Massenübertragungskapazität

Massenübertragung is a German term that translates to mass transfer. It is a fundamental concept in chemical engineering and related fields, describing the net movement of a chemical species from one location to another. This movement can occur within a single phase, such as the diffusion of a solute through a liquid, or across a phase boundary, like the evaporation of a solvent from a liquid to a gas.

The driving force for mass transfer is typically a concentration gradient, meaning that substances tend to move from regions of high concentration to regions of low concentration. This movement can be driven by diffusion, convection, or a combination of both. Diffusion is a random molecular motion, while convection involves the bulk movement of a fluid carrying the species.

Mass transfer phenomena are crucial in a wide range of industrial processes. Examples include distillation, where components of a liquid mixture are separated based on their differing volatilities; absorption, where a gas is dissolved into a liquid; extraction, where a solute is transferred from one liquid phase to another; and drying, where moisture is removed from a solid. Understanding and quantifying mass transfer is essential for designing efficient and effective equipment for these processes. The principles of mass transfer are often studied using analogies with heat and momentum transfer, as all three are transport phenomena governed by similar fundamental laws.