Flow Regimes in Bubble Columns with and without Internals: A Review

Hydrodynamics characterization in terms offlow regime behavior is a crucial task to enhance the design of bubble column reactors and scaling up related methodologies.This review presents recent studies on the typicalflow regimes established in bubble columns.Some effort is also provided to introduce relevant definitions pertaining to thisfield,namely,that of“void fraction”and related(local,chordal,cross-sectional and volumetric)variants.Experimental studies involving different parameters that affect design and operating conditions are also discussed in detail.In the second part of the review,the attention is shifted to cases with internals of various types(perfo-rated plates,baffles,vibrating helical springs,mixers,and heat exchanger tubes)immersed in the bubble columns.It is shown that the presence of these elements has a limited influence on the global column hydrodynamics.However,they can make the homogeneousflow regime more stable in terms of transition gas velocity and transi-tion holdup value.The last section is used to highlight gaps which have not beenfilled yet and future directions of investigation.

Visual experimental study of nanofluids application to promote CO_(2) absorption in a bubble column

The addition of dispersed-phase nanoparticles in the liquid phase can enhance the gas-liquid transfer process as the suspended nanoparticles affect the transfer process inside the fluid through microdisturbance or micro-convection effects.In this article,a high-speed digital camera was used to visualize the bubble behavior of CO_(2) in pure water and nanofluids to examine the effects of CO_(2) gas flow rate,nanoparticle solid content and type on the bubble behavior in the fluids.The CO_(2) absorption performance in three water-based nanofluids were compared in a bubbler.And the mass transfer characteristics during CO_(2) bubble absorption and the reasons for the enhanced gas-liquid mass transfer effect of nanoparticles were analyzed.The results showed that the presence of nanoparticles affected the formation process of bubbles in the fluid,shortened the bubble detachment time,reduced the detachment diameter,effectively increased the gas-liquid contact area,and improved the bubbles detachment frequency.The system with MCM-41 corresponded to a higher overall mass transfer coefficient.Uncalined MCM-41 contained surfactant that enhanced foaming behavior in water.This prevented the transfer of CO_(2) to some extent,and the CO_(2) absorption by uncalined MCM-41/H_(2)O was 5.34%higher than that by pure water.Compared with SiO_(2) nanoparticles with the same particle size and the same composition,MCM-41 had a higher adsorption capacity and better hydrophilicity due to its larger specific surface area and rich porous structure,which was more favorable to accelerate the collision between nanoparticles and CO_(2) bubbles to cause micro-convection.Under the condition of 0.1%(mass)solid content,the enhancement of CO_(2) absorption process by MCM-41 nanoparticles was more significant and improved by 16.9%compared with pure water.

An optimization method for enhancement of gas–liquid mass transfer in a bubble column reactor based on the entropy generation extremum principle

In this study,an optimization method is proposed to enhance the gas–liquid mass transfer in bubble column reactor based on the entropy generation extremum principle.The mass transfer–induced entropy generation can be maximized with the increase of mass transfer rate,based on which the velocity field can be optimized.The oxygen gas–liquid mass transfer is the major rate–limiting step of the toluene emissions biodegradation process in bubble column reactor,so the entropy generation due to oxygen mass transfer is used as the objective function,and the conservation equations of the gas–liquid flow and species concentration are taken as constraints.This optimization problem is solved by the calculus of variations,the optimal liquid flow pattern is obtained and the relationship of the maximum mass transfer enhancement on viscous dissipation is revealed,which can be used to improve the design of internal structure of the bubble column reactor.

Different efficiency toward the biomimetic aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol in microchannel and bubble column reactors: Hydrodynamic characteristics and gas–liquid mass transfer

The selective aerobic oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde has attracted considerable attention because benzaldehyde is a high value-added product. The rate of this typical gas–liquid reaction is significantly affected by mass transfer. In this study, CoTPP-mediated(CoTPP: cobalt(II) mesotetraphenylporphyrin) selective benzyl alcohol oxidation with oxygen was conducted in a membrane microchannel(MMC) reactor and a bubble column(BC) reactor, respectively. We observed that 83% benzyl alcohol was converted within 6.5 min in the MMC reactor, but only less than 10% benzyl alcohol was converted in the BC reactor. Hydrodynamic characteristics and gas–liquid mass transfer performances were compared for the MMC and BC reactors. The MMC reactor was assumed to be a plug flow reactor,and the dimensionless variance was 0.29. Compared to the BC reactor, the gas–liquid mass transfer was intensified significantly in MMC reactor. It could be ascribed to the high gas holdup(2.9 times higher than that of BC reactor), liquid film mass transfer coefficient(8.2 times higher than that of BC reactor), and mass transfer coefficient per unit interfacial area(3.8 times higher than that of BC reactor). Moreover,the Hatta number for the MMC reactor reached up to 0.61, which was about 15 times higher than that of the BC reactor. The computational fluid dynamics calculations for mass fractions in both liquid and gas phases were consistent with the experimental data.

Bubble size modeling approach for the simulation of bubble columns

The constant bubble size modeling approach(CBSM)and variable bubble size modeling approach(VBSM)are frequently employed in Eulerian–Eulerian simulation of bubble columns.However,the accuracy of CBSM is limited while the computational efficiency of VBSM needs to be improved.This work aims to develop method for bubble size modeling which has high computational efficiency and accuracy in the simulation of bubble columns.The distribution of bubble sizes is represented by a series of discrete points,and the percentage of bubbles with various sizes at gas inlet is determined by the results of computational fluid dynamics(CFD)–population balance model(PBM)simulations,whereas the influence of bubble coalescence and breakup is neglected.The simulated results of a 0.15 m diameter bubble column suggest that the developed method has high computational speed and can achieve similar accuracy as CFD–PBM modeling.Furthermore,the convergence issues caused by solving population balance equations are addressed.

Numerical simulation of gas–liquid flow in the bubble column using Wray–Agarwal turbulence model coupled with population balance model

In this paper,an improved computational fluid dynamic(CFD)model for gas-liquid flow in bubble column was developed using the one-equation Wary-Agarwal(WA)turbulence model coupled with the population balance model(PBM).Through 18 orthogonal test cases,the optimal combination of interfacial force models,including drag force,lift force,turbulent dispersion force.The modified wall lubrication force model was proposed to improve the predictive ability for hydrodynamic behavior near the wall of the bubble column.The values simulated by optimized CFD model were in agreement with experimental data,and the errors were within±20%.In addition,the axial velocity,turbulent kinetic energy,bubble size distribution,and the dynamic characteristic of bubble plume were analyzed at different superficial gas velocities.This research work could provide a theoretical basis for the extension of the CFD-PBM coupled model to other multiphase reactors..

Numerical Simulation of Separating Gas Mixtures via Hydrate Formation in Bubble Column

To develop a new technique for separating gas mixtures via hydrate formation,a set of medium-sized experimental bubble column reactor equipment was constructed.On the basis of the structure parameters of the ex- perimental bubble column reactor,assuming that the liquid phase was in the axial dispersion regime and the gas phase was in the plug flow regime,in the presence of hydrate promoter tetrahydrofuran(THF),the rate of hydrogen enrichment for CH4+H2 gas mixtures at different operational conditions(such as temperature,pressure,concentra- tion of gas components,gas flow rate,liquid flow rate)were simulated.The heat product of the hydrate reaction and its axial distribution under different operational conditions were also calculated.The results would be helpful not only to setting and optimizing operation conditions and design of multi-refrigeration equipment,but also to hydrate separation technique industrialization.

Modeling of mass transfer characteristics of bubble column reactor with surfactant present

Danckwert’s method was used to determine the specific interfacial area, a, and the individual mass transfer coefficient, kL, during absorption of CO2 in a bubble column with an anionic surfactant in the carbonate-bicarbonate buffer solution and NaAsO2 as catalyst, the presence of which decreases the specific interfacial area and the individual mass transfer coefficient. The specific interfacial area and the individual mass transfer coefficient increase with increasing su- perficial gas velocity. The specific interfacial area decreases whereas the individual mass transfer coefficient increases with increasing temperature. The results of experiments were used to determine the dependence of a, kL, and kLa on the surface tension, the temperature of the absorption phase, and the superficial velocity of the gas. The calculated results from the correlation were found to be within 10% deviation from the actual experimental results.

CFD-PBE simulation of a bubble column in OpenFOAM

A general CFD-PBE(computational fluid dynamics-population balance equation) solver for gas–liquid poly-dispersed flows of both low and high gas volume fractions is developed in OpenFOAM(open-source field operation and manipulation) in this work. Implementation of this solver in OpenFOAM is illustrated in detail. The PBE is solved with the cell average technique. The coupling between pressure and velocity is dealt with the transient PIMPLE algorithm, which is a merged PISO-SIMPLE(pressure implicit split operator-semi-implicit method for pressure-linked equations) algorithm. Results show generally good agreement with the published experimental data, whereas the modeling precision could be improved further with more sophisticated closure models for interfacial forces, the models for the bubble-induced turbulence and those for bubble coalescence and breakage.The results also indicate that the PBE could be solved out the PIMPLE loop to save much computation time while still preserving the time information on variables. This is important for CFD-PBE modeling of many actual gas–liquid problems, which are commonly high-turbulent flows with intrinsic transient and 3 D characteristics.

Gas-Liquid Mass Transfer in a Slurry Bubble Column Reactor under High Temperature and High Pressure

The gas-liquid mass transfer of H2 and CO in a high temperature and high-pressure three-phase slurry bubble column reactor is studied. The gas-liquid volumetric mass transfer coefficients kLa are obtained by measuring the dissolution rate of H2 and CO. The influences of the main operation conditions, such as temperature, pressure, superficial gas velocity and solid concentration, are studied systematically. Two empirical correlations are proposed to predict kLa values for H2 and CO in liquid paraffin/solid particles slurry bubble column reactors.

Gas-liquid mass transfer of carbon dioxide capture by magnesium hydroxide slurry in a bubble column reactor

Magnesium hydroxide(Mg(OH)2)has been considered as a potential solvent for CO2 removal of coal-fired power plant and biomass gas.The chemistry action and mass to transfer mechanism of CO2-H2O-Mg(OH)2 system in a slurry bubble column reactor was described,and a reliable computational model was developed.The overall mass transfer coefficient and surface area per unit volume were obtained using experimental approach and simulation with software assistance.The results show that the mass transfer process of CO2 absorbed by Mg(OH)2 slurry is mainly liquid-controlled,and slurry concentration and temperature are main contributory factors of volumetric mass transfer coefficient and liquid side mass transfer coefficient.High concentration of CO2 has an adverse effect on its absorption because it leads to the fast deposition of MgCO3·3H2O crystals on the surfaces of unreacted Mg(OH)2 particles,reducing the utilization ratio of magnesium hydroxide.Meanwhile,high CO3^2– ion concentration limits the dissolution of MgCO3 to absorb CO2 continually.Concentration of 0.05 mol/L Mg(OH)2,15%vol CO2 gas and operation temperature at 35℃are recommended for this CO2 capture system.

Modeling and optimization of industrial Fischer–Tropsch synthesis with the slurry bubble column reactor and iron-based catalyst

To optimize industrial Fischer-Tropsch （IT） synthesis with the slurry bubble column reactor （SBCR） and iron- based catalyst, a comprehensive process model for IT synthesis that includes a detailed SBCR model, gas liquid separation model, simplified CO2 removal model and tail gas cycle model was developed. An effective iteration algorithm was proposed to solve this process model, and the model was validated by industrial demonstration experiments data （SBCR with 5.8 m diameter and 30 m height）, with a maximum relative error 〈 10% for predicting the SBCR performances. Subsequently, the proposed model was adopted to optimize the industrial SBCR performances simultaneously considering process and reactor parameters variations. The results show that C5＋yield increases as catalyst loading increases within 10-70 ton and syngas H2/CO value decreases within 1.3-1.6, but it doesn＇t increase obviously when the catalyst loading exceeds 45 ton （about 15 wt% concentration）. Higher catalyst loading will result in higher difficulty for wax/catalyst separation and higher catalyst cost. There- fore, the catalyst loading （45 ton） is recommended for the industrial demonstration SBCR operation at syngas H2/ CO = 1.3, and the C5 ＋ yield is about 402 ton＂ per day, which has an about 16% increase than the industrial dem- onstration run result.

CFD simulation of gas–liquid flow in a high-pressure bubble column with a modified population balance model

In this study,based on the Luo bubble coalescence model,a model correction factor C_e for pressures according to the literature experimental results was introduced in the bubble coalescence efficiency term.Then,a coupled modified population balance model(PBM) with computational fluid dynamics(CFD) was used to simulate a high-pressure bubble column.The simulation results with and without C_e were compared with the experimental data.The modified CFD-PBM coupled model was used to investigate its applicability to broader experimental conditions.These results showed that the modified CFD-PBM coupled model can predict the hydrodynamic behaviors under various operating conditions.

Bubble size fractal dimension,gas holdup,and mass transfer in a bubble column with dual internals

As the scale of residual oil treatment increases and cleaner production improves in China,slurry bubble column reactors face many challenges and opportunities for residual oil hydrogenation technology.The internals development is critical to adapt the long-term stable operation.In this paper,the volumetric mass transfer coefficient,gas holdup and bubble size in a gas-liquid up-flow column are studied with two kinds of internals.The gas holdup and volumetric mass transfer coefficient increase by 120% and 42% when the fractal dimension of bubbles increases from 0.56 to 2.56,respectively.The enhanced mass transfer processing may improve the coke suppression ability in the slurry reactor for residual oil treatment.The results can be useful for the exploration of reacting conditions,scale-up strategies,and oil adaptability.This work is valuable for the design of reactor systems and technological processes.

An Axial Dispersion Model for Evaporating Bubble Column Reactor

Evaporating bubble column reactor (EBCR) is a kind of aerated reactor in which the reaction heat is removed by the evaporation of volatile reaction mixture. In this paper, a mathematical model that accounts for the gas-liquid exothermic reaction and axial dispersions of both gas and liquid phase is employed to study the performance of EBCR for the process of p-xylene(PX) oxidation. The computational results show that there are remarkable concentration and temperature gradients in EBCR for high ratio of height to diameter (H/DT). The temperature is lower at the bottom of column and higher at the top, due to rapid evaporation induced by the feed gas near the bottom. The concentration profiles in the gas phase are more nonuniform than those (except PX) in the liquid phase, which causes more solvent burning consumption at high H/DT ratio. For p-xylene oxidation, theo ptimal H/DT is around 5.

Comparison of a Full Second-Order Moment Model and an Algebraic Stress Two-Phase Turbulence Model for Simulating Bubble-Liquid Flows in a Bubble Column

A full second-order moment (FSM) model and an algebraic stress (ASM) two-phase turbulence modelare proposed and applied to predict turbulent bubble-liquid flows in a 2D rectangular bubble column. Predictiongives the bubble and liquid velocities, bubble volume fraction, bubble and liquid Reynolds stresses and bubble-liquidvelocity correlation. For predicted two-phase velocities and bubble volume fraction there is only slight differencebetween these two models, and the simulation results using both two models are in good agreement with the particleimage velocimetry (PIV) measurements. Although the predicted two-phase Reynolds stresses using the FSM are insomewhat better agreement with the PIV measurements than those predicted using the ASM, the Reynolds stressespredicted using both two models are in general agreement with the experiments. Therefore, it is suggested to usethe ASM two-phase turbulence model in engineering application for saving the computation time.

Wavelet Transform of Velocity-Time Data for the Analysis of Turbulent Structures in a Trayed Bubble Column

Hydrodynamic and turbulent structures in the trayed bubble column with 1.2 m inner diameter have been characterized from liquid-phase velocity-time series data obtained by the hot-film anemometer. Wavelet transform analysis was used for denoising the measured data and also for evaluating quantifiers of turbulence, viz., local intermittency measure, intermittency index and flatness factor. These quantifiers help in detecting the passage of bubbles and reveal the hidden structures and patterns in data. Also, the wavelet scalewise analysis of the turbulence at various locations in the column and under different operating conditions could be used to build a direct relationship between the local gas holdup and flatness factor. The methodology is therefore suitable for online evaluation of the trayed bubble column performance and shows promise for developing strategies for improving process performance.

Modeling of a slurry bubble column reactor for Fischer-Tropsch syn- thesis

On the basis of the global CO consumption rate model, the lumped product distribution model and the sedimenta- tion-dispersion model of a catalyst, a steady-state, one-dimensional mathematical model of the slurry bubble column reactor for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis were established. The mathematical simulation of the slurry bubble column reactor for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis was carried out under the following typical industrial operating conditions： temperature 230 ℃, pressure 3.0 MPa, gas flow 5x 105 m3/h, catalyst content in slurry phase 30%, reactor diameter 5.0 m and the composition of feed gas： y（H2）=0.60, y（CO）=0.30, y（N2）=0.10. The influences of operating pressure, temperature and re（HE）Ira（CO） in feed gas on the reactor＇s reaction performance were simulated.

Gas Holdups of Small and Large Bubbles in a Large-scale Bubble Column with Elevated Pressure

Gas holdups of large bubbles and small bubbles were measured by means of dynamic gas disengagement approach in the pressured bubble column with a diameter of 0.3 m and a height of 6.6 m. The effects of superficial gas velocity, liquid surface tension, liquid viscosity and system pressure on gas holdups of small bubbles and large bubbles were investigated. The holdup of large bubbles increases and the holdup of small bubbles decreases with an increase of liquid viscosity. Meanwhile, the holdup of large bubbles decreases with increasing the system pressure. A correlation for the holdup of small bubbles was obtained from the experimental data.

Prediction of Gas Holdup in Bubble Columns Using Artificial Neural Network

A new correlation for the prediction of gas hold up in bubble columns was proposed based on an extensive experimental database set up from the literature published over last 30 years. The updated estimation method relying on artificial neural network, dimensional analysis and phenomenological approaches was used and the model prediction agreed with the experimental data with average relative error less than 10%.