5. Physical absorption: contactor sizing

Generally speaking, the sizing of gas-liquid contactors in the presence of simple physical absorption is based on :

• knowledge of the flow of the two phases within the absorber. The flow behavior of the phases can be of the "piston", "perfectly agitated" or "any" type, as the two phases do not automatically behave in the same way;

• the writing of material balances, which will be different for each hydrodynamic behavior, hence the difficulty of having a single model covering all material exchangers;

• solving all the hydrodynamic and material transfer equations, to deduce the absorber's characteristic dimensions (usually diameter and height).

However, it is possible to propose methodologies for specific situations which, in reality, correspond...