The effect of operating and design parameter on bubble column performance: The LOPROX case study

Abstract

It is known that the performances of multi-phase reactors depend on the operating parameters (the temperature and the pressure of the system), the phase properties, and the design parameters (the aspect ratio (AR), the bubble column diameter, and the gas sparger design). Hence, the precise design and the correct operation of multi-phase reactors depends on the understanding and prediction of the fluid dynamics parameters. This paper contributes to the existing discussion on the effect of operating and design parameter on multi-phase reactors and, in particular, it considers an industrial process (e.g., the LOPROX (low pressure oxidation) case study, which is typical example of two-phase bubble columns). Based on a previously-validated set of correlations, the influence of operating and design parameter on system performances is studied and critically analyzed. First, we studied the effects of the design parameter on the liquid–gas interfacial area, by keeping constant the fluid physical–chemical properties as well as the operating conditions; subsequently, we discussed for a fixed system design, the influence of the liquid phase properties and the operating pressure. In conclusion, this paper is intended to provide guidelines for the design and scale-up of multi-phase reactors.