LIQUID-PHASE MASS TRANSFER COEFFICIENT IN SLURRY BUBBLE COLUMN REACTORS: THEORY AND EXPERIMENTAL DATA IN SIMULATED FERMENTATION MEDIA

Mass transfer in a slurry bubble column reactor was examined. A theoretical correlation for liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient was developed using a combination of Higbie's penetration theory and the Einstein-Li periodic viscous sublayer model. The proposed correlation predicts that the liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient decreases with an increase of the yield stress of slurries. The measurement of mass transfer rates was conducted in a 40-L bubble column reactor. The slurries containing low-density particles were simulated by aqueous carboxypolmethylene solutions. Satisfactory agreement was found between the proposed correlation and the experimental data.