MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF THE PROCESS OF CLEARING A GAS-AIR FLOW FROM SULFUR DIOXIDE IN THE PRODUCTION OF SURFACTANTS

The stages of production of surfactants are given: obtaining a sulphating agent, sulphation, neutralization, purification of the gas-air flow. The production of a sulphurizing agent by catalytic oxidation of sulfur dioxide has been shown. The degree of oxidation is 98–99 %. The unreacted SO2 must be fed to the purification stage. Data are given for a larger air pollutant, sulfur dioxide. The use of gas-liquid operations in various industries is shown. Among the most important gas-liquid systems is absorption, which is defined as a mass transfer operation during which one of the components contained in the gas-air mixture is dissolved in a liquid solvent. The basis of scientific and technological progress is shown on the close relationship between theory and experiment. The basis for scientific research is the modeling process. The modeling process creates the prerequisites for a more appropriate combination of theory and experience in scientific research. A description of literature data with mathematical modeling of packed absorbers for various gas-liquid systems is presented. The importance of mathematical modeling and its use in computer modeling is shown. The data given for most reactions in the chemical industry include substances that exist in different phases. It is shown that sulfur dioxide is responsible for the formation of acid rain, which is one of the most common forms of pollution throughout the world, which is harmful to humans and the environment. It is shown that the approach to designing a packed absorber usually includes the determination of geometric parameters, such as the absorber diameter, the height of the packing, as well as the mass transfer coefficient for gas and liquid flow, dry and total pressure drops, and the total mass transfer coefficient. It is shown that the use of simulation methods and mathematical modeling for the design and optimization of absorbers is constantly evolving. The most developed and widespread computer programs are the MATLAB software. A description is given of a typical packed absorber, consisting of a vertical cylindrical shell containing a support plate for packing material, a device for distributing liquid. The liquid is supplied at the top of the absorber and flows down through the nozzle. The gas-air stream is supplied at the bottom of the absorber. A schematic diagram of a packed absorber is given. A mathematical model of the process of cleaning the gas-air flow from SO2 in a packed absorber is presented. Equations are given for the material balance, calculation of the gas-air flow velocity and absorber diameter, calculation of the packing height, the equation for calculating the mass transfer and mass transfer coefficients, the equation for the hydraulic resistance of a dry packing and the total resistance of an irrigated packing.