Mass transfer between a horizontal,submerged gas jet and a liquid

The rate of reaction between a horizontal, submerged gas jet and a liquid has been measured in a model system under conditions where mass transfer in the gas phase is rate limiting. The gas was 1 pct SO₂ in air, and the liquid was a 0.3 pct solution of hydrogen peroxide in water. SO₂ absorption rates were measured as a function of jet Reynolds number (10,000 < N_Re < 40,000) and jet orifice diameter (0.238 < d₀ < 0.476 cm). The product of the gas phase mass transfer coefficient and the interfacial area per unit length of jet trajectory, k_SO2 α was found to increase linearly with increasing Reynolds number and to be a strong function of the orifice diameter. The ratio of k_so2 α to volumetric gas flow rate was shown to be independent of Reynolds number for a given orifice diameter. Extrapolated values of k_so2 α are lower than the coefficients measured for vertical CO jets blown upward through liquid copper. Extrapolation of the measured mass transfer data to the jet conditions in copper matte converting and in the gaseous deoxidation of copper has indicated that the gas utilization efficiencies in these processes should approach 100 pct if gas phase mass transport is rate controlling.