Intensification of inter-phase mass transfer: the combined effect of oscillatory motion and turbulence promoters

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an investigation into the combined effect of using oscillatory motion and turbulence promoters on the intensification of transfer rate at solid liquid interface. The mass transfer coefficient at oscillating vertical surfaces equipped with rectangular transverse strips was measured for a wide range of oscillatory conditions and promoters configurations using the limiting current technique. It was found that using oscillatory motion it is possible to achieve significant transfer augmentation with relatively small height and low density promoters that could be as low as 1 mm, and 0.04 mm−1, respectively, making it possible to mitigate the adverse effect of the high frictional resistance and power consumption associated with using turbulence promoters for transfer enhancement under non-oscillatory conditions. The results obtained for the average mass transfer coefficient at oscillatory surfaces with turbulent promoters were well correlated in terms of the oscillatory Reynolds number, the Strouhal number, and the ratio of the promoters spacing to its height.