Mixing and solid‐liquid mass transfer characteristics in a three phase pulsed plate column with packed bed of solids in interplate spaces—a novel aerobic immobilized cell bioreactor

BACKGROUND: The pulsed plate column (PPC) with packed bed of solids in the interplate spaces finds use as a three phase aerobic bioreactor and is a potential heterogeneous catalytic reactor. Good knowledge of the extent of mixing in the liquid phase and solid‐liquid mass transfer coefficient are essential for modeling, design and optimization of these columns. The present work aims at the study of liquid phase mixing and solid–liquid mass transfer characteristics in a three phase PPC. RESULTS: Residence time distribution studies were performed. Dispersion number was found to increase with increase in liquid superficial velocities, frequency of pulsation, amplitude of pulsation and the vibrational velocities. Increase in frequency and amplitude of pulsation, and hence increase in vibrational velocity, resulted in increase of the solid–liquid mass transfer coefficient. CONCLUSIONS: The mixing behaviour in this contactor approximated a mixed flow behaviour. The three phase PPC was found to outperform many other kinds of three phase contactors in terms of solid liquid mass transfer characteristics. Empirical correlations developed can be used for the determination of solid–liquid mass transfer coefficients for three phase PPC and hence can facilitate the design, scale‐up and modeling of these columns, when used as chemical or biochemical reactors. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

填料类型对脉冲填料萃取塔性能的影响

采用３０％ＴＢＰ（煤油）／ＨＡｃ／水体系研究了脉冲填料萃取塔的流体动力学和传质特性,考察了脉冲强度和填普类型对塔性能的影响。实验表明装填ＱＨ－１型扁环的脉冲填料 性能明显优于装填陶瓷和不锈钢拉西环的脉冲塔。文中给出了装填ＱＨ－１型扁环的脉冲填普塔的特性速度和Ｈｏｘｐ的经验计算式。     

Effects of Gas‐Agitation and Packing on Hydrodynamics and Mass Transfer of Extraction Column

The effects of gas‐agitation and packing on hydrodynamics and mass transfer were investigated through experiments with air‐kerosene (benzoic acid)‐water system and corrugated‐packing of calendering plate with hole. The holdup of gas, holdup of dispersed liquid phase and mass transfer coefficient increase and the flooding velocity decrease with the increase in superficial gas velocity. Over‐agitation of gas causes over‐dispersion and emulsification of dispersed liquid phase, reduction of mass transfer performance and even flooding. The mass transfer performance of a packed column is far better than that of an unpacked column.     

Mass transfer in a reciprocating plate extraction column — effects of mass transfer direction and plate material

The mass transfer performance of 5 cm diameter reciprocating plate column has been measured with the system n-butyric acid/kerosene (dispersed)/water (continuous). In most of the tests, the reciprocating plate stack was made of stainless steel which was preferentially wet by the continuous phase. During the mass transfer process the holdup and in some cases the Sauter mean droplet diameter were measured. The mass transfer effectiveness, expressed as the height of a transfer unit (H_ax) corrected for axial mixing, depended on the phase flow rates, the agitation rate and the direction of mass transfer. For continuous to dispersed phase mass transfer (c → d), the mass transfer was more effective, i.e. H_ax was lower than for d → c mass transfer under the same external conditions. Qualitative and quantitative observations indicated much larger drop sizes in the d → c case due to enhanced coalescence. Although mass transfer was less effective under d → c conditions, the column capacity was increased. The same effects were also observed when the plate stack was modified by inserting some Teflon plates which were partly wet by the dispersed phase.     

泡沫陶瓷环形填料的流体力学和传质性能

填料是化工气液传质设备中的核心组成部分,其作用主要是为气液或液液两相提供充分的接触面,强化两相间的传质或传热过程．填料的结构和性能对填料塔的技术经济指标具有决定性的影响．陶瓷填料具有耐腐蚀、价格低廉、润湿性与热稳定性好等特点．但其加工性能差,只能做成简单形状,与其他材质的填料相比,比表面积和空隙率都比较小,流动阻力大,传质性能较差,使其应用受到了一定的限制．     

Hydrodynamics,Mass Transfer and Gas Scrubbing in a Co‐current Droplet Column Operating at High Gas Velocities

The main objective of this work was to propose a new process for household fume incineration treatment: the droplet column. A feature of this upward gas‐liquid reactor which makes it original, is to use high superficial gas velocities (13 m s^–1) which allow acid gas scrubbing at low energy costs. Tests were conducted to characterize the hydrodynamics, mass transfer performances, and acid gas scrubbing under various conditions of superficial gas velocity (from 10.0 to 12.0 m s^–1) and superficial liquid velocity (from 9.4·10^–3 to 18.9·10^–3 m s^–1). The following parameters characterized the hydrodynamics: pressure drops, liquid hold‐ups, and liquid residence time distribution were identified and investigated with respect to flow conditions. To characterize mass transfer in the droplet column, three parameters were determined: the gas‐liquid interfacial area (a), the liquid‐phase volumetric mass transfer coefficient (k_La) and the gas‐phase volumetric mass transfer coefficient (k_Ga). Gas absorption with chemical reaction methods were applied to evaluate a and k_Ga, while a physical absorption method was used to estimate k_La. The influence of the gas and liquid velocities on a, k_La, and k_Ga were investigated. Furthermore, tests were conducted to examine the utility of the droplet column for the acid gas scrubbing, of gases like hydrogen chloride (HCl) and sulfur dioxide (SO₂). This is a process of high efficiency and the amount of pollutants in the cleaned air is always much lower than the regulatory European standards imposed on household waste incinerators.     

Mass Transfer Characteristics of Syngas Components in Slurry System at Industrial Conditions

The gas‐liquid mass transfer behavior of syngas components, H₂ and CO, has been studied in a three‐phase bubble column reactor at industrial conditions. The influences of the main operating conditions, such as temperature, pressure, superficial gas velocity and solid concentration, have been studied systematically. The volumetric liquid‐side mass transfer coefficient k_La is obtained by measuring the dissolution rate of H₂ and CO. The gas holdup and the bubble size distribution in the reactor are measured by an optical fiber technique, the specific gas‐liquid interfacial area aand the liquid‐side mass transfer coefficient k_L are calculated based on the experimental measurements. Empirical correlations are proposed to predict k_L and a values for H₂ and CO in liquid paraffin/solid particles slurry bubble column reactors.     

Investigation of hydrodynamic performance and effective mass transfer area for Sulzer DX structured packing

The hydrodynamic performance in terms of pressure drop (?P) and liquid holdup (h_L), and tshe effective mass transfer area (a_e) of Sulzer DX structured packing were investigated at 293.15 K and 101.3 kPa. In addition, the flooding velocity (u_F) was also calculated based on the experimental results of liquid holdup, and the effective voidage correction factor (?) was obtained by combining the Billet model and the experimental effective fraction. The liquid volume method and pressure difference from just below to above the column packing approach are used to describe the hydrodynamic performance in a structured packing column. Experimental results showed that the operational conditions in terms of gas flow rate, liquid flow rate, viscosity, and liquid systems strongly affect the hydrodynamic performance. The experimental comparison between the pressure drop profiles in air‐water (polyethylene oxide [PEO]) and MEA‐H₂O‐CO₂ systems indicated that both the reacting MEA and CO₂ partial pressure can enhance the pressure drop value. In addition, the Bain‐Haugen correlation model was developed to predict the flooding velocity data with an acceptable AARD of 8.1%, and a model was also successfully proposed to predict the values of liquid holdup with an AARD of 11.8%, which is lower than 14.7% in Billet model. Furthermore, the effective mass transfer area was found to be increased by increasing both the liquid and gas flow rate by using NaOH‐H₂O‐CO₂ system. A model was also proposed to calculate the experimental a_e with an acceptable AARD% of 19.52, and this built model (Eq. 39) can reasonably explain the experimental phenomenon. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 64: 3625–3637, 2018     

QH-1型扁环填料用于高液气比操作时的性能研究

在内径186mm有机玻璃塔中 ,对16和2 5QH 1型扁环填料的流体力学和传质性能进行了研究 ,得出了计算其压降、液泛气速、泛点填料因子、湿填料因子和液相总传质单元高度的关联式。并与16鲍尔环填料进行比较 ,结果表明 ,QH 1具有优良的流体力学和传质特性。     

Investigation of hydrodynamic and mass transfer of mercaptan extraction in pulsed and non-pulsed packed columns

We investigated the hydrodynamic behavior and mass transfer characteristics of a pilot-scale conventional packed bed extraction column of mercaptan removal from liquid propane. The extraction column was filled with pall rings structured packing where mercaptan was extracted from the continuous phase to the dispersed phase, accompanied by a chemical reaction in propane-mercaptan-caustic system. The pulsing was introduced into the column to enhance the mass transfer rate. Hydrodynamic parameters such as hold up, flooding velocity and mean drop size were studied together with the effect of chemical reaction on increasing mass transfer performance. Finally, the mass transfer and axial mixing coefficients were obtained from the optimization of data by ADM. It was found that at the pulsation intensity from 0.003 to 0.007 m/s, the maximum mass transfer and minimum axial mixing occurred and it can be concluded that pulsation improves the efficiency of mass transfer just at low intensities.     

Gas‐Liquid Mass Transfer in Pulp Retention Towers

The volumetric gas‐liquid mass transfer rate, k_La, was measured under batch conditions in a 0.28 m diameter laboratory‐scale retention column. Tests on water, and on unbleached kraft (UBK) pulp suspensions (mass fractions, C_m from 0.013 to 0.09) were made with air or nitrogen sparged through the column at superficial gas velocities between 0.0015 to 0.05 m/s. k_La varied with suspension mass concentration and superficial gas velocity, initially decreasing with increasing mass concentration, reaching a minimum between C_m = 0.03 and 0.06, and then increasing. The minimum in k_La coincided with a change in hydrodynamics within the column, from bubble column behaviour below C_m = 0.03 to porous solid behaviour above C_m = 0.06.     

填料特性对鼓泡填料萃取塔性能影响

填料的结构与表面性能对鼓泡填料萃取塔性能有直接影响。利用空气 煤油 (苯甲酸 ) 水体系 ,测定了未装填料和分别装填板波填料、丝网填料、压延孔环填料的鼓泡萃取塔水力学性能和传质性能。实验表明 ,对未装填料和装有填料的萃取塔 ,气相搅拌都可以显著提高液液两相的接触与传质性能 ;液泛速度随表观气速的增大而下降 ;流道设计合理的规整填料传质性能明显高于散装填料 ;表面光滑的填料分散相滞存率低 ,因而液泛速度较高 ;填料的作用有利于降低轴向返混 ,明显提高萃取塔传质性能。     

渗铝碳钢共轭环的流体力学和传质性能研究

采用３００的有机玻璃塔，用解吸富氧水的方法，分别测定了２５渗铝碳钢共轭环和同尺寸的不锈钢共轭环的流体力学性能和传质性能，并作了比较。分析了填料的特性数据和润湿性能的变化对传质和流体力学性能的影响。     

New mass‐transfer correlations for packed towers

Rate‐based calculations for trayed and packed columns offer process engineers a more rigorous and reliable basis for assessing column performance than the traditional equilibrium‐stage approach, especially for multicomponent separations. Although the mathematics, thermodynamics, and transport‐related physics upon which nonequilibrium separations theory is founded are generally true, it is also true that rate‐based simulations today suffer from a serious weakness—they are ultimately tied to underlying equipment performance correlations with questionable predictive capability. In the case of packed columns operated countercurrently, correlations are required for the mass‐transfer coefficients, k_x and k_y, for the specific area participating in mass transfer, a_m, for the two‐phase pressure drop, (Δp/Z)_2?, and for the flood capacity of the column. In particular, it is generally well known that packing mass‐transfer correlations available in the public domain are unreliable when they are applied to chemical systems and column operating conditions outside of those used to develop the correlations in the first place. For that reason, we undertake the development of dependable, dimensionally consistent, correlating expressions for the mass‐transfer‐related quantities k_x, k_y, and a_m for metal Pall rings, metal IMTP, sheet metal structured packings of the MELLAPAK type, and metal gauze structured packings in the X configuration, using a new data fitting procedure. We demonstrate the superior performance of these correlations for a wide range of chemical systems and column operating conditions, including distillations as well as acid gas capture with amines. Further, we show that these new correlations lead to predictions for the relative interfacial area participating in mass transfer that can be greatly in excess of the geometrical surface area of the packing itself. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2012     

Bubble/droplet formation and mass transfer during gas–liquid–liquid segmented flow with soluble gas in a microchannel

Microchannels have great potential in intensification of gas–liquid–liquid reactions involving reacting gases, such as hydrogenation. This work uses CO₂–octane–water system to model the hydrodynamics and mass transfer of such systems in a microchannel with double T‐junctions. Segmented flows are generated with three inlet sequences and the size laws of dispersed phases are obtained. Three generation mechanisms of dispersed gas bubbles/water droplets are identified: squeezing by the oil phase, cutting by the droplet/bubble, cutting by the water–oil/gas–oil interface. Based on the gas dissolution rate, the mass transfer coefficients are calculated. It is found that water droplet can significantly enhance the transfer of CO₂ into the oil phase initially. When bubble‐droplet cluster are formed downstream the microchannel, droplet will retard the mass transfer. Other characteristics such as phase hold‐up, bubble velocity and bubble dissolution rate are also discussed. The information is beneficial for microreactor design when applying three‐phase reactions. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 1727–1739, 2017     

金属斜孔板波纹填料流体力学与传质性能研究

介绍了自行开发的新型规整填料———金属斜孔板波纹填料,在内径500mm有机玻璃塔中,对金属斜孔板波纹填料的流体力学和传质性能进行了研究,推出了其压降、液泛气速和液相总传质单元高度的关联式,并与传统Mellpak孔板波纹填料相比,新填料保持Mellpak250Y相当的流体力学性能,同时具有更高的传质性能,该研究结果对金属斜孔板波纹填料的应用有指导意义。     

CFD Modeling of Bubble Column Reactor Including the Influence of Gas Contraction

In this paper a CFD model for a bubble column reactor undergoing a first order reaction A → B is developed. The reactor operates in the homogeneous bubbly regime and has a diameter D_T = 1 m and height H_T = 5 m. The incoming gas stream contains inerts, varying in proportion from 10 % to 90 %. Three‐dimensional transient Eulerian simulations were carried out for an inlet superficial gas velocity U_G = 0.04 m/s. Due to the consumption of A, the gas phase suffers contraction along the height of the reactor and as a consequence there is a significant change in the gas velocity along the column height; this variation in gas velocity is stronger when the incoming gas contains a smaller proportion of inerts. The CFD simulations show that there is a considerable influence of gas contraction on both the bubble column hydrodynamics and on the reactor conversion. None of the conventionally used reactor models is capable of describing the reactor performance in the case of high gas phase contraction.     

CO2 Absorption Behavior with a Novel Random Packing: Super Mini Ring

Abstract

For the purpose of capturing CO₂ from flue gas the absorption of CO₂ into an aqueous solution of monoethanolamine was measured by using a column packed with a novel packing, Super Mini Ring (SMR). The SMR gave a higher absorption performance relative to pall ring packing due to a larger effective surface area and also reduced the frictional pressure gradient. The absorption mechanism was observed to be mainly gas phase controlling. It was concluded that for the treatment of flue gas the SMR packing could reduce the height of the absorption column by 20% relative to a pall ring packed column.     

Improved gas'liquid contacting in co-current flow

A new method of increasing interfacial area for gas-liquid contacting in co-current flow using screen packings has been evaluated in a 51/2-in. I. D. column using CO₂ chemisortpion in sodium hydroxide solution and CO² physical desorption from water. The study investigated the effect of gas velocity (0.3-2.7-ft/sec.), liquid velocity (0.018-0.1-ft/sec), and of column height (0.67-7.8-ft.) on the interfacial area, a, and the physical desorption liquid phase mass transfer coefficient, K_L. The two types of screen packing tested produced interfacial areas of 2 to 4 times that generated in an unpacked column. K_L showed no effect of gas velocity but increased with liquid velocity, a and K_L decreased with increasing column height. Generally, photographic evaluation gave unrealistically high values of a.     

气-液-液萃取的流体力学研究

在液-液萃取过程中,提高分散相的表面更新速率可有效提高萃取的传质效率。研究发现,在萃取过程中使用气体搅拌可以增加液液之间的接触面积,促进液相内的湍动和循环。本文研究了气-液-液三相下油滴的流动形态,并对不同填料的流体力学性能进行了测定。实验结果表明,气相速度的增加可导致气含率、液含率的增加,从而提高分散相在填料萃取塔中的停留时间,在一定的速度范围内明显降低萃取的表观传质单元高度,极大地强化传质效果。通过与散装填料对比,发现规整填料更利于强化萃取效果,其液泛速度平均增加25%。