ENHANCEMENT FACTOR OF GAS ABSORPTION ACCOMPANIED BY REVERSIBLE CYCLIC CHEMICAL REACTIONS

Theoretical effect of mass transfer by reversible cyclic chemical reactions is studied in this paper. On the basis of the film theory, an analytical equation has been derived to express the enhancement factor of gas absorption with first-order reversible cyclic chemical reactions. The finite difference method has been used to study the enhancement of gas absorption with second-order reversible cyclic reactions. The results indicate that the gas absorption rate is enhanced by the forward reaction rate, while is suppressed by the backward reaction. Although the diffusivity has some effects on enhancement factor, the influence is not as much as that of reaction rate. The theoretical equations are used to predict the enhancement factors for absorptions of carbon dioxide in acidic solution and l-butene in liquid phosphoric acid.