Estimation of sodium bicarbonate crystal size distributions in a steady-state bubble column reactor

Abstract

Sodium bicarbonate is a substance which is produced in the middle stages of the soda ash production process. In this precipitation process, carbon dioxide gas is continuously injected into the bubble column reactor, which contains carbonate and bicarbonate solutions. This work deals with the study of the gas–liquid mass transfer, coupled with chemical reactions, and the liquid–solid mass transfer, coupled with crystallization. In this mathematical model, a mole balance has been instituted on flows and components through the bubble column, which also utilized a nucleation and growth formula for the solid phase and the Danckwerts’ theory for mass transfer between the gas and liquid phases. The mathematical model can predict the effects of several parameters on the sodium bicarbonate crystal size distributions. We computed the mathematical simulation model results with the experimental results of the bubble column reactor of the Shiraz Petrochemical Complex for validating the model and investigated the effects of different parameters on the sodium bicarbonate crystal size distributions.