Intensification of Mass Transfer in Hollow Fiber Modules by Adding Solid Particles

A method of improving the absorption performance in hollow fiber contactor by adding a third solid phase into the shell side absorbent is proposed. Powdered kieselgur, graphite, and BaSO4 are chosen as the additives to intensify the absorption process of the CO2/NaOH(aq) system. Ultrasound is used in this work as an approach to make the solid particles suspend in the liquid absorbent. The mass-transfer rate is enhanced about 40% by adding solid particles into the absorbent liquid in the presence of ultrasound. As for different types of particles, the smaller the density difference between the absorbent and the solid, the higher enhancement factor obtained. The enhancement factor is a function of the solids loading as well as the liquid velocity in the shell side of the module. The mass-transfer coefficient and enhancement factor remain almost the same with increasing, pH from 7 to 11; as pH further increases, both the mass-transfer coefficient and the enhancement factor are increasing dramatically. The results also indicate that the enhancement factors increase with an increase of the packing density. The residence time distribution (RTD) curves are measured to observe the Mow status in the shell side; the results demonstrate that addition of solid particles can improve the flow conditions in the shell side. A mathematical model for the intensification process based on surface renewal theory is developed; the calculated results have a good agreement with the experimental results under the present experimental conditions.