Interphase mass transfer in cocurrent vertical two-phase channel flows with non-Newtonian liquids

Abstract

Flow patterns, gas hold-up, and volumetric liquid-side interphase mass transfer coefficients were experimentally studied using aqueous solutions of Polyacrylamide as the liquid phase, pure nitrogen as the gas phase, and oxygen as the transferred species. The channel entrance effects were eliminated by performing hydrodynamically-identical tests with two different test section lengths, and using the shorter test section results for quantification of entrance effects in the longer test section. Experimental data were obtained over a range of gas and liquid superficial velocities covering the bubbly, slug and churn flow regimes and were compared with data previously obtained with pure water and aqueous sucrose solutions. The effect of the liquid-phase theological properties on channel hydrodynamic and mass transfer processes were examined.