Chemical Engineering Communications, Vol.194, No.1, 69-84, 2007
Mass transfer enhancement of conjugated Graetz problems in multi-pass parallel-plate mass exchangers with external recycle
A new external recycle design at the ends of multi-pass parallel plate mass exchangers with uniform wall concentration is theoretically investigated in this study. The analytical solutions were obtained using the orthogonal expansion technique and the eigenfunction expanding in power series. The results are graphically represented. The influences of the recycle ratio, mass-transfer Graetz number, channel thickness ratio, and characteristic parameter of the permeable barrier on the mass transfer rate are presented in this study. Compared to the single-pass device, considerable mass transfer improvement is obtainable by employing the new external recycle design at both ends.
Keywords:conjugated Graetz problem;mass transfer;multi-pass operations;orthogonal expansion technique