Feasibility of Using Radioactive Particle Tracking as an Alternative Technique for Experimental Investigation in Bubble Column Reactor

Abstract

Radioactive particle tracking (RPT) is one of the non-invasive techniques for monitoring and investigating multiphase flow system. This technique have been widely utilized in the field of chemical process engineering for better understanding and optimizing process hydrodynamics especially in the multiphase reactor such as bubble column reactor. Due to opaque nature of industrial process systems, especially in the case of multiphase flows, noninvasive methods based on ionizing radiation have been considered for evaluating the hydrodynamic parameters. The feasibility study of radioactive particle tracking techniques in quadrilateral bubble column reactor has been successfully achieved. The radioactive particle tracking facility and data acquisition system has been developed and experimental calibration using single particle radioactive particle 46Sc to investigate dynamics behaviour of quadrilateral bubble column reactor is completed. The results indicated that there is back mixing behaviour in the bubble column process. The results also reported that the radioactive particle 46Sc is still in good condition and there is no radiation contamination problem arises while performing radioactive particle tracking techniques. The RPT technique was performed to reveal the instantaneous velocity and time-averaged liquid velocity in the current bubble column reactor.