Effects of Alcohols on Gas Holdup and Volumetric Liouid-Phase Mass Transfer Coefficient in Gel-Particle-Suspended Bubble Column

Abstract

The effects of alcohols, column dimensions, gas velocity, physical properties of liquids, and gel particles on the gas holdup ε_G and the volumetric liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient k_La in a gel-particle-suspended bubble column under liquid-solid batch operation were studied experimentally. It was shown that addition of alcohols to water generally increases ε_G. However, k_La values in aqueous solutions of alcohols became larger or smaller than those in water, according to the kind and concentration of the alcohol added to water. It was also shown that the presence of suspended gel-particles in the bubble column reduces values of ε_G and k_La. Based on these observations, empirical equations for ε_G in the transition regime in an ethanol solution, for ε_G in the heterogeneous flow regime applicable to various alcohol solutions and for k_La in both flow regimes were proposed.