Effect of velocity variation on equilibrium calculations from multicomponent breakthrough experiments

In most lab-scale breakthrough experiments, pressure dynamics can be ignored by using an efficient back pressure regulator. However, the effect of flow variation becomes significant for sorbate concentrations greater than 20%. In this case, the most appropriate way would be to monitor the exit flow rate, as well as the sorbate concentration with time. Previous study shows that for a single component, the adsorption and desorption expressions for mean residence time provide practically useful approximations to the effect of flow variation without the need for actually measuring the exit flow rate. In this paper, the analysis is extended to include multicomponent equilibrium calculation from breakthrough experiments. Details of the study are presented and the result discussed.