Definition Absorption is a mass transfer process in which one substance enters and becomes distributed within the bulk phase of another material. Depending on the phases involved, absorption may occur between gases and liquids, liquids and solids, or other contacting…
Definition An evaporator is industrial process equipment used to remove part of a volatile solvent from a liquid solution through evaporation. The primary objective is usually to concentrate the solution, recover solvent, reduce liquid volume, or prepare a concentrated stream…
Definition Evaporation is the vaporization of a solvent from the surface or bulk of a liquid solution. At a given temperature, molecules continuously escape from the liquid phase, and when more solvent molecules leave than return from the vapor phase,…
Definition Back mixing refers to the reverse movement of part of a fluid against the main flow direction inside continuous process equipment. It can occur in reactors, extraction towers, separation columns, and other systems because of turbulence, internal circulation, equipment…
Definition Residence time distribution (RTD) describes the statistical distribution of time spent by fluid elements inside a continuous process unit between entering and leaving the system. In an ideal flow model, fluid elements may follow uniform or predictable flow patterns.…
Definition Residence time refers to the average time that a fluid or material element remains inside a processing unit such as a reactor, separator, or distillation column. In chemical engineering, residence time is a fundamental process parameter used to describe…
Definition Plug flow is an idealized flow model in which fluid moves through a reactor in the form of “plugs,” with no axial mixing along the flow direction and complete radial mixing across any cross-section. In a plug flow system,…
Definition Continuous rectification is a separation process in which a liquid mixture is continuously fed into a distillation column, while products are simultaneously withdrawn from different sections of the column under steady operating conditions. In this process, separation is achieved…
Definition A continuous process is a mode of industrial operation in which raw materials are continuously fed into a system while products are continuously removed, with the process conditions maintained at a relatively steady state over time. Unlike batch processing,…