HYDRODYNAMIC STUDIES IN FISCHER-TROPSCH DERIVED WAXES IN A BUBBLE COLUMN

Gas hold-up and Sauter mean bubble diameter measurements were made in a 0.051 m diameter by 3 m long glass bubble column in the system, nitrogen-molten wax, with three different waxes (paraffin wax FT-300, Sasol's Arge wax and Mobil's reactor wax). Paraffin wax has a tendency to foam and gas hold-up is a strong function of gas distributor type, temperature and start-up procedure, whereas the reactor waxes do not foam and are much less affected by these variables, In experiments at 265°C with a 1.85 mm single hole orifice plate distributor the gas hold-ups were nearly the same for all three waxes. However, significant differences in Sauter mean bubble diameters were obtained in experiments with different waxes; FT-300 wax produced the smallest Sauter mean bubble diameters whereas Mobil's reactor wax produced the largest bubbles. Addition of 1-octadecanol and octadecanoic acid (up to 10wt%) to the FT-300 paraffin wax caused an increase in gas hold-up and a delay in the foam break-up in runs at 265°C with the 1.85 mm orifice plate distributor.