A mechanistic model describing the mass and momentum exchange in bubble columns is proposed that is based on the observations that the gas distribution in a bubble column is not uniform across the column and that as a consequence large liquid recirculation cells are formed in such columns. The model provides insight into the mechanism of mass and momentum exchange in bubble columns and predicts turbulent viscosities in bubble columns that are similar to those reported in the literature. It also predicts axial and radial dispersion coefficients that are of the same order of magnitude as the reported data. Whereas the model is based on a description of the underlying physical phenomena, its validity and extrapolation is expected to be more reliable than that of empirical correlations.
Reference:
Skosana, P.J, Van Vuuren, D.S and Heydenrych, M.D. 2015. Mechanistic model for dispersion coefficients in bubble column. South African Journal of Chemical Engineering, vol. 20(1), pp 30-43
Skosana, P., Van Vuuren, D., & Heydenrych, M. (2015). Mechanistic model for dispersion coefficients in bubble column. http://hdl.handle.net/10204/8396
Skosana, PJ, DS Van Vuuren, and MD Heydenrych "Mechanistic model for dispersion coefficients in bubble column." (2015) http://hdl.handle.net/10204/8396
Skosana P, Van Vuuren D, Heydenrych M. Mechanistic model for dispersion coefficients in bubble column. 2015; http://hdl.handle.net/10204/8396.
Copyright: 2016 SAIChE. Due to copyright restrictions, the attached PDF file only contains the abstract of the full text item. For access to the full text item, please consult the publisher's website. The definitive version of the work is published in South African Journal of Chemical Engineering, vol. 20(1), pp 30-43
