Tongwang Zhang

Analysis and Measurement of Mass Transfer in Airlift Loop Reactors

Abstract Inter-phase mass transfer is important to the design and performance of airlift loop reactors for either chemical or biochemical applications, and a good measurement technique is crucial for studying mass transfer in multiphase systems. According to the model of macro-scale mass transfer in airlift loop reactors, it was proved that the airlift loop reactor can be regarded as a continuous stirred tank reactor for measuring mass transfer coefficient. The calculated mass transfer coefficient on such a basis is different from the volumetric mass transfer coefficient in the macro-scale model and the difference is discussed. To describe the time delay of the probe response to the change of oxygen concentration in the liquid phase, a model taking into account the time constant of response is established. Sensitivity analysis shows that this model can be used to measure the volumetric mass transfer coefficient. Applying this model to the measurement of volumetric mass transfer coefficient in the loop reactor, results that coincide with the turbulence theory in the literate were obtained.

FLOW BEHAVIOR AND MASS TRANSFER IN THREE-PHASE EXTERNAL-LOOP AIRLIFT REACTORS WITH LARGE PARTICLES

The flow behavior and mass transfer in a three-phase external-loop airlift reactor can be improved by adding large particles. The mass transfer and liquid dispersion behavior for a three-phase external-loop reactor with large particles are studied in terms of the effect of the diameter and loading of the large particles on the liquid dispersion coefficient and mass transfer coefficient. The results showed that increasing the diameter or loading of the large particles tend to decrease dispersion and intensify mass transfer, and that an increase in the diameter of the large particles remarkably decreases the particle loop rate, while the effect of fine particles is much less notable.