Statistical models for surface renewal in heat and mass transfer: Part II. Techniques for measurement of age distribution at transport surfaces

AIChE Journal ◽  
1966 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 947-955 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Transfer ◽  
Heat And Mass Transfer ◽  
Statistical Models ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Surface Renewal

scholarly journals A frequency quantum interpretation of the surface renewal model of mass transfer

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (7) ◽  
pp. 170103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chanchal Mondal ◽  
Siddharth G. Chatterjee
Keyword(s):  
Mass Transfer ◽  
Steady State ◽  
Frequency Distribution ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Gas Absorption ◽  
Bulk Liquid ◽  
Gas Transfer ◽  
Transfer Resistance ◽  
Surface Renewal ◽  
Two Parameter

The surface of a turbulent liquid is visualized as consisting of a large number of chaotic eddies or liquid elements. Assuming that surface elements of a particular age have renewal frequencies that are integral multiples of a fundamental frequency quantum, and further assuming that the renewal frequency distribution is of the Boltzmann type, performing a population balance for these elements leads to the Danckwerts surface age distribution. The basic quantum is what has been traditionally called the rate of surface renewal. The Higbie surface age distribution follows if the renewal frequency distribution of such elements is assumed to be continuous. Four age distributions, which reflect different start-up conditions of the absorption process, are then used to analyse transient physical gas absorption into a large volume of liquid, assuming negligible gas-side mass-transfer resistance. The first two are different versions of the Danckwerts model, the third one is based on the uniform and Higbie distributions, while the fourth one is a mixed distribution. For the four cases, theoretical expressions are derived for the rates of gas absorption and dissolved-gas transfer to the bulk liquid. Under transient conditions, these two rates are not equal and have an inverse relationship. However, with the progress of absorption towards steady state, they approach one another. Assuming steady-state conditions, the conventional one-parameter Danckwerts age distribution is generalized to a two-parameter age distribution. Like the two-parameter logarithmic normal distribution, this distribution can also capture the bell-shaped nature of the distribution of the ages of surface elements observed experimentally in air–sea gas and heat exchange. Estimates of the liquid-side mass-transfer coefficient made using these two distributions for the absorption of hydrogen and oxygen in water are very close to one another and are comparable to experimental values reported in the literature.

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