LOCAL HYDRODYNAMICS IN AN EXTERNAL LOOP AIRLIFT SLURRY REACTOR WITH AND WITHOUT A RESISTANCE-REGULATING ELEMENT

The hydrodynamic behavior of an external loop airlift slurry reactor (ALSR) with and without a resistance-regulating element was studied with a fiber optic probe and ultrasound Doppler velocimetry. The influences of the superficial gas velocity and solid holdup on the global gas holdup and radial profiles of the suspension circulation velocity in the downer and of gas holdup, bubble size, and bubble rise velocity in the riser were studied. Local measurements allow a better understanding of the flow behavior in the reactor and can be used for CFD modeling and validation. Experimental results show that the resistance-regulating element increases the gas holdup and decreases the suspension circulation velocity, indicating that an optimum design of the flow resistance is needed to obtain the maximum gas-liquid volumetric mass transfer coefficient for a specific superficial gas velocity. A high superficial gas velocity and low solid holdup are favorable for increased uniformity of the radial profile of the gas holdup and bubble rise velocity. Hydrodynamic models that predict the gas holdup and suspension circulation velocity were developed for an ALSR with and without a resistance-regulating element. Good agreement was obtained between measured and predicted values.     

LOCAL HYDRODYNAMICS IN AN EXTERNAL LOOP AIRLIFT SLURRY REACTOR WITH AND WITHOUT A RESISTANCE-REGULATING ELEMENT

The hydrodynamic behavior of an external loop airlift slurry reactor (ALSR) with and without a resistance-regulating element was studied with a fiber optic probe and ultrasound Doppler velocimetry. The influences of the superficial gas velocity and solid holdup on the global gas holdup and radial profiles of the suspension circulation velocity in the downer and of gas holdup, bubble size, and bubble rise velocity in the riser were studied. Local measurements allow a better understanding of the flow behavior in the reactor and can be used for CFD modeling and validation. Experimental results show that the resistance-regulating element increases the gas holdup and decreases the suspension circulation velocity, indicating that an optimum design of the flow resistance is needed to obtain the maximum gas-liquid volumetric mass transfer coefficient for a specific superficial gas velocity. A high superficial gas velocity and low solid holdup are favorable for increased uniformity of the radial profile of the gas holdup and bubble rise velocity. Hydrodynamic models that predict the gas holdup and suspension circulation velocity were developed for an ALSR with and without a resistance-regulating element. Good agreement was obtained between measured and predicted values.     

Hydrodynamics and bubble behaviour in a three-phase two-stage internal loop airlift reactor

Local hydrodynamics of a gas–liquid–solid system,such as bubble circulation regime,gas holdup,liquid velocity and axial profile of solid concentration,are studied in a two-stage internal loop airlift reactor.Empirical correlations for gas holdup and liquid velocity are proposed to ease the reactor design and scale-up.Different bubble circulation regimes were displayed in the first(lower) and second(upper) stages.Increasing superficial gas velocity and solid loading can promote regime transition of the second stage,and the gas holdup of the second stage is higher than that of the lower stage.In addition,the effects of solid loading on bubble behaviour are experimentally investigated for each stage.It is found that bubble size in the downcomer decreases with the presence of solid particles,and bubble size distribution widens under higher superficial gas velocity and lower solid loading.     

三相环流反应器流体力学行为

气升式三相环流反应器综合了鼓泡塔和机械搅拌釜的优良性能,具有结构简单、无机械传动部件、易密封、造价低、容易实现工业放大等优点,在石油、化工、电化学和生物化工等领域得到了广泛应用．随着能源形势的日趋紧张,环流反应器在液相法合成甲醇、浆态床一步法合成二甲醚、煤液化等过程中的应用得到许多研究人员的重视,并取得了重要的研究进展．由于目前对其内部流动行为尚缺乏系统的认识,进行工业设计和操作过程中仍显理论指导不足     

Experimental Study on Bubble Rising and Descending Velocity Distribution in a Slurry Bubble Column Reactor

To determine bubble rising and descending velocity simultaneously, a BVW‐2 four‐channel conductivity probe bubble parameters apparatus and its analysis are used in gas‐liquid and gas‐liquid‐solid bubble columns. The column is 100 mm in internal diameter and 1500 mm in height. The solid particles used are glass beads with an average diameter of 17.82 μm, representing typical particle size for catalytic slurry reactors. The effects of superficial gas velocity (1.0 cm/s ≤ U_g ≤ 6.4 cm/s), solid holdup (0 % ≤ ?_s ≤ 30 %), and radial location (r/R = 0, 0.4, and 0.7) on bubble velocity distributions are determined. It is found that increasing U_g can increase the velocity of bubbles but do not exert much influence on bubble velocity distribution. Solid holdup mainly affects the distribution of bubble velocity while the radial direction affects bubble velocity distribution only slightly. The ratio of descending bubbles to rising bubbles increases from the bubble column center to the wall. It can be proved experimentally that large bubbles do not always rise faster than small bubbles at higher U_g (for example 6.4 cm/s).     

A study of the bubble properties in the column flotation system

The bubble properties in the column flotation system are deeply affected by the bubble-generator type, frother dosage, and superficial gas velocity. This study is to determine the bubble-generator type, which effectively produces micro-bubbles to affect the flotation efficiency. Characteristics for two types of bubble generators like the in-line mixer and sparger are examined by bubble properties such as bubble diameter, holdup and bubble velocity. Micro bubbles generated from an in-line mixer result in the increase of the bubble rising velocity and gas holdup. Bubbles produced at the in-line mixer were more effective for operating the flotation system than that of the sparger. It means that the in-line mixer bubble generator is more effective than a sparger in designing or operating the column flotation system.     

Time-dependent gas holdup variation in an air-water bubble column

Time-dependent gas holdup variation in a two-phase bubble column is reported with air and tap water as the working fluids. The results indicate that time-dependent gas holdup is closely related to the water, whose quality is unsteady and changes, not only during the two-phase flow, but also during idle periods. The significance and characteristics of the time-dependent gas holdup variation are influenced by the bubble column operation mode (cocurrent or semi-batch), the sparger orientation, the superficial gas velocity, and the superficial liquid velocity. It is proposed that a volatile substance (VS), which exists in the water in very small concentrations and inhibits bubble coalescence, evaporates during column operation and results in a time-dependent gas holdup. The influence of bubble column operation mode, sparger orientation, superficial gas velocity, and superficial liquid velocity on the time-dependent gas holdup variation are explained based on their effects on bubble size, bubble contacting frequency and mixing intensity. This work reveals that regular tap water may cause significant reproducibility problems in experimental studies of air-water two-phase flows.     

连续内环流三相反应器局部流动特性

在φ200 mm×2500 mm连续内环流三相反应器内,考察了空气 水 玻璃珠体系反应器内局部流动参数随操作条件的变化规律。结果表明,导流筒内截面平均气含率随表观气速的增大而增大,较之气液两相流,在低固含率时,加入固体对气含率影响不明显,而在较高固含率下,气含率有明显降低,但固体再增加时对气含率变化影响不大。在较低表观气速下,进料浆速对导流筒内气含率轴向分布趋势有一定的影响,但在较高表观气速下影响不大,导流筒内的气含率大于环隙内的气含率且随气速增大差别更加明显,浆相连续有利于气相分散并增大环隙内的气含率。导流筒内循环浆速径向分布呈抛物状,中心高、近壁处低,受进料浆速和入口固含率影响都不大。浆相循环强度最低为20,高可达180。固含率轴、径向分布受表观气速和进料浆速的影响,固含率轴、径向分布基本均匀,随进料浆速增加,反应器内固含率降低。     

浆态床鼓泡反应器中气含率的分布

为了解浆态床鼓泡反应器中气含率的分布规律,在浆态床鼓泡反应器冷模试验装置中,以空气-液体石蜡-氧化铝微球为试验介质对装置内部的气含率进行研究。利用压差法研究了表观气速、浆液固含量等操作条件对反应器床层总体气含率的影响,利用光纤探针法研究了浆态床反应器不同操作条件对局部气含率的影响,总结了反应器内部气含率的分布规律,并由此对工业浆态床鼓泡反应器的设计进行了研究。结果表明:浆态床反应器的总体气含率随表观气速的增大而增大,固体细颗粒的加入能适当降低总体气含率;在反应器底部,分布器对气体的均布作用明显,但表观气速的增大能够弱化分布器的作用;在反应器的中上部气含率不受分布器的影响,沿反应器径向呈现"中间高,边缘低"的分布趋势;在工业费托浆态床中,表观气速不宜低于0.12 m/s,内过滤系统适宜设置于反应器中上部靠近器壁的位置。     

Gas Holdup and Volumetric Mass Transfer Coefficient in a Slurry Bubble Column

The gas holdup, ?, and volumetric mass transfer coefficient, k_La, were measured in a 0.051 m diameter glass column with ethanol as the liquid phase and cobalt catalyst as the solid phase in concentrations of 1.0 and 3.8 vol.‐%. The superficial gas velocity U was varied in the range from 0 to 0.11 m/s, spanning both the homogeneous and heterogeneous flow regimes. Experimental results show that increasing catalyst concentration decreases the gas holdup to a significant extent. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient, k_La, closely follows the trend in gas holdup. Above a superficial gas velocity of 0.04 m/s the value of k_La/? was found to be practically independent of slurry concentration and the gas velocity U; the value of this parameter is found to be about 0.45 s^–1. Our studies provide a simple method for the estimation of k_La in industrial‐size bubble column slurry reactors.     

Hydrodynamics of a Multi‐Stage Internal Loop Airlift Reactor

The local hydrodynamic properties in a multi‐stage internal loop airlift reactor were investigated in this study. The gas‐liquid two‐phase flow hydrodynamic properties, including gas holdup, bubble velocity, bubble diameter, and liquid circulation velocity at various stages were measured by dual electrical resistivity probes and conductivity cells. Detailed studies on the gas holdup, bubble velocity, bubble diameter, and liquid circulation velocity were conducted with respect to various values of superficial gas. The Zuber and Findlay drift flux model was used to represent the variation of slip velocity with total gas‐liquid velocity at various stages and the model fits the data well.     

气升式环流反应器在不同体系下的循环液速和局部气含率

在气升式环流反应器中,分别研究了空气—水、空气-0．1％乙醇水溶液和空气-水-活性污泥体系中的循环液速以及气含率随操作条件的变化规律。实验结果表明,循环液速随着表观气速的增加而增大,不同体系中的循环液速差别不大;导流筒内、外不同高度处的局部气含率均呈自下向上增大的趋势,且导流筒内部气含率高于导流筒外部的气含率。体系的聚并特性对平均气含率和局部气含率有较大影响。     

GAS-PHASE HOLDUP IN A SLURRY-BUBBLE COLUMN

Total and sectional gas-phase holdups are measured in a wide (0.305 m internal diameter) and long (3.7 m) glass bubble column al ambient conditions as a function of superficial gas velocity. Sectional gas holdup values vary along the length of the column and decrease as the height above the gas distributor plate increases in the transitional and turbulent flow regimes. In the discrete bubbling regime, the values are fairly constant in most of the column length except for a small lower portion where the values are significantly smaller than in the rest of the column. This is due to the formation of gas jets at the orifices of the distributor plate. The holdup values are dependent only on the mangitude of gas velocity and do not depend upon how it is approached, i.e., by increasing or decreasing the flow, in the turbulent-flow regime. This is not the case in the discrete and transitional gas-flow regimes. These characteristic variations in gas holdup are explained on the basis of the formation of bubbles in the lower region of the column and their growth by bubble coalescence prior to acquiring a stable bubble size.

Limited experimental data for the three-phase system (air-water-glass beads) indicate that gas holdup decreases as the concentration of glass beads is increased in the mixutre. This is attributed to the increased buoyancy effect in the presence of glass beads which increases the upthrust and hence the bubble velocity which results in the decrease of gas holdup. Total gas holdup data as a function of superficial gas velocity are compared with the predictions of four commonly used correlations and are also analysed in terms of the sectional measured gas-phase holdup data. The inferences that follow are significant.     

大型加压环流反应器的冷模试验

环流反应器结构简单,优点多,因而近年来应用广泛。为了将环流反应器引入煤炭液化领域,建立了大型环流反应器冷模试验装置。进行了氮气-水体系的冷模运转试验,考察了表观气速、压力和表面张力对环流反应器中气含率的影响。在此基础上,对鼓泡状态和环流状态下的气含率进行了比较,并考察了环流反应器的操作弹性,得出了有重要意义的结论。     

EFFECT OF OPERATING CONDITIONS ON GAS HOLDUP IN SLURRY BUBBLE COLUMNS WITH A FOAMING LIQUID

This work presents experimental data on gas holdup in slurry bubble columns with a foaming liquid. The effects of solids concentration, solid particle size, superficial phase velocities and column dimensions on the gas holdup are analyzed. At low superficial gas velocities (less than 4cm/s), for which the liquid does not foam, the presence of solids with small particle size does not affect the gas holdup whereas solids with large particle size induce foam formation and thus their presence increases the gas holdup. In the foaming regime, an increase of solids concentration decreases the gas holdup. The operating mode has a strong effect on the gas holdup: the semi-batch operating mode (stagnant liquid-solid suspension) increases the ability of the liquid to foam with respect to the continuous mode. Regarding the effect of column dimensions, the results presented show that the height of the bubble column does not affect at an appreciable extent the gas holdup in the range 6 < LID < 12. At high gas velocities (greater than 6 cm/s) the gas holdups obtained in a 30 cm-internal diameter column are the same as those measured in a 10 cm-internal diameter column.     

Multicompartment hydrodynamic model for slurry bubble columns

A core-annulus multicompartment two-dimensional two-bubble class model accounting for slurry recirculation and coupled with catalyst transport was developed as a part and parcel of the analysis of the behavior of slurry bubble column reactors at high gas throughputs corresponding to the churn turbulent flow regime. The model analyzed the contributions of bubble-induced turbulence closures, bubble coalescence and breakup phenomena, and catalyst axial distribution as the resultant of sedimentation, advection via liquid-solid slip, per-compartment axial dispersion and core-annulus lateral exchange of catalyst by bubble-induced turbulence. The model was also used to analyze the effects of catalyst loading, gas density and superficial velocity, and column diameter and vessel aspect ratio on the hydrodynamics of slurry bubble column reactors, namely, the per-compartment phase holdups and interstitial velocities, pressure gradient, bubble coalescence and break-up rates, and loci of velocity inversion for the gas and slurry profiles.     

Comparison of Hydrodynamics and Mass Transfer in Airlift and Bubble Column Reactors Using CFD

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is used to compare the hydrodynamics and mass transfer of an internal airlift reactor with that of a bubble column reactor, operating with an air/water system in the homogeneous bubble flow regime. The liquid circulation velocities are significantly higher in the airlift configuration than in bubble columns, leading to significantly lower gas holdups. Within the riser of the airlift, the gas and liquid phases are virtually in plug flow, whereas in bubble columns the gas and liquid phases follow parabolic velocity distributions. When compared at the same superficial gas velocity, the volumetric mass transfer coefficient, k_La, for an airlift is significantly lower than that for a bubble column. However, when the results are compared at the same values of gas holdup, the values of k_La are practically identical.     

Radial Profiles of Gas Bubble Behavior in a Gas‐Liquid Bubble Column Reactor under Elevated Pressures

The effects of operating conditions on radial variation of gas holdups, bubble swarm rising velocity, and Sauter mean diameter were investigated in a bubble column reactor under elevated pressures using a conductivity probe method. Air served as gas phase and tap water as liquid phase with varying gas velocity and pressure. All three parameters increased constantly with higher superficial gas velocity. Maximum holdup, velocity, and Sauter mean diameter were found at the center of the cross section. Two different cases for Sauter mean diameter distribution were observed. The gas holdups increase continuously with higher system pressure, but decrease for bubble swarm rising velocity and Sauter mean diameter. According to experimental results, an empirical correlation of the gas holdup profiles is presented.     

Experimental Study and CFD Simulation of Hydrodynamic Behaviours in an External Loop Airlift Slurry Reactor

The local hydrodynamic behaviours in an external loop airlift slurry reactor, including the gas holdup, bubble rise velocity, bubble size, were measured with a fibre optic probe. The liquid circulation velocity was measured with an ultrasound Doppler velocimetry. Two‐dimensional simulations were carried out in the framework of Two‐Fluid formulation coupled with a k‐? turbulence model. The lateral forces and interphase turbulence were taken into account and good agreement between the experimental and simulation results was obtained. The simulations show that the lateral forces and interphase turbulence have noticeable influence and should be included in the CFD model.     

HYDRODYNAMICS, MIXING AND MASS TRANSFER IN A LARGE DIAMETER JET BUBBLE COLUMN

Experimental measurements for the axial and radial variations in gas holdup, axial and radial dispersion coefficients, volumetric gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient and liquid phase circulation velocity in a cone of a large diameter (122 cm) jet bubble column are presented. Two diameters of the inlet nozzle, namely 10.16 cm and 15.24 cm, three superficial gas velocities (based on cylinder diameter), 3 cm/sec, 6 cm/sec and 8 cm/sec and two superficial liquid velocities, 0.3 cm/sec and 0.6 cm/sec, are examined. The experimental data are obtained for two different bed heights.

The experimental data showed significant axial and radial variations in the gas holdup. The volumetric average gas holdup was higher at higher gas velocity and larger nozzle diameter and somewhat higher at lower liquid velocity. The axial dispersion was high while the radial dispersion was low. The volumetric gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient was larger at higher gas velocity and larger nozzle diameter. The liquid recirculation begins only at the upper end of the cone. In general, experimental data indicate that a jet bubble column provides a high degree of mixing and transport rates.