Fluid Flow in a Combined Top and Bottom Blown Reactor

Abstract

Physical modeling was done to study the flow field in a cylindrical bath agitated by bottom purging, top lance blowing and a combination of both injection types. A particle image velocimetry (PIV) system has been used to capture the velocity field of all three cases mentioned above. Special attention was paid to the recirculation loop. Top blowing creates a re-circulation loop in a relatively small volume close to the surface, compared to bottom- and combined-blowing. Increasing bottom flow rate moves the center of the re-circulation loop downwards into the liquid. When top blowing is combined with bottom blowing the center of the re-circulation loop is moved downwards into the liquid with increasing top lance flow rate.