Experimental and theoretical investigation of molecular diffusion coefficient of propylene in NMP

Abstract

In this study, the absorption of propylene in N-methyl pyrolidone (NMP) was experimentally performed at three different temperatures (276.15, 293.15, and 328.15K) using the pressure decay method and as a result, the equilibrium data, Henry's law constants, and kinetic data were reported. It was shown that the solubility and diffusivity are two important factors affecting the kinetic behavior of the system. This absorption system was mathematically modeled using Fick's second law accompanied by a time dependent boundary condition. An analytical method followed by numerical optimization was used to estimate the diffusion coefficient of propylene in NMP at different operating temperatures. The results demonstrated that the calculated diffusion coefficient obeys an Arrhenius type model. The resulting mathematical model was applied to calculate the number of absorbed moles of the gas. It shows a deviation of about 10% in comparison with the experimental measurements. Furthermore, the time dependent concentration profile along the liquid depth was also predicted.