Reactor models for a series of continuous stirred tank reactors with a gas-liquid-solid leaching system: Part II. Gas-transfer control

Abstract

This article is the second in a three-article series devoted to the development of comprehensive three-phase steady-state reactor models. In this article in particular, model equations are developed for the case of a leaching reactor operating under pure gas-transfer control. That is, the transfer of a gaseous reactant at the g-1 interface is considered to be the controlling step of the process rather than the particle dissolution reaction itself. For the derivation of the appropriate model equations, the gas-transfer capacity of the reactor is coupled with the particle dissolution kinetics. Two model versions are developed. In model version 1, the dissolved gas is assumed to be distributed equally among all particles. On the basis of this assumption, a gastransfer control-shrinking core model (GTC-SCM) equation is formulated which, along with the segregated flow model, helps to calculate the conversion of the solid phase. The size distribution of the particles at the exit of the reactor is computedvia a mass-particle size density (PSD) function derived with the use of the population balance model (PBM). In model version 2, the dissolved gas is assumed to be distributed among particles in proportion to their surface area. Using the PBM, equations are developed suitable for the calculation of the total specific surface area of the reacting solids and their conversion. Single as well as multiple parallel leaching reactions are considered in developing the two model versions.