Frequency response of adsorption of a gas onto bidisperse pore-structured solid with modulation of inlet molar flow-rate

Abstract

We present a theoretical analysis of the frequency response of a continuous-flow adsorber for adsorption of a gas onto bidisperse pore-structured solid, forced by the periodic modulation of the inlet flow-rate. Spherical macroparticle and spherical microparticle geometries are considered. A local adsorption equilibrium of the gas on the exterior surface of microparticle is assumed. It is confirmed that the in-phase characteristic function of the frequency response of a flow adsorber is independent of the overflow parameter, but that the out-of-phase characteristic function is a strong function of the overflow in the lower frequency region. The overall characteristic functions in the microparticle diffusion regime have information of both microparticle diffusion and macropore diffusion. Hence, in this regime we can extract the macropore diffusion parameter as well as the microparticle diffusion parameter from the experimental data of the overall characteristic functions. In the microparticle diffusion regime the capacity parameter of microparticle affects also the characteristic functions.