Dynamic Simulation of Packed- and Tray-Type Absorbers

The “cinematic” model is applied to simulate the dynamic behavior of gas absorbers (packed and tray type) subjected to disturbances in the composition of the entering gas. The simulations include linear and nonlinear equilibrium relations. For the linear absorption case, the results of the cinematic model are compared with the analytical solution. For the nonlinear case, the comparisons are made with the numerical solution obtained by using an IMSL package based on the GEAR algorithm. In both cases, very good agreement is achieved. The effect of the number of trays on the approach to the steady state is also shown for both linear and nonlinear cases. Particularly in the nonlinear case, a significant delay in the approach to steady state is observed. The effect of using two approaches of the cinematic model, namely, forward and reverse processing, on the results of the simulation are discussed.