Reactor Design for Gas-Liquid Reactions

REACTOR DESIGN FOR GAS-LIQUID REACTIONS The Overall Strategy 

Knowledge of the regime of operation, the location of the reaction region within the gas-liquid system, is important in selecting the type of reactor to be used. 

Type of contactor Typical range of superficial gas velocities (cm/s) Mixing characteristics kl X 10 (cm/s) aL(cui /cm ) Liquid holdup 

Depending on whether the reaction occurs in the bulk or in the film, the effective amount of liquid or liquid holdup will be different and forms an important parameter in reactor choice. 

For purposes of design, the reaction regime can be determined from laboratory experiments carried out within the framework of the analytical methods described in Chapters 14 and 15. Table 14.2 summarizes the criteria and rate equations for a simple irreversible reaction in different regimes, and Tables 14.4-14.6 summarize similar information for more complicated systems. The basic objectives of design are then to minimize the reactor volume and the energy required for a given production rate. The overall strategy can be stated as follows  

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