Radiation model of a TiO2‐coated, quartz wool, packed‐bed photocatalytic reactor

Abstract

AbstractThe radiation field of a packed‐bed photocatalytic reactor filled with quartz wool coated with titanium dioxide was modeled using the Monte Carlo technique and the following information: the radiation flux emitted by the lamps, the diameter size distribution of the quartz fiber cloth, the mass of quartz fibers and of TiO2 that was immobilized on the fiber surface as well as the refractive index, and the spectral absorption coefficient of the materials of the system. Modeling predictions were validated with radiometer measurements of the transmitted radiation through the reactor, the root mean square error being <9.7%. Finally, by means of a parametric study, the validated model was used to analyze the effect of the design variables, such as the radii of the quartz fibers, thickness of the TiO2 coatings, and amount of TiO2‐coated quartz wool, on the distribution and nonuniformity of the radiative energy distribution inside the reactor. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2010