| Abstract: | Recirculation and flow structures of gas in the downcomer section of a concentric cylindrical airlift reactor for air-water systems were studied, using an optical probe and the cross-covariance technique. A semiempirical model for predicting the gas recirculation rates in airlift reactors was developed based on the concept of ideal bubble flow. The entrained gas rate and the gas recirculation rate increased as the superficial gas velocity increased. There were nonuniform radial distributions of local gas holdup and air flow rates in the downcomer. Air flow rates in the downcomer depended on the superficial gas velocity and the distance from the top of the draft tube, but not on the superficial liquid velocity for this experimental range. |
