ANALYSIS OF AXIAL MIXING IN A GAS-LIQUID RECIPROCATING PLATE COLUMN

Abstract

Axial mixing in the continuous phase in a Landau reciprocating-plate column (LRPC) has been investigated for both single-phase and two-phase gas-liquid flow conditions. A hydrodynamic model is proposed in which axial mixing is described as a process consisting of a backflow through the plate plus longitudinal mixing within the stage. The region in the proximity of the plates is almost perfectly mixed, beyond which there is a low-intensity mixing zone that varies in height and degree of mixing depending on phase velocities as well as the plates design and oscillation velocity. The presence of the dispersed phase affects axial mixing in both the well- and poorly mixed regions of each stage in two opposite ways: it decreases the backflow between the stages due to the hindrance effect caused by the presence of gas bubbles, and it increases the axial dispersion coefficient in the second stage by increasing the turbulence and phase entrainment caused by circulation and bubbles rising. The model adjustable parameters were determined from an experimentally measured dispersion coefficient over a wide range of operating conditions using the transient tracer injection method. The predictions of the model compare favorably with experimental data and can be applied for describing axial mixing in the continuous phase in an LRPC with±14% accuracy.