Multimodal Absorption and Desorption Pilot Plant for Unit Operations Training

Introduction

The Multimodal Absorption and Desorption Practical Training Unit Operations Pilot Plant is an industrial-mimic, pilot-scale educational system designed specifically for higher education laboratories. This comprehensive unit allows students to explore gas absorption and liquid desorption (stripping) processes in packed columns under realistic engineering conditions. Featuring transparent columns for visual observation of gas-liquid interactions, the plant serves as a bridge between theoretical mass transfer principles and real-world industrial plant operations, enhancing students' hands-on engineering competencies.

To ensure seamless integration with your existing laboratory facilities and specific educational objectives, both the hardware configurations and software control systems of this pilot plant can be customized. Our engineering team works to tailor the equipment layout, instrumentation options, and software interfaces to meet the distinct spatial and pedagogical requirements of your department.

Key Pedagogical Features and Advantages

• Three Operational Modes (Multimodal System):
  • Real-Material Mode: Operates with actual chemical components; the SCADA software collects real-time sensor data and controls physical pumps and actuators.
  • Simulated-Material Mode: Uses safe alternative media (such as water and air) while utilizing integrated mathematical models to simulate real chemical behaviors based on valve and flow states.
  • Semi-Physical Simulation Mode: Requires no process fluids. The software detects valve states and drives local digital instruments to show simulated process changes, offering a dry-run training environment.
• Visual Mass Transfer Process: Both the absorption and desorption columns are packed and feature transparent body segments. This enables students to visually monitor hydraulic phenomena such as wetting, loading, channeling, and flooding.
• Versatile Process Configurations: Supports independent absorption, independent desorption, or integrated closed-loop absorption-desorption operations with continuous or recycled liquid phase options.
• Industrial-Grade Plant Structure: Constructed on a robust, two-tier steel framework with a 1.2-meter safety handrail, non-slip checkered plate platforms, and an integrated access staircase, exposing students to authentic industrial safety and maintenance environments.

Technical Specifications

The standard physical and operational parameters of the pilot plant are outlined below:

Curriculum and Textbook Alignment

This training unit is designed to align with core coursework in Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Food Engineering. By performing practical exercises on this pilot plant, students gain direct experience with the concepts detailed in classic engineering textbooks:

• Unit Operations of Chemical Engineering: The system provides practical application for topics such as gas absorption, liquid stripping, calculation of the Height of a Transfer Unit (HTU) and Number of Transfer Units (NTU), packing characteristics, and column pressure drop determinations.
• Transport Processes and Unit Operations: Students can investigate mass transfer coefficients, operating lines, equilibrium curves, and the physical principles governing gas-liquid interphase mass transfer.
• Chemical Engineering Design: The pilot-scale configuration allows students to study plant hydraulics, column design constraints (such as flooding and loading velocities), piping design, and process instrumentation diagrams (P&ID).

The table below maps the primary laboratory modules of the pilot plant to the core academic topics found in standard engineering curricula:

Customization Services

We recognize that every university laboratory has unique spatial constraints, safety protocols, and curriculum focuses. Therefore, this pilot plant supports broad customization. Hardware modifications—including column sizing, piping materials, pump capacities, and structural layouts—can be tailored to fit your laboratory footprint. Similarly, the control software can be modified to feature specific data-logging functions, custom user interfaces, or specialized process simulation models, ensuring the equipment aligns with your teaching goals.

About LABPARK

LABPARK has spent over 20 years serving the higher education sector, providing reliable engineering training systems and pilot plants. We focus on developing educational equipment across six major academic disciplines: Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biology, Food Science, Pharmaceuticals, and Environmental Engineering.

Supported by a modern 49,000-square-meter production and R&D facility, our team has secured 209 technical patents. LABPARK has partnered with more than 289 universities and colleges worldwide, helping departments build practical, safe, and academically integrated laboratory environments.

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