OXYGEN TRANSFER IN HORIZONTAL PIPELINE AERATORS WITH NOZZLES

Horizontal pipeline and tubular loop aerators are of interest for fermentation and waste water treatment and are ideally suited for continuous processing. A major drawback is that these pipeline contactors invariably operate in the “elongated bubble and plug” regime in which the mass transfer rate is low. This article evaluates the performance of a horizontal pipeline aerator fitted with nozzles equispaced along its length to enhance mass transfer rates by promoting turbulence and augmenting effective interfacial area. Such devices can also be advantageously used in long pipe lines as in the case of treating waste while it is being transported. Pressure drop and overall liquid-side mass transfer coefficient data are reported as functions of liquid (water) and gas flow rates and nozzle size and spacing. It is shown that for all the conditions studied, k_La = 0.026(ΔP/L)^1.036 and that the pressure gradient is given by a simple correlation, provided an empirical parameter which characterises a nozzle is known. Preliminary investigations on the effect of surfactant ad the presence of suspended solids (size 75 μm) on mass transfer coefficient are also reported. Very high values of power dissipation can be achieved in such aerators without mechanically moving parts and high values of mass transfer coefficient can be realized.