Mass transfer coefficients in a pulsed packed extraction column

The volumetric overall mass transfer coefficients have been measured in a pulsed packed extraction column using diffusion model for the toluene/acetone/water system. The experiments were carried out for both mass transfer directions. The effects of operational variables such as pulsation intensity and dispersed and continuous phases flow rates on volumetric overall mass transfer coefficients have been investigated. The experimental findings indicate that pulsation intensity and mass transfer direction have great influence on volumetric overall mass transfer coefficient. Significant, but weaker, are the effects of continuous and dispersed phase flow rates. The experimental results obtained in the present work are compared with some other types of extraction columns. Finally, two empirical correlations for prediction of the continuous phase overall mass transfer coefficient is derived in terms of Sherwood and Reynolds numbers. Good agreement between prediction and experiments was found for all operating conditions that were investigated.     

Computation and measurements of mass transfer and dispersion coefficients in fluidized beds

Conventional design of circulating fluidized beds requires the knowledge of dispersion and mass transfer coefficients, expressed in dimensionless forms as Sherwood numbers. However, these are known to vary by five or more orders of magnitude. Furthermore, the Sherwood numbers for fine particles reported in the literature are several orders of magnitude lower than the Sherwood number of two for diffusion to a single particle. We have shown that by replacing the particle diameter in the conventional Sherwood number with cluster or bubble diameter, the modified Sherwood number is again of the order of two.We have also shown that the kinetic theory based computational fluid dynamics codes correctly compute the dispersion and mass transfer coefficients. Hence, the kinetic theory based computational fluid dynamics codes can be used for fluidized bed reactor design without any such inputs.     

Axial mixing and mass transfer investigation in a pulsed packed liquid–liquid extraction column using plug flow and axial dispersion models

In this research work, the volumetric overall mass transfer coefficient based on continuous-phase (K_oca) and axial dispersion coefficients of phases (E_c, E_d) in a pilot Pulsed Packed Liquid Extraction Column (PPLEC) have been studied using plug flow model (PFM) and axial dispersion model (ADM). Experiments have been carried out using standard systems of water/acetone/toluene and water/acetone/n-butyl–acetate. Values of K_oca evaluated by ADM are greater than those of PFM by about 20% indicating that the axial mixing lowers the performance of PPLEC. It was found that the drop-size distribution is the main cause of the axial mixing in PPLEC. Increase in dispersed phase flow rate (Q_d), increases all K_oca, E_d and E_c and the minimum values of both E_d and E_c and the maximum values of K_oca are in pulse intensity ranges of 0.8–1 cm/s. Finally, three empirical correlations are proposed for the prediction of these parameters which are in good agreement with the experimental data.     

New predictive correlation for mass transfer coefficient in structured packed extraction columns

Developments in the area of packed columns, particularly structured packed columns, are ongoing, specifically in the area of liquid–liquid extractions in different industries. In the present study, mass transfer coefficients have been obtained experimentally in a structured packed extraction column to develop a new correlation for prediction of continuous phase Sherwood number. The experiments were carried out for toluene/acetic acid/water and n-butyl acetate/acetic acid/water systems with counter current flow in different heights of column. A new dimensionless parameter, d₃₂/h, is introduced in proposed equation. This number considers the effect of column height (h) and mean drop diameter (d₃₂) jointly. The main advantage of this approach is that the principal effect of column height is considered in correlation without which the experimental data could not be fitted with a acceptable accuracy.     

Extraction of rare earth metals with a multistage mixer-settler extraction column

Extraction behavior of rare earth metals within a mixer-settler extraction column has been analyzed with the stage efficiency calculated from mass transfer coefficients and interfacial area. The mass transfer coefficient within the dispersed drops is determined from a rigid sphere model by taking into account the residence time distribution of drops, and the coefficient around the drops is calculated by Ranz-Marshall's correlation with the terminal settling velocity of a rigid sphere. The interfacial area of dispersed drops is calculated by the use of correlations for the drop diameter and the holdup of dispersed phase in the mixer-settler extraction column. The calculated results for the separation of samarium and gadolinium with a five-stage mixer-settler extraction column are compared with the experimental results at various agitation speeds and flow ratios between two phases. The extraction behavior in the multistage column is explained by a model based on the hydrodynamics and the mass transfer within the mixer. Effects of the pH value in aqueous phase, the extractant concentration in organic phase and the number of stages on the extraction behavior in the mixer-settler column are also shown.     

Prediction of mass transfer coefficients in a pulsed disc and doughnut extraction column

A study of the mass transfer performance for a pulsed disc and doughnut extraction column has been presented for a range of operating conditions. The mass transfer performance has been investigated for both directions of mass transfer. This study has examined the mass transfer coefficients which has incorporated the effects of back‐mixing in the continuous phase. The effect of operating variables including pulsation intensity and dispersed and continuous phase velocities on volumetric overall mass transfer coefficient has been investigated. The experiments showed that mixer‐settler, transition and emulsion regimes exist in the column depending on the pulse characteristics. In the present work, effective diffusivity is substituted for molecular diffusivity in the Gröber equation for estimation of overall mass transfer coefficients. The enhancement factor is determined experimentally and there from a single empirical correlation is derived for prediction of enhancement factor in terms of Reynolds number, holdup and Eötvös number for all operating regimes and each mass transfer direction. The experimental results are in very good agreement with the values calculated by the proposed equation. © 2011 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Effect of contaminants on mass transfer coefficients in bubble column and airlift contactors

In this work, the effects of surface-active contaminants on mass transfer coefficients k_La and k_L were studied in two different bubble contactors. The oxygen transfer coefficient, k_L, was obtained from the volumetric oxygen transfer coefficient, k_La, since the specific interfacial area, a, could be determined from the fractional gas holdup, ε, and the average bubble diameter, d₃₂. Water at different heights and antifoam solutions of 0.5- were used as working media, under varying gas sparging conditions, in small-scale bubble column and rectangular airlift contactors of 6.7 and capacity, respectively. Both the antifoam concentration and the bubble residence time were shown to control k_La and k_L values over a span of almost 400%. A theoretical interpretation is proposed based on modelling the kinetics of single bubble contamination, followed by sudden surface transition from mobile to rigid condition, in accordance with the stagnant cap model. Model results match experimental k_L data within ±30%.     

Modeling and simulation of a horizontal pulsed sieve-plate extraction column using axial dispersion model

In this research, the impact of pulsation intensity and phase flow rates on the volumetric overall mass transfer coefficients based on the continuous phase (K_oca) and the axial dispersion coefficients of phases in a horizontal pulsed sieve-plate column has been investigated using axial dispersion model. The toluene-acetone-water and butyl acetate-acetone-water systems with acetone transfer in both directions were used. In this study, the flow regime transition from pseudo-dispersion regime to emulsion regime has been characterized. Two new correlations have been proposed for prediction of K_oca and E_c.     

Modeling the axial distribution of mass transfer coefficient in an agitated-pulsed extraction column

The dispersed phase holdup and drop size in solvent extraction columns vary along the column height and this affects the mass transfer coefficient and interfacial area. In this article, mass transfer study was performed experimentally using a 25 mm diameter agitated pulsed column. The axial distribution of mass transfer coefficient was determined by coupling population balance equation and axial dispersion model by taking the longitudinal variation in hydrodynamic performance into consideration. Feasibility of different mass transfer models in predicting concentration profiles was evaluated and a novel correlation based on effective diffusivity was developed. The results showed that both overall and volumetric mass transfer coefficients have significant change along the column height and greatly depends on the agitation speed and pulsation intensity. Increasing dispersed phase velocity also augments the overall mass transfer coefficient. The maximum number of transfer unit was measured to be 10 m⁻¹ at agitation speed of 1000 rpm.     

Correlations for liquid-phase mass transfer coefficients in bubble column reactors with newtonian and non-newtonian fluids

The earlier work of Calderbank and Moo-Young (1961) dealing with the liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient in gas-liquid dispersions is examined. Their well-known empirical correlations for small and large bubbles which are free to move under gravity are theoretically derived. The analyses are based on the approach for natural convection mass transfer, and include the case where the fluid is non-Newtonian. The predictions of the models are compared with reported experimental data and correlations.     

Mixing in bubble columns: a new approach for characterizing dispersion coefficients

Use of bubble columns as photobioreactors requires a quantitative knowledge of radial mixing in these columns. A complete model of liquid-phase dispersion was used to simultaneously characterize axial and radial mixing in a relatively large (0.06 m³, 2.3 m tall, 0.193 m in diameter) bubble column photobioreactor. Axial and radial dispersion coefficients and mixing times were determined in tap water and sea water for superficial aeration velocities of up to . The measured axial dispersion coefficients (D_z) were generally consistent with the predictions of the well established correlations, thus validating the complete dispersion model used in the analysis. The D_z values ranged from ∼150 to and were highly reproducible. There was evidence that the existing literature data on D_z in bubble columns are slightly underestimated, as consistent underestimation was found to be a characteristic of the widely used dispersion model that disregards radial dispersion. The value of the radial dispersion coefficient was typically about 1% of the D_z value under any given condition. Except at incipient aeration, the radial dispersion coefficient was not as sensitive to the magnitude of the aeration rate as was the axial dispersion coefficient. The mixing time data were generally consistent with the existing correlations.     

A dynamic forward mixing model for evaluating the mass transfer performances of an extraction column

It is well known that the droplet behavior of the dispersed phase in extraction equipments has a strong influence on the mass transfer performances. It is, and will continuously be a key project for design and scaling up of extraction columns. In this work, a dynamic mass transfer model, considering the effect of forward mixing led by the drop size distribution and the axial mixing of the continuous phase, has been developed, by which the axial mixing characteristic can be easily evaluated when a stimulus-response dynamic curve is obtained. In order to test the mass transfer model and to study in the effect of droplet coalescence on mass transfer performance, a typical experimental system of 30% tributyl phosphate (in kerosene)-nitric acid-water with interface intension of 0.00995 N/m was chosen to investigate the mass transfer in a coalescence-dispersion pulsed-sieve-plate extraction column (CDPSEC) with 150 mm in diameter. The two-point dynamic method was applied to get the stimulus-response curves. With these results the axial mixing of the CDPSEC were evaluated. The calculated results showed that the response curves could be predicted with the new mass transfer model very well. The model has marked advantages over the traditional diffusion model. It is closer to the practice, easier to solve for the mathematical equations and boundary conditions, and has only one parameter to be optimized. The calculated results also showed that the influence of local coalescence of droplets on mass transfer performances is obvious.     

Estimation of axial dispersion in pulsed-plate extraction columns

In this study, a two-region physical model was used to quantitatively estimate axial dispersion in pulsed-plate extraction columns, considering the operating conditions, geometry parameters and the physical properties of the experimental system. The calculated results fit the experimental axial dispersion coefficients well in nine geometries of pulsed-plate columns. This model is of importance to the design and scale-up of pulsed-plate extraction columns.     

填料塔中磷酸钠缓冲溶液吸收低体积分数SO2的体积传质系数

为满足磷酸一钠和二钠缓冲溶液脱硫设计开发的需要,采用磷酸钠缓冲盐溶液为吸收剂,测定和计算了在鲍尔环填料塔中磷酸钠溶液吸收模拟烟气中SO2的体积总传质系数KYa.在常温常压下,考察了空塔气速、喷淋密度、入口SO2体积分数、吸收液磷酸根浓度和初始pH等工艺参数对KYa的影响.结果表明,KYa随着空塔气速、喷淋密度、初始pH和磷酸根浓度的增加而增大;随着入口SO2体积分数的增加先增加后减小;该体系的传质过程受气膜和液膜共同控制.     

Gas-side mass transfer coefficients in a falling film microreactor

Gas–liquid mass transfer in a falling film microreactor (FFMR) with 29 microchannels (0.6 mm width each) was investigated. CO₂ was absorbed from a CO₂/N₂ gaseous mixture into a NaOH aqueous solution and the liquid-side mass transfer coefficient and the gas-side mass transfer coefficient were measured. The influence of gas concentration on the value of gas-side mass transfer coefficient has been discussed.     

Heat and mass transfer correlations and bifurcation analysis of catalytic monoliths with developing flows

We review and compare the literature correlations for estimating the heat and mass transfer coefficients as well as pressure drop in catalytic monoliths with simultaneously developing velocity, concentration and temperature profiles. We present accurate correlations for estimating the local Nusselt and Sherwood numbers for developing flows with constant flux (slow reaction) and constant wall concentration or temperature (fast reaction) cases for a channel of arbitrary shape. These new correlations need only a single parameter, namely, the asymptotic value, which depends on the channel geometric shape. We establish the accuracy of the proposed correlations by comparing the predicted values with the exact numerical values available for a few cases. We use the new correlations to analyze the effect of flow conditions near the inlet of the channel on the ignition and extinction behavior of catalytic monoliths used in combustion and after-treatment applications as well as laboratory experiments. It is shown that the bifurcation behavior, such as the number and location of the ignition/extinction points, the number of stable steady-states and the hysteresis locus is sensitive to the flow conditions in the entry region, and hence the heat and mass transfer correlations used, especially for large values of the transverse Peclet number (high space velocities or very short monoliths) or adiabatic temperature rise or when the axial catalyst loading is not uniform.     

Enzyme mass transfer coefficient in aqueous two phase system using a packed extraction column

Fractional dispersed phase hold-up and dispersed side mass transfer coefficients for amyloglucosidase were measured in a 56 mm i.d. packed extraction column using a sodium sulphate-polyethylene glycol 4000 system. Raschig rings (3 to 13.3 mm), Berl saddles (12 mm), Pall rings (12.6 mm), glass spheres (5.2 mm) and structured wire gauze were used as packings. The effect of packing size was investigated in the case of ceramic Raschig rings. The effect of phase composition of the aqueous phase system also was studied. Correlations have been developed for fractional dispersed phase hold-up and volumetric mass transfer coefficient with packing voidage, dry surface area of packings, superficial dispersed phase velocity and the liquid phase physical properties.     

Local mass transfer measurements from a submerged jet parallel to a flat surface

The local mass transfer rates from a submerged vertical jet parallel to the vertical electrode surface were measured by a limiting current density technique. For these studies, the parameters considered are a plate Reynolds number in the range of 1965 to 136500, electrode height over the orifice of the jet (Y) which varied from 0 to 12 times the jet orifice diameter (d), and the vertical distance of the microelectrode on the electrode plate in the range of 0.7 to 12.5 cm. The system used for measuring the limiting current was the reduction of copper ions. The relationship between the local Sherwood number (Sh) and Reynolds number (Re) was found to be Sh = 0.0004(Re)^1.5 (Sc)^0.33 This relationship is valid for Y/d ≤ 6.0.