Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Examples of Mass Transfer

1. Drying of Cloths
2. Evaporative cooling
3. Transpiration (or sweat) cooling
4. Ablation cooling of space vehicles
5. The rain droplets evaporates
before reaching the ground
 Heat & Mass Transfer

Examples of different kinds of diffusion processes:

(a) Liquid-to-gas: A gallon of gasoline left in an open area will
eventually evaporate and diffuse into air.
(b) Solid-to-liquid: A spoon of sugar in a cup of tea will eventually
dissolve and move up.
(c) Solid-to gas: A moth ball left in a closet will sublimate and diffuse
into the air.
(d) Gas-to-liquid: Air dissolves in water.
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Mass transfer Fluid flow

A fluid is transported from one location to another.

Driving force

Concentration difference Pressure difference

Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Driving force (Concentration Difference)

Air
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Concentration

Amount of a commodity (kg, mole) per unit volume

ρ = kg/m3 Kg/sec
Kmol/sec

Diffusion Rate

Diffusion Rate ∞ Normal area

Diffusion Rate∞ Concentration gradient
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Analogous to
Transfer Heat

ANALOGY BETWEEN HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER

There is close resemblance between heat and mass transfer relations.

Temperature

The driving force for heat transfer is the temperature difference. In

contrast, the driving force for mass transfer is the concentration
difference.
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer Amount of a

species (kg, mole)
per unit volume

Concentration
Mass Basis
Concentration is expressed in terms of density (or mass concentration),
which is mass per unit volume.

Total density of mixture:

Mass fraction of species i:

Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Concentration
Mole Basis
Concentration is expressed in terms of molar concentration (or molar
density), which is the amount of matter in kmol per unit volume.

Total molar density of mixture:

Mole fraction of species i:

Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Mass of 1 kmol of
the substance

Concentration
Relation between Mass and Mole Number

The mass m and mole number N of a substance are related to each

other by;
m = NM M is the molar mass ( molecular weight)

ρ = CM In unit volume
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Example

A gas mixture consists of 5 kg of O2, 8 kg of N2, and 10 kg of CO2.

Determine (a) the mass fraction of each component, (b) the mole
fraction of each component, and (c) the average molar mass of the
mixture.
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Example

The composition of dry standard atmosphere is given on a molar

basis to be 78.1 percent N2, 20.9 percent O2, and 1.0 percent Ar
and other constituents. Determine the mass fractions of the
constituents of air.
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

EXAMPLE 14–4 Diffusion of Hydrogen Gas into a Nickel Plate

Consider a nickel plate that is in contact with hydrogen gas at358
K and 300 kPa. Determine the molar and mass density of
hydrogen in the nickel at the interface
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

ANALOGY BETWEEN HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER

Conduction
Fourier ’s law of heat conduction

Fick’s law of diffusion

Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

ANALOGY BETWEEN HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER

Fick’s law of diffusion Unit ???

m2/sec

DAB is the diffusion coefficient (or mass

diffusivity) of the species in the mixture

ρA is the concentration of the species in the

mixture at that location.
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

STEADY MASS DIFFUSION

THROUGH A WALL
Fick’s law of diffusion

Mass Flux
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

STEADY MASS DIFFUSION

THROUGH A WALL
Mass Flux
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

STEADY MASS DIFFUSION

THROUGH A WALL
Binary diffusion coefficient or mass diffusivity (Gases), DAB

DAB of CO2 in air at 1 atm and 200 K = 0.74

DAB of CO2 in air at 3 atm and 600 K = ???

Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Binary diffusion coefficient or mass diffusivity at 1 atm

Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

STEADY MASS DIFFUSION

THROUGH A WALL
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

STEADY MASS DIFFUSION

THROUGH A WALL
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

STEADY MASS DIFFUSION

THROUGH A WALL

Molar basis
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

STEADY MASS DIFFUSION

THROUGH A PIPE/SPHERE

Molar basis
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Example
Pressurized hydrogen gas is stored at 358 K in a 4.8 m outer
diameter spherical container made of nickel. The shell of the
container is 6 cm thick. The molar concentration of hydrogen in the
nickel at the inner surface is determined to be 0.087 kmol/m3. The
concentration of hydrogen in the nickel at the outer surface is
negligible. Determine the mass flow rate of hydrogen by diffusion
through the nickel container.
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Example
A thin plastic membrane separates hydrogen from air. The molar
concentrations of hydrogen in the membrane at the inner and outer
surfaces are determined to be 0.065 and 0.003 kmol/m3,
respectively. The binary diffusion coefficient of hydrogen in plastic
at the operation temperature is 5.3 x 10-10 m2/s. Determine the
mass flow rate of hydrogen by diffusion through the membrane
under steady conditions if the thickness of the membrane is (a) 2
mm and (b) 0.5 mm.

 C A ,1  C
N diff A ,2
jdiff   D AB
A L
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

ANALOGY BETWEEN HEAT AND MASS TRANSFER

Convection
Newton’s law of cooling

Convective Mass Transfer

hmass is the mass transfer coefficient

Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

MASS CONVECTION

The transfer of mass between a surface and a moving fluid due to

both mass diffusion and bulk fluid motion.

Fluid motion enhances mass transfer considerably by removing the

high-concentration fluid near the surface and replacing it by the
lower concentration fluid further away.
Unit ???

hmass is the mass transfer coefficient

Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

MASS CONVECTION

Low Mass Flux Assumption

(heat – mass convection analogy)

Mass Transfer is very low relative to the total flow rate of the liquid
or gas mixture, such that it does not affect the flow velocity.
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Mass transfer coefficient (hmass)

Prandtl Number

Schmidt number:
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Mass transfer coefficient (hmass)

Nusselt Number

Sherwood number:
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Sherwood number relations in

mass convection
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Example
Consider a circular pipe of inner diameter D = 0.015 m whose
inner surface is covered with a layer of liquid water as a result of
condensation. In order to dry the pipe, air at 300 K and 1 atm is
forced to flow through it with an average velocity of 1.2 m/s.
Using the analogy between heat and mass transfer, determine
the mass transfer coefficient inside the pipe.

Low mass flux conditions

Dry air properties at 300 K and 1 atm, viscosity = 1.58 x 10-5 m2/s
The mass diffusivity of water vapor in the air at 300 K and 1 atm
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

< 2300 (laminar)

 Heat & Mass Transfer

Example
Dry air at 15°C and 92 kPa flows over a 2-m-long wet surface with a free
stream velocity of 4 m/s. Determine the average mass transfer coefficient.
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Example

Consider a 5-m 5-m wet concrete patio with an average water film
thickness of 0.3 mm. Now wind at 50 km/h is blowing over the
surface. If the air is at 1 atm, 15°C, and 35 percent relative
humidity, determine how long it will take for the patio to dry
completely.

Low mass flux conditions:

Dry air properties for the mixture at 15ºC and 1 atm
5 3
  1.47  10 m
2
/s   1.225 kg / m

Saturation pressure of water at 15ºC is 1.705

kPa
Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Air at 80°C, 1 atm, and 30 percent relative humidity is blown over

the surface of 250 mm x 250 square pan filled with water at a free
stream velocity of R m/s. If the water is maintained at a uniform
temperature of 80°C, determine the rate of evaporation of water.

Dry air properties for the mixture at 80ºC and 1 atm

5 2
  1.47  10 m /s
3
  1.225 kg / m

Saturation pressure of water at 80ºC is 1.505 kPa

Mass Transfer

Heat & Mass Transfer

Mass Transfer

Thank You