Bubble column reactors are multiphase contacting devices used in a wide variety of industrial application. Inrtevep S. A. is working on developing technologies to convert heavy and extra-heavy crude oil using this typ...Bubble column reactors are multiphase contacting devices used in a wide variety of industrial application. Inrtevep S. A. is working on developing technologies to convert heavy and extra-heavy crude oil using this type of reactors. Volumetric gas hold up, flow pattern, average gas bubble size, average interfacial area, RTD （residence time distribution）, dispersion coefficient, Peclet number are important design parameters for a proper scale up of them. Several cold model experiments have been proposed to determine the previously mentioned parameters at atmospheric conditions, using a plexiglas bubble column reactor at pilot plant scale unit （12 cm diameter）. It was also evaluated our own design of internal trays （plates） in the reactor. Air-tap water and air-light oil systems have been used. A wide operating condition range was applied, superficial gas velocity between 0.5-10 cm/s, liquid flowrate between 15-65 I/h. Generally speaking, working without internal trays was found that gas hold up increase along the reactor and it was possible to identify heterogeneous bubble, transition and turbulent flow pattern areas for the air-light oil system. Average gas bubble size increase along the reactor at bubble regime from 2-5 mm but at turbulent regime, stay oscillating between 1-3 mm. Average interfacial area increases exponentially with superficial gas velocity at any reactor height, till 1,412 m2/m3 for the air-light oil system but, at bubble flow regime, the average interfacial area is lower than 100 m2/m3, which negatively impact the reactor performance. Internal trays in the reactor always increase gas hold up at any condition or system used. Residence time distributions curves, Peclet numbers and dispersion coefficients founded, show that this reactor with this kind of design internal trays still tends to be a complete mixing reactor under the operating conditions used.展开更多
文摘Bubble column reactors are multiphase contacting devices used in a wide variety of industrial application. Inrtevep S. A. is working on developing technologies to convert heavy and extra-heavy crude oil using this type of reactors. Volumetric gas hold up, flow pattern, average gas bubble size, average interfacial area, RTD （residence time distribution）, dispersion coefficient, Peclet number are important design parameters for a proper scale up of them. Several cold model experiments have been proposed to determine the previously mentioned parameters at atmospheric conditions, using a plexiglas bubble column reactor at pilot plant scale unit （12 cm diameter）. It was also evaluated our own design of internal trays （plates） in the reactor. Air-tap water and air-light oil systems have been used. A wide operating condition range was applied, superficial gas velocity between 0.5-10 cm/s, liquid flowrate between 15-65 I/h. Generally speaking, working without internal trays was found that gas hold up increase along the reactor and it was possible to identify heterogeneous bubble, transition and turbulent flow pattern areas for the air-light oil system. Average gas bubble size increase along the reactor at bubble regime from 2-5 mm but at turbulent regime, stay oscillating between 1-3 mm. Average interfacial area increases exponentially with superficial gas velocity at any reactor height, till 1,412 m2/m3 for the air-light oil system but, at bubble flow regime, the average interfacial area is lower than 100 m2/m3, which negatively impact the reactor performance. Internal trays in the reactor always increase gas hold up at any condition or system used. Residence time distributions curves, Peclet numbers and dispersion coefficients founded, show that this reactor with this kind of design internal trays still tends to be a complete mixing reactor under the operating conditions used.
