RTD studies in trickle bed reactors packed with porous particles

The residence time distribution (RTD) for liquid phase in a trickle bed reactor (TBR) has been experimentally studied for air-water system. Experiments were performed in a 15.2 cm diameter column using commerical alumina extrudates with D/d_p ratio equal to 75 to eliminate the radial flow differences. The range of liquid and gas flow rates covered was 3.76 < Re_L < 9.3 and 0 < Re_G < 2.92. The axial dispersion model was used to compute axial dispersion coefficient. The effect of liquid and gas flow rates on total liquid holdup and axial dispersion was investigated. The total liquid holdup has been correlated to liquid and gas flow rates.