Role of convection and diffusion in a single pore with adsorptive walls

The importance of intraparticle convection during and after the pressurization step of a pressure swing adsorption process is assessed by considering a single, cylindrical, closed-end pore with adsorptive walls exposed to a binary mixture of an adsorbable component and an inert gas. Gas-phase mass transfer is comprised of pore diffusion and convection, and surface diffusion occurs in the adsorbed phase. Concentration, velocity, and flux profiles are obtained inside the pore both during and after pressurization. Solutions are obtained analytically for the limiting cases of no adsorption, no diffusion, and no inert gas. Complete solutions of the material balance equations are obtained by orthogonal collocation. The pressurization rate, the adsorptive capacity of the pore wall, and the gas-phase mole fraction are varied over a wide range to study the relative importance of convection and diffusion under different conditions. Results show that convection makes a large contribution to transport in the pore except when the adsorbable component has a small mole fraction.