Design of bubble columns equipped with porous sparger

Abstract

Bubble columns are gas-liquid conductors that are widely used in chemical and biochemical process industries, due to their simple construction, low operating cost and high energy efficiency. In all these processes gas holdup and bubble size are important design parameters, since they define the gas-liquid interfacial area available for mass transfer. In turn, bubble size distribution and gas holdup depend largely on column geometry, operating conditions, physico-chemical properties of the two phases and type of gas sparger. This paper is a review of the work conducted in our Lab and concerns the design of bubble columns equipped with metal porous sparger. The effect of the liquid phase properties, the gas flow rate and the geometrical characteristics of the device on the performance the bubble column has been experimentally investigated. Based on the experimental data obtained using several Newtonian and non-Newtonian liquids generalized correlations were formulated, which can predict with reasonable accuracy the transition point from homogenous to heterogeneous regime as well as the gas hold up and the mean bubble size at the homogenous regime given the liquid properties, the gas flow rate and the geometrical parameters of the device.