Effects of alcohols on gas holdup and volumetric liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient in gel-particle-suspended bubble column.

Abstract

The effects of alcohols, column dimensions, gas velocity, physical properties of liquids, and gel particles on the gas holdup eG and the volumetric liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient kLa in a gel-particle-suspended bubble column under liquid-solid batch operation were studied experimentally. It was shown that addition of alcohols to water generally increases eG. However, kLa values in aqueous solutions of alcohols became larger or smaller than those in water, according to the kind and concentration of the alcohol added to water. It was also shown that the presence of suspended gel-particles in the bubble column reduces values of eG and kLa. Based on these observations, empirical equations for eG in the transition regime in an ethanol solution, for eG in the heterogeneous flow regime applicable to various alcohol solutions and for kLa in both flow regimes were proposed.