Abstract
The oxidation of glucose to gluconic acid in aqueous alkaline solution on a platinumcarbon catalyst was chosen as a model reaction to study the liquid-solid contacting efficiency in trickle-bed reactors. The global rates of dissipation of oxygen were measured for both liquid-full and trickle-bed reactors under conditions of negligible liquid-solid mass transfer effects. The liquid-solid contacting efficiency was evaluated from the rates for both reactors, which were measured under the same conditions of temperature, oxygen concentration and liquid flow rate using the same catalyst. Under the range of experimental conditions used (catalyst particle sizes ; 0.110 and 0.242 cm, superficial liquid velocity ; 0.0236 to 0.337 cm/sec), the liquid-solid contacting efficiency was nearly constant. The average value was 0.91. Data were taken in a gas-continuous flow regime and showed no significant change in the rate of reaction with change in superficial gas (oxygen) velocity.
