Wall conditioning processes, surface

It has always been considered that the condition of the reactor wall is less important for liquid-phase processes than for gas-phase reactions. Now there are numerous examples of marked wall effects which induce essentially new chemical results in liquid-phase oxidations. Hence, the parts played by reactor walls, by solid surfaces, and by other solid catalysts in liquid-phase oxidations should be considered as one of the most important remaining problems. 

The DCCLC system was also designed to circumvent problems due to adsorption. After preparation and filtration, saturated solutions are transferred and extracted by a process that minimizes PAH contact with surfaces. The volume between the generator column and the extractor column is approximately 6 fxL. The time required for transfer of the saturated solutions at a flow rate of 5 mL/min is less than 75 msec. Furthermore, the walls of the transfer lines are presaturated with the compound being studied during the column-conditioning process. This further reduces the possibility of adsorptive losses of the PAHs during the brief time that the saturated solutions remain in these lines. 

Imposition of no-slip velocity conditions at solid walls is based on the assumption that the shear stress at these surfaces always remains below a critical value to allow a complete welting of the wall by the fluid. This iraplie.s that the fluid is constantly sticking to the wall and is moving with a velocity exactly equal to the wall velocity. It is well known that in polymer flow processes the shear stress at the domain walls frequently surpasses the critical threshold and fluid slippage at the solid surfaces occurs. Wall-slip phenomenon is described by Navier s slip condition, which is a relationship between the tangential component of the momentum flux at the wall and the local slip velocity (Sillrman and Scriven, 1980). In a two-dimensional domain this relationship is expressed as... 

Micropore Diffusion. In very small pores in which the pore diameter is not much greater than the molecular diameter the diffusing molecule never escapes from the force field of the pore wall. Under these conditions steric effects and the effects of nonuniformity in the potential field become dominant and the Knudsen mechanism no longer appHes. Diffusion occurs by an activated process involving jumps from site to site, just as in surface diffusion, and the diffusivity becomes strongly dependent on both temperature and concentration. 

The corrosion conditions can be different at the fluid line from the bulk condition. Aqueous liquids have a concave meniscus, which creates a thin film of liquid on the vessel wall immediately above the liquid line. Some corrosion processes, particularly the diffusion of dissolved gases, are more rapid in these conditions. Additionally, the concentration of dissolved gases is highest near the liquid surface, especially when agitation is poor. Locally high corrosion rates can therefore occur at the liquid line, leading to thinning in a line around the vessel. This effect is reduced if the liquid level in the vessel varies with time. Any corrosion tests undertaken as part of the materials selection procedure should take this effect into account. 

The process is indicated on the chart in Figure 24.9, taking point B as the tube temperature. Since this would be the ultimate dew point temperature of the air for an infinitely sized coil, the point B is termed the apparatus dew point (ADP). In practice, the cooling element will be made of tubes, probably with extended outer surface in the form of fins (see Figure 7.3). Heat transfer from the air to the coolant will vary with the fin height from the tube wall, the materials, and any changes in the coolant temperature which may not be constant. The average coolant temperature will be at some lower point D, and the temperature difference B — D will be a function of the conductivity of the coil. As air at condition A enters the coil, a thin layer will come into contact with the fin surface and will be cooled to B. It will then mix with the remainder of the air between the fins, so that the line AB is a mix line. 

Substrates protected from different environmental conditions basically include the metals (steel, zinc, aluminum and copper), inorganic materials (plaster, concrete and asbestos), and organic materials (wood, wall-board, wallpaper and plastics). Metals may be surface coated to improve their workability in mechanical processing. 

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