Effects of channel wall wettability on gas-liquid dynamics mass transfer under Taylor flow in a serpentine microchannel

The wall wettability of microchannels plays an important role in the gas-liquid mass transfer dynamics under Taylor flow.In this study,we regulated the contact angle of the wall surface through surface chemical grafting polymerization under controlled experimental conditions.The dynamic changes of CO_(2)bubbles flowing along the microchannel were captured by a high-speed video camera mounted on a stereo microscope,whilst a unit cell model was employed to theoretically investigate the gas-liquid mass transfer dynamics.We quantitatively characterized the effects of wall wettability,specifically the contact angle,on the formation mechanism of gas bubbles and mass transfer process experimentally.The results revealed that the gas bubble velocity,the overall volumetric liquid phase mass transfer coefficients(kLa),and the specific interfacial area(a)all increased with the increase of the contact angle.Conversely,gas bubble length and leakage flow decreased.Furthermore,we proposed a new modified model to predict the gas-liquid two-phase mass transfer performance,based on van Baten’s and Yao’s models.Our proposed model was observed to agree reasonably well with experimental observations.

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.

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.

Mass transfer mechanism and relationship of gas–liquid annular flow in a microfluidic cross-junction device

Mass transfer performance of gas–liquid two-phase flow at microscale is the basis of application of microreactor in gas–liquid reaction systems.At present,few researches on the mass transfer property of annular flow have been reported.Therefore,the mass transfer mechanism and relationship of gas–liquid annular flow in a microfluidic cross-junction device are studied in the present study.We find that the main factors,i.e.,flow pattern,liquid film thickness,liquid hydraulic retention time,phase interface fluctuation,and gas flow vorticity,which influence the flow mass transfer property,are directly affected both by gas and liquid flow velocities.But the influences of gas and liquid velocities on different mass transfer influencing factors are different.Thereout,the fitting relationships between gas and liquid flow velocities and mass transfer influencing factors are established.By comparing the results from calculations using fitting equations and simulations,it shows that the fitting equations have relatively high degrees of accuracy.Finally,the Pareto front,namely the Pareto optimal solution set,of gas and liquid velocity conditions for the best flow mass transfer property is obtained using the method of multi-objective particle swarm optimization.It is proved that the mass transfer property of the gas–liquid two-phase flow can be obviously enhanced under the guidance of the obtained Pareto optimal solution set through experimental verification.

Connection Between Liquid Distribution and Gas-Liquid Mass Transfer in Monolithic Bed

With a particular focus on the connection between liquid flow distribution and gas-liquid mass transfer in monolithic beds in the Taylor flow regime, hydrodynamic and gas-liquid mass transfer experiments were carriedout in a column with a monolithic bed of cell density of 50 cpsi with trio different distributors （nozzle and packed bed distributors）. Liquid saturation in individual channels was measured by using self-made micro-conductivity probes. A mal-distribution factor was used to evaluate uniform degree of phase distribution in monoliths. Overall bed pressure drop and mass transfer coefficients were measured. For liquid flow distribution and gas-liquid masstransfer, it is found that the superficial liquid velocity is a crucial factor and the packed bed distributor is better than the nozzle distributor. A semi-theoretical analysis using single channel models shows that the packed bed distributor always yields shorter and uniformly distributed liquid slugs compared to the nozzle distributor, which in turn ensures a better mass transfer performance. A bed scale mass transfer model is proposed by employing the single channel models in individual channels and incorporating effects of non-uniform liquid distribution along the bedcross-section. The model predicts the overall gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient wig a relative error within ＋30%.

Measurements of the effective mass transfer areas for the gas–liquid rotating packed bed

Rotating packed bed(RPB) is one of the most effective gas–liquid mass transfer enhancement reactors, its effective specific mass transfer area(ae) is critical to understand the mass transfer process. By using the NaOH–CO_(2) chemical absorption method, the aevalues of three RPB reactors with different rotor sizes were measured under different operation conditions. The results showed that the high gravity factor and liquid flow rate were major affecting factors, while the gas flow rate exhibited minor influence.The radius of packing is the dominant equipment factor to affect aevalue. The results indicated that the contact area depends on the dispersion of the liquid phase, thus the centrifugal force of rotating packed bed greatly influenced the aevalue. Moreover, the measured ae/ap(effective specific mass transfer area/specific surface area of packing) values were fitted with dimensionless correlation formulas. The unified correlation formula with dimensionless bed size parameter can well predict the experimental data and the prediction errors were within 15%.

HYSTERESIS OF GAS-LIQUID MASS TRANSFER IN A TRICKLE BED REACTOR

1 INTRODUCTIONTrickle bed reactors are widely used in the process industry,particularly in petroleumhydroprocessing operations,and have been extensively studied by chemical engineers.In atrickle bed reactor,the gas and liquid flow cocurrently down through the packed bedand undergo chemical reactions.However,there exist multiple hydrodynamic stateswhich correspond to either uniform or,in most cases,nonuniform radial distributionof the gas and liquid flows in the packed section.Moreover,the hydrodynamic state

CORRELATION BETWEEN HYSTERESIS OF GAS-LIQUID MASS TRANSFER AND LIQUID DISTRIBUTION IN A TRICKLE BED

The hysteresis of gas-liquid mass transfer rate and the corresponding radial liquiddistribution in a trickle bed reactor are measured to provide evidence for the correlation between thesetwo behaviors.Experimental results indicate that the hysteresis of gas-liquid mass transfer originatesfrom the nonuniformity of the hydrodynamic state of gas-liquid flow and the radial maldistributionof local kgia corresponds very well to the radial maldistribution of liquid flow in the bed.The localliquid flow rate is also found to be nonuniform in the azimuthal direction.In view of maldistributedliquid flow even in the pulsing flow regime,the conventional plug flow model seems oversimplifiedfor describing the behavior of a trickle bed.

A convenient method for measuring gas-liquid volumetric mass transfer coefficient in micro reactors

The research on gas-liquid multiphase reactions using micro reactors is becoming increasingly widespread, given their excellent mass transfer performance. Establishing an accurate and reliable method to measure the gas-liquid mass transfer performance of micro reactors is crucial for evaluating and optimizing the design of micro reactor structure. In this paper, the physical absorption method of aqueous solution-CO_(2) and the chemical absorption method of sodium carbonate solution-CO_(2) were proposed. By analyzing the chemical reaction equilibrium during the absorption process, the relationship between the mass transfer of CO_(2) and the solubility of hydroxide ions in the solution was established, and the total gas-liquid mass transfer coefficient was immediately obtained by measuring the p H value. The corresponding testing platform and process have been established based on the characteristics of the proposed method to ensure fast and accurate measurement. In addition, the chemical absorption method takes into account temperature factors that were not previously considered. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient measured by these two methods is in the same range as those measured by other methods using the same microchannel structure in previous literature. The methods have the advantages of low equipment cost, faster measurement speed, and simpler procedures, which can facilitate its wide application to the evaluation of the mass transfer performance and hence can guide the structure optimization of microchannel reactors.

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.

Mass transfer intensification and mechanism analysis of gas–liquid two-phase flow in the microchannel embedding triangular obstacles

An effective mass transfer intensification method was proposed by embedding different triangular obstacles to improve the gas-liquid mass transfer efficiency in microchannel.The influences of triangle obstacles configuration,obstacle interval and flow rate on the volumetric mass transfer coefficient,pressure drop and energy consumption were investigated experimentally.The enhancement factor was used to quantify the mass transfer enhancement effect of triangle obstacles.It was found that the isosceles or equilateral triangle obstacles are superior to the rectangular obstacles.The maximum enhancement factor of equilateral triangle obstacles was 2.35.Considering comprehensively mass transfer enhancement and energy consumption,the isosceles triangle obstacle showed the best performance,its maximum enhancement factor was 2.1,while the maximum pressure drop increased only 0.41 kPa(22%)compared to the microchannel without obstacles.Furthermore,a micro-particle image velocimetry(micro-PIV)was utilized to observe the flow field distribution and evolution,in order to understand and analyze the enhancement mechanism.The micro-PIV measurement indicated that the obstacle structure could induce the formation of vortex,which promotes convective mass transfer and thins the flow boundary layer,accordingly,the gas-liquid mass transfer efficiency is remarkably improved.This study can provide theoretical guidance and support for the design and optimization of microchannel with triangular obstacles.

The Mechanism of Interfacial Mass Transfer in Gas Absorption Process

Based on the method of molecular thermodynamics, the mass transfer mechanism at gas-liquid interface is studied theoretically, and a new mathematical model is proposed. Using laser holographic interference technique, the hydrodynamics and mass transfer characteristics of CO2 absorption are measured. It is shown that the calculated results are in good agreement with the experimental data.

Interphase Mass Transfer in G-L-S Magnetically Stabilized Bed with Amorphous Alloy SRNA-4 Catalyst

Gas-liquid (G-L) and liquid-solid (L-S) mass transfer coefficients were characterized in a gas-liquid-solid (G-L-S) three-phase magnetically stabilized bed (MSB) using amorphous alloy SRNA-4 as the solid phase. Effects such as superficial liquid velocity, superficial gas velocity, magnetic strength, liquid viscosity, and particle size were investigated. Experimental results indicated that the G-L volumetric mass transfer coefficients (KLa) increased along with the magnetic strength, superficial gas and liquid velocities. Proper increase of liquid viscosity promoted KLa only in the range of lower liquid viscosity. The external magnetic field made L-S mass transfer coefficients (Ks) in the G-L-S MSB lower than those of conventional fluidized beds. Ks in the MSB almost kept constant as the su- perficial liquid velocity and superficial gas velocity increased and decreased with the liquid viscosity and surface tension, while increased with the particle size Ks showed uniform axial and radial distributions except of small de- creases close to the wall. Dimensionless correlations were established to estimate KLa and Ks of the MSB with SRNA-4 catalysts , which showed the average error of 5.4% and 2.5% respectively.

Wall-Liquid Mass Transfer for Taylor Bubbles Rising Through Liquid in a Vertical Tube

Wall-liquid mass transfer for Taylor bubbles rising through liquid column in vertical tubes is an important and fundamental topic in industrial processes.In this work,the characteristics of wall-liquid mass transfer for this special case of slug flow were studied experimentally by limiting diffusion current technique (LDCT). Based on the experimental results and the analysis of hydrodynamic mechanisms,it was proposed that four different zones exist,i.e.the laminar falling film zone,the turbulent falling film zone,the wake region and the remaining liquid slug zone.The corresponding correlations for all these zones were developed.

Schlieren Visualization of M arangoni Effect in Gas-Liquid Systems

This paper is focused on the Marangoni effect in the gas-liquid mass transfer systems. A series of experiments were conducted to observe Marangoni effect by a laser Schlieren system. Experimental investigations of the occurrence of Marangoni convection were presented. The typical polygonal patterns and even the reaching of chaotic interfacial flow were observed. The visual evidences were discussed and the characteristic time and scale of Marangoni convection were obtained approximately as 0. 5 s and 1 mm according to the Schlieren images. From the perspective of hydrodynamic instability, the mechanism of the Marangoni convection was investigated. Though many external factors have influence on the interfacial instability, the local surface-tension gradient is the primary reason for the Marangoni convection. The small-scale interfacial flow increases the surface renewal rate. Consequently. due to the occurrence of the Marangoni effect, the mass transfer rate can be significantly enhanced.

Simulation of interfacial Marangoni convection in gas-liquid mass transfer by lattice Boltzmann method

Interfacial Marangoni convection has signifi-cant effect on gas-liquid and/or liquid-liquid mass transfer processes.In this paper,an approach based on lattice Boltzmann method is established and two perturbation models,fixed perturbation model and self-renewable interface model,are proposed for the simulation of interfacial Marangoni convection in gas-liquid mass transfer process.The simulation results show that the concentration contours are well consistent with the typical roll cell convection patterns obtained experimentally in previous studies.

Numerical investigation of mass transfer behavior of a gas-liquid two‐phase Taylor flow in a microchannel by a volume‐of‐fluid multiphase flow system

The microchannel reactor is the most commonly used microreaction technology,an innovative reaction system developed in recent years.This study investigates the mass transfer behavior of a gas-liquid two‐phase Taylor flow in a microchannel by coupling the volume‐of‐fluid model and the species transport model.The concentration distribution and the volumetric mass transfer coefficient of the gas solute are determined and discussed in detail.The simulation results reveal that the double‐circulation flow influences the concentration distribution in the liquid slug.The highest value is observed at the bubble's surface and decreases rapidly along the vertical direction of the bubble.The increase of bubble velocity leads to a more apparent decreasing trend.The gas-liquid interface renewal rate of the bubble is accelerated with increasing bubble velocity,resulting in an increase in the average mass transfer rate in all regions of the bubble surface with an increase in bubble velocity.The results also indicate that the liquid film area contributes the most to the mass transfer behavior due to the most significant proportion and average mass transfer rate of the liquid film among the bubble.

Enhancement of CO2 Absorption under Taylor Flow in the Presence of Fine Particles

The physical absorption of CO2 in water containing different types of particles was studied in a micro-channel operated under Taylor flow. The maximum enhancement factors of 1.43-2.15 were measured for activated carbon （AcC） particles. The analysis shows that the enhancement effect can be attributed to the shuttle mechanism. Considering the separate contributions of mass transfer from bubble cap and liquid film, a heterogeneous enhance- ment model is developed. According to this model, the enhancement factors Ecap, EFilm and Eov are mainly determined by mass transfer coefficient gL （gL Cap and KL Film）, adsorptive capacity of particles m, and coverage fraction of particles at gas-liquid interface （. With both effects of particle-to-interface adhesion and apparent viscosity included, the model nredicts the enhancement effect of AcC varticles reasonably well.

Numerical Study on the Effects of Contraction Ratio in a Two-Phase Flow Injection Nozzle

The Euler-Euler numerical method was used to investigate the effects of contraction ratio on twophase flow mixing with mass transfer in the flow injection nozzle. The geometric shape of the nozzle was modified to improve carbonation efficiency. A gas inlet hole was created to increase the flow mixing of CO2 with water. A nozzle throat was also introduced to increase the gas dissolution by increasing flow rates. Various contraction ratios of nozzle throat, inlet gas and liquid velocities, and gas bubble sizes were employed to determine their effects on gas hold-up, gas concentration, and mass transfer coefficient. Results revealed that the flow injection nozzle with high contraction ratios improved carbonation because of high gas hold-up. Gas concentration was directly related to contraction ratio and gas flow velocities. Carbonation reduced when high liquid velocities and large gas bubbles were employed because of inefficient flow mixing. This study indicated that flow injection nozzle with large contraction ratios were suitable for carbonation because of their ability to increase gas hold-up, gas concentration, and mass transfer coefficient.

An efficient and safe platform based on the tube-in-tube reactor for implementing gas-liquid processes in flow

Recently,the continuous tube-in-tube reactor based on the Teflon AF membrane is emerging as a powerful toolkit for accelerating gas-liquid mass transfer and reaction rate.Because of its large gas-liquid interfacial area and short mass transfer distance,the reactor can allow a fast gas-liquid mass transfer without direct contact between gas and liquid phases,offering an efficient and safe platform for implementing gas-liquid reaction and rapid determination of gas-liquid parameters.In this review,a detailed description and construction method of this reactor are pro-vided.Then,the recent advancements of the tube-in-tube reactor in fundamental studies and practical applica-tions in gas-involved chemical reactions and biosynthetic processes are discussed.Finally,a perspective on future potential applications of such flow reactors is provided.