Hmm… I don’t recall this discussion, but it sounds like something I would say, @Akoyeh . Thanks, @CuriousChemist22 !
Any time the vapor particles/molecules go from high pressure (compact) to low pressure (e x p a n d e d), we increase the degrees of freedom in their translation (motion from place to place) or, in other words, their Mean Free Path (MFP).
If you think about this along with Newton’s 1st Law (ϟ), then it stands to reason that particles with more space between them are less likely to run solely into each other on their way through a vessel (read: like bumper cars that run ONLY into other bumper cars and never run into a wall), and more likely to run in straight lines for longer distances without changing direction…
So, if there IS NO STRAIGHT PATH through the vessel in the first place, as it is thoroughly crowded with (relative to a molecule) planet-sized solid spheres of porous adsorbents, then the molecules moving in longer straight lines are more likely to run into a planet before they bounce off another molecule (or perhaps 300) to ricochet around every planet in the space!
Sometimes it may seem intuitive that higher pressure = more adsorption, but in this scenario, perhaps you can see how stochastic (random) motion could potentially result in LESS adsorption, yes?
(ϟ) Newton’s 1st Law, The Law of Inertia, states that “every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change state by the action of an external force.”
How would droplet size affect adsorption in molecular sieve? I can’t imagine individual water molecules are floating independentlyand get completely absorbed when crashing until a zeolite planet. I would imagine it reduces the droplet size before it smashes into another planet. The question is, "how many collisions have to happen and how many extra planets are needed to make sure that no more collisions are happening before the gas leaves the matrix? "
It could be low pressure. I have a 12” to 1/2”fnpt jacketed reducer and I have that only currently applying heat to situation. The splatter column is a 12”x36” jacket and I don’t use the larger jacket for the sides. I will use both once I’m doing dual column runs and twice as much tane per run. But for the one column I just use the jacket on reducer. I run recovery pump while the runs getting into the splatter. Then I take the pump out of the line and just use a male to male union and let the tane recover on its own. I find the flow rate is faster then with the trs pump and much less heat going into the coil. While it’s passively recovering the bulk of the splatter is where I see the terps. Take a pic or vid next run maybe to show. Then I reconnect the trs to get the residual out of the system before I close valves vent and disassemble.
@highestzen , droplets of an adsorbate can be adsorbed practically all at once. Due to the phenomena of surface tension, capillary action, H-bonding, and other attractive forces between molecules of the same or similar type, those on the far end of a droplet in contact with zeolite surface will be dragged into the zeolite as those on the closest end of the droplet are aBsorbed deeper into the solid particle.
This is collectively known as “wicking”.
