Overall map and correlation of dispersion data for flow through granular packed beds

Measured values of the coefficients of transverse and longitudinal dispersion (D_T and D_L, respectively) are reported for liquid flow through granular packed beds. Measurements of D_T were made for 50<Sc<1950 and 300<Pe_m<10⁵, working with water at temperatures between 278 and 373 K, and values of D_L were measured for Sc≅750 and 1<Pe_m<45, working with water at 293 K; nearly two hundred new data points are reported.The data obtained, together with data from other sources, both for gas and liquid flow, are reported in plots of Pe_T vs Pe_m and Pe_L vs. Pe_m, in order to stress the influence of Sc on dispersion and elucidate the difference between liquid and gas behaviour.Empirical correlations are presented for the prediction of the dispersion coefficients (D_T and D_L) over the entire range of practical values of Sc and Pe_m, and they are shown to give the dispersion coefficients with very good accuracy.