Efficiency of non‐reactive isothermal bubble column based on mass transfer

Abstract

Bubble column reactor as a gas-liquid contactor is extensively used in the chemical and biochemical industries. Mass transfer coefficients governing the transport processes in bubble contactors are a growing concern in chemical and biotechnological processes whose rates are often limited by the mass transfer rate. The influences of different physical, dynamic and geometric variables affect the efficiency characterization of the equipment which are involved in gas/liquid mass transfer processes. This characterization has great importance to optimize the process plant design. In this article, efficiency of two-phase mass transfer in bubble column reactors has been analyzed based on dynamic, geometric and physical variables of the system. An empirical correlation for mass transfer efficiency has also been developed in terms of those variables. The present analysis on the gas-liquid mass transfer efficiency of bubble column may give insight into a further understanding and modeling of multiphase reactors in industrial applications.

Mass Transfer and Mixing in an Ejector-Induced Downflow Slurry Bubble Column

“…The most common approach in treating liquid mass transfer is to combine the mass-transfer coefficient and quality of mixing over the entire column height. Earlier works , analyzed the quality of mixedness using information entropy theory in a gas–liquid two-phase flow. In the present study of gas–liquid–solid three-phase downflow, the mass-transfer efficiency based on he quality of mixing was analyzed by information entropy theory.…”

“…The mixing intensity, bubble size distribution, and physical properties of the system are factors influencing the degree of mass transfer in bubble column reactors . Based on these factors, different investigators have developed different correlations to interpret the mass-transfer coefficient in bubble column reactors. − The degree of mass transfer is determined by the mass-transfer coefficients. Several methods are available to estimate the mass-transfer coefficient in multiphase systems of different geometries.…”