ABSTRACT
Absorption is a process that refers to the transfer of a gaseous pollutant from the gas phase to the liquid phase. Absorbers are used extensively in the chemical industry for separation and puri”cation of gas streams, as product recovery and as pollution control devices. The absorption process can be categorized as physical or chemical. Physical absorption occurs when the absorbed compounds dissolves in the solvent. Chemical absorption occurs when the absorbed compounds and the solvent react. Examples are separations of acid gases such as CO2 and H2S from natural gas using amine as solvents. Chemical engineers need to be able to design gas absorbers that produce a treated gas of a desired purity with an optimal size and liquid “ow. This can be based on existing correlations and, when required, laboratory and/or pilot plant data. For gas absorption, the two most frequently used devices are the packed tower and the plate tower. Both these devices, if designed and operated properly, can achieve high collection ef”- ciencies for a wide variety of gases. The primary outcomes of the design procedures are to determine the diameter of the column and the tower height [1-3].
