,
as is the case with binary distillation
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when only component A is being
transferred, the total molal flux, to or away
from the interface, N, is the same as NA and
therefore
on rearranging and integration we get,
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Tutorial: Question 1.
For the diffusion of solute A through a layer of
gas to an absorbing liquid, with yA = 0.20 and
yAi = 0.10, calculate the transfer rate for
one-way diffusion compared to that for
equimolal diffusion. (b) What is the value of
yA halfway through the layer for one-way
diffusion?
[Ans: NA/JA = 1.18; yA =0.1515]
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Question 2.
Ammonia gas (A) is diffusing through a
uniform tube 0.20m long containing N2 gas
(B) at 1.013 x 105 Pa pressure and 298K. At
point 1, PA1 = 1.013 x 104 Pa and at point 2,
PA2 = 0.507 x 104 Pa. DAB = 0.230 x 10-4 m2/s.
Calculate the flux JA and JB at steady state. R
= 8314 m3.Pa/kg.mol.K.
[Ans: JAB = 4.35 x 10-7 kgmolA/m2s]
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