Ammonia-water absorption in vertical tubular absorbers

This paper presents a detailed analysis of the heat and mass transfer processes during the absorption of ammonia into water in a co-current vertical tubular absorber. The absorber configuration is of the shell and tubes type. The absorption process progresses as the vapour and liquid contact inside the tubes. Water is used as the absorber cooling medium. A differential mathematical model has been developed on the basis of mass and energy balances and heat and mass transfer equations, in order to provide further understanding of the absorber behaviour. The model takes into account separately for the churn, slug and bubbly flow patterns experimentally forecasted in this type of absorption processes inside vertical tubes and considers the simultaneous heat and mass transfer processes in both liquid and vapour phases, as well as heat transfer to the cooling medium. The model equations have been solved using the finite-difference method. Results obtained for specific data are depicted to show local values of the most important variables all along the absorber length. Parametric analyses have been performed to show the influence of design parameters and operating conditions on the absorber performance. The effect of the heat and mass transfer coefficients has also been evaluated.