Relation of mechanical power to gas holdup and mass transfer in an agitated vessel

Two devices were developed, mechanical and electrical, to measure the mechanical power relative to superficial gas velocity and stirring speed in a mechanically agitated reactor. Two bubble regimes were demonstrated. The study of gas holdup, obtained from the residence time distribution, and the bubble size, determined by interfacial area measurement, confirm these two regimes of flow. Our results show that the gas holdup, the interfacial area, and the liquid-side mass transfer coefficient are increasing functions of the energy dissipated in the solution.