DESIGN OF FIXED-BED ADSORBER

Design Problem

Design a fixed-bed adsorber that is capable of operating for 12 hours. Target breakthrough

concentration ratio is 0.01. State your assumptions clearly.

Process and Operating Conditions

The major parameters that must be fixed or identified are the breakthrough concentration curve,

column diameter, residence time of the influent, adsorption bed height, and time required to

achieve breakthrough.

Design Calculations

The data used in the design of fixed bed adsorber are height of column which is 10 cm, and the

column diameter which is 1 cm. The assumed density for the activated carbon was 0.58. The total

height of the used bed, height of the unused bed, area of the packed column are required in the

packed column.

Breakthrough curve

From the breakthrough curve of 10 cm; 1% w/w dye solution showed above, the height of the used

bed and total height is obtained from tb and td which are 10 and 90 minutes, respectively.

The time equivalent to the usable capacity or the time at which effluent concentration, tu, reaches

its maximum permissible level, Cd, which is 0.92945 while ts is 47 minutes.

To compute the area, we have

𝐴1 = 𝐶𝑑 (𝑡𝑏 )
 𝐴1 = 0.92945(10) = 9.2945

𝐴2 = 𝑡𝑠 − 𝑡𝑏

𝐴2 = 47 − 10 = 37

The length of the bed used up to the break point is computed as follows;

∞
𝐶
𝑡𝑡 = ∫ (1 − ) 𝑑𝑡
0 𝐶𝑜

𝑡𝑡 = 9.2945 + 37 = 46.2945 𝑚𝑖𝑛.

𝑡𝑏
𝐶
𝑡𝑢 = ∫ (1 − ) 𝑑𝑡
0 𝐶𝑜

𝑡𝑢 = 9.2945 𝑚𝑖𝑛.

𝑡𝑢 9.2945
=
𝑡𝑡 46.2945

𝑡𝑢
= 0.2008
𝑡𝑡

The length of the used bed is;

𝑡𝑢
𝐻𝐵 = (𝐻 )
𝑡𝑡 𝑇

𝐻𝐵 = 0.2008(10)

𝐻𝐵 = 2.008 𝑐𝑚

The length of unused bed is;

 𝑡𝑢
𝐻𝑈𝑁𝐵 = (1 − )𝐻
𝑡𝑡 𝑇

𝐻𝑈𝑁𝐵 = (1 − 0.2008)(10)

𝐻𝑈𝑁𝐵 = 7.992 𝑐𝑚

For a 12 hours operation, the length of used bed is obtained by the ratio of the breakpoint times

multiplied by the old bed height;

𝑡𝑏𝑛𝑒𝑤
𝐻𝐵 = (𝐻𝐵 )
𝑡𝑏

12ℎ(60𝑚𝑖𝑛. )
𝐻𝐵 = (2.008 𝑐𝑚)
30𝑚𝑖𝑛.

𝐻𝐵 = 48.192 𝑐𝑚

𝐻𝑇 = 𝐻𝐵 + 𝐻𝑈𝑁𝐵

𝐻𝑇 = 48.192𝑐𝑚 + 7.992𝑐𝑚

𝐻𝑇 = 56.184 𝑐𝑚

The total length of the fixed-bed adsorber that is capable of operating for 12 hours is 56.184 cm.