Packed beds trickling flow

In the upper portion of the bed, trickling flow occurs, but when the gas velocity has increased enough, it tends to blow away liquid held up between the packing particles and pulsing flow is observed. This transition criterion is given in Equation (5). 

Mears24 suggested that the fact that (4-6) correlated the data was fortuitous. He questioned the validity of Eq. (4-5) for the packed-bed trickle-bed reactor, since this equation was derived from the data taken for the flow over a string of spheres. He argued that the dependence of reactor performance on velocity in pilot-scale reactors is due to incomplete catalyst wetting at low flow rates. For a first-order reaction, he modified Eq. (4-4) as... 

For cncnrrfnr ga<-1igiikLHnwnflnuj over a packed bed, various flow regimes such as trickle-flow (gas continuous), pulsed flow, spray flow, and bubble flow (liquid continuous) can be obtained, depending upon the gas and liquid flow rates, the nature and size- of packing, and the nature and properties of the liquid. The flow-regime transition is usually defined as the condition at which a slight increase in gas or liquid flow rate causes a sharp increase in the root-mean-square wall-pressure fluctuations. 

Industrially, hydrodesulfurization of oil fractions, like aU hydroprocessing, is carried out catalytically in a fixed bed trickle flow unit. The catalyst is stacked in a packed bed and gas (hydrogen) and liquid (oil) are fed downstream concurrently. The reactor operates in the trickle-flow regime, in which the catalyst pellets are fully wetted with the liquid and both gas and liquid flow along the external surface. 

A range of these cases can occur in packed-bed. trickle-bed or free-rise or free-fall dispersed-phase reactor systems. For creeping flow. Re < 1. (e.g.. certain packed-bed... 

Gas-liquid mixtures are sometimes reacted in packed beds. The gas and the liquid usually flow cocurrently. Such trickle-bed reactors have the advantage that residence times of the liquid are shorter than in countercurrent operation. This can be useful in avoiding unwanted side reactions. 

The term three-phase fluidization requires some explanation, as it can be used to describe a variety of rather different operations. The three phases are gas, liquid and particulate solids, although other variations such as two immiscible liquids and particulate solids may exist in special applications. As in the case of a fixed-bed operation, both co-current and counter- current gas-liquid flow are permissible and, for each of these, both bubble flow, in which the liquid is the continuous phase and the gas dispersed, and trickle flow, in which the gas forms a continuous phase and the liquid is more or less dispersed, takes place. A well established device for countercurrent trickle flow, in which low-density solid spheres are fluidized by an upward current of gas and irrigated by a downward flow of liquid, is variously known as the turbulent bed, mobile bed and fluidized packing contactor, or the turbulent contact absorber when it is specifically used for gas absorption and/or dust removal. Still another variation is a three-phase spouted bed contactor. 

Zabor et al. (Zl) have described studies of the catalytic hydration of propylene under such conditions (temperature 279°C, pressure 3675 psig) that both liquid and vapor phases are present in the packed catalyst bed. Conversions are reported for cocurrent upflow and cocurrent downflow, it being assumed in that paper that the former mode corresponds to bubble flow and the latter to trickle-flow conditions. Trickle flow resulted in the higher conversions, and conversion was influenced by changes in bed height (for unchanged space velocity), in contrast to the case for bubble-flow operation. The differences are assumed to be effects of mass transfer or liquid distribution. 

Cas/Liquid Micro Flow Packed-bed or Trickle-bed Reactors... 

However, in contrast to the two classes of dispersive mixers mentioned before, the attached flow-through channel contains a packed bed of particles which may carry a catalyst. This chamber is much larger than the typical dimensions of the inlet channels (e.g. compare with Section 5.1.2). The packed bed and its interstices influence the gas/liquid flow patterns, e.g. a trickle-bed operation may be established. 

Several uncertainties in this periodic process have not been resolved. Pressure drop is too high at SV = 10,000 h 1 when packed beds of carbon are used. Study of carbon-coated structured packing or of monoliths with activated carbon washcoats is needed to see if lower pressure drops at 95% SO2 removal can be achieved. Stack gas from coal or heavy oil combustion contains parts-per-million or -per-billion quantities of toxic elements and compounds. Their removal in the periodically operated trickle bed must be examined, as well as the effect of these elements on acid quality. So far, laboratory experiments have been done to just 80°C use of acid for flushing the carbon bed should permit operation at temperatures up to 150°C. Performance of periodic flow interruption at such temperatures needs to be determined. The heat exchange requirements for the RTI-Waterloo process shown in Fig. 26 depend on the temperature of S02 scrubbing. If operation at 150°C is possible, gas leaving the trickle bed can be passed directly to the deNO, step without reheating. 

In multiphase reactors we frequently exploit the density differences between phases to produce relative motions between phases for better contacting and higher mass transfer rates. As an example, in trickle bed reactors (Chapter 12) liquids flow by gravity down a packed bed filled with catalyst, while gases are pumped up through the reactor in countercurrent flow so that they may react together on the catalyst surface. 

Al-Dahhan and Dudukovic, 1996 Dudukovic et al., 1999). This way, more solid-liquid contact points over which the liquid flows are created and the bed porosity is reduced, especially near the reactor wall. Following a proper procedure for packing a trickle bed with catalyst particles and fines decouples the apparent kinetics from hydrodynamics, which is highly desirable. The addition of lines is not the same as reducing the particle size of the catalyst, as in the latter case the particle effectiveness factor is smaller. 

In connection with the engineering content of the book, a large number of reactors is analyzed two- and three-phase (slurry) agitated reactors (batch and continuous flow), two-and three-phase fixed beds (fixed beds, trickle beds, and packed bubble beds), three-phase (slurry) bubble columns, and two-phase fluidized beds. All these reactors are applicable to catalysis two-phase fixed and fluidized beds and agitated tank reactors concern adsorption and ion exchange as well. 

High pressure catalytic processes are developed and carried out in both preformed and powdered catalysts. Preformed catalyst are useful for fixed bed operation. Preformed catalyst pellets, are used as packing in multiphase trickling flow reactors. Trickling flow reactors have been described in detail in another part of this book (see Laurent). In this section we deal with slurry catalytic reactors, where the catalyst is used in powdered form. 

Many studies on the flow distribution in random packed beds have been reported in the literature. Mercandelli et al. [8] published a short review of the flow distribution work in random packed trickle bed, which includes the list of various techniques used to determine and quantify the flow distribution. Conventional methods include, for example, collecting liquid at the bottom of the column from different zones while advanced methods include tomographic techniques. Mercandelli et al. [8] used several techniques to quantify liquid distribution in columns of diameters up to 30 cm with three different distributor designs. They used global pressure drop measurements, global residence time distribution (RTD) of the liquid, local heat transfer probes, capacitance tomography and a collector at the bottom of the column. 

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