Sample Problem #5:

Using molecular sieves, water vapor was

removed from nitrogen gas in a packed bed at
28.3C. The column height was 0.268 m, with the
bulk density of the solid being equal to 712.8 kg/m3.
The initial water concentration in the solid was 0.01
kg water/kg solid and the mass velocity of the
nitrogen gas was 4052 kg/m2h. The initial water
concentration in the gas was c0 = 926 kg water/kg
nitrogen.
 The breakthrough data are as follows:

t (h) 0 9 9.2 9.6 10 10.4

c (kgH2O/kgN2) <0.6 0.6 2.6 21 91 235

t (h) 10.8 11.25 11.5 12 12.5 12.8

c (kgH2O/kgN2) 418 630 717 855 906 926
A value of c/c0 = 0.02 is desired at the break point. Do as
follows:

  a) Determine the break point time, the fraction of total

capacity used up to the break point, and length of the unused
bed.

b) For a proposed column length = 0.40 m, calculate the

break point time and the fraction of the total capacity used.
 t c c/c0
Solution: 
0 0 0.000
9 0.6 0.001
Plot c/c0 vs t 9.2 2.6 0.003
  9.6 21 0.023
10 91 0.098
10.4 235 0.254
10.8 418 0.451
11.25 630 0.680
11.5 717 0.774
12 855 0.923
12.5 906 0.978
12.8 926 1.000
 1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7 A2
A1
0.6
c/c0

0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1 c/c0=0.02
0.0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
t t=9.6
From data and plot,

at c/c0 = 0.02,

breakpoint time (tb)  9.6

From plot,

the area (A1) above the curve  9.6  1 = 9.6

A2 is the sum of the areas of trapezoid above data points

A2= (12.8-9.6)(1)-0.5[(0.098+0.023)(109.6)+(0.254+0.098)

(10.4-10)+(0.451+0.254)(10.8-10.4)+(0.68+0.451)

(11.25-10.8)+(0.774+0.68)(11.5-11.25)+(0.923+0.774)

(12-11.5)+(0.978+0.923)(12-11.5)+(1+0.978)(12.8-12.5)]

 Therefore, A2 = 1.33

 
Fraction of bed used up to the breakpoint time =

A1 9.6
  0.88
A1  A2 9.6  1.33

Length of unused bed =

A2 1.33
H  0.268  0.033m
A1  A2 9.6  1.33
For a proposed length of 0.4m
By ratio and proportion:

 tb   tb 
H    
  old  H  new
9.6
therefore, tb,new = 0.4 =14.33h
0.268

new A1 = 14.33, A2 is still 1.33

Fraction of total capacity used =

newA1 14.33
  0.9
newA1  A2 14.33  1.33