Gas Sparger Orifice Sizes and Solid Particle Characteristics in a Bubble Column – Relative Effect on Hydrodynamics and Mass Transfer

The relative effects of the size of gas sparger orifices and properties of solid particles on gas‐liquid mass transfer are not yet fully understood. Here, the impact of sparger orifice sizes, solid particle shapes, and their loading amounts in a bubble column reactor on the absorption of oxygen in tap water was investigated. Their influence on the mass transfer coefficient and bubble hydrodynamic parameters was evaluated. The results show that the addition of solid particles can have both positive and negative effects on hydrodynamics and mass transfer, depending on the orifice size of the gas sparger. The introduction of ring‐shaped solid particles can improve the mass transfer rate by up to 28 % without requiring any significant additional power.