Gas solute movement in packed columns—A remote control experiment

• A novel remote controlled experiment was developed to assist students’ learning.
• The sense of reality is improved with a live camera.
• Several experiments can be performed over the lab set-up.
• Experiment is suitable for laboratory and tutorial classes and lectures.
• Students’ opinion about the experiment was evaluated through a questionnaire. Positive responses were obtained.

A novel teaching remote controlled experiment is described concerning the solute movement through an adsorption column. A packed-bed column filled with 5A zeolite was inserted in a thermostatic oven and connected to a TCD detector. The complete set-up can be remotely controlled and visualized alive using an internet connected camera to improve the sense of reality. The experiment purpose was to assist and motivate students regarding a topic that usually they demonstrate difficulty to assimilate, which is the prediction of concentration fronts behavior by using the solute movement theory (SMT). The set-up is versatile to study breakthrough curves and feed pulses. Two loops of 2 cm3 and 5 cm3 allow the injection of O2 or N2 adsorbate species that have different isotherms type and consequently concentration fronts history. Interaction between shock and diffuse waves is addressed for the narrow pulse case of 2 cm3. Also, students are able to obtain the nitrogen and oxygen isotherms at different temperatures for the 5A zeolite (chromatographic method) and compare those isotherms with those obtained by the volumetric method; the latter is used as reference method.