Liquid mixing in internal loop airlift reactors

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1994 · Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ie00033a023· OSTI ID:6842788

Lu, W J; Hwang, S J ^[1]; Chang, C M ^[2]

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1. National Tsing Hua Univ., Hsinchu (Taiwan, Province of China). Dept. of Chemical Engineering
2. Union Chemical Lab., Hsinchu (Taiwan, Province of China). Dept. of Biotechnology

The airlift reactor is a promising reactor for two- and three-phase reactions due to its advantages of high fluid circulation, mass and heat transfer, short mixing time, low shear stress, and energy consumption. It has been widely applied in biochemical fermentation, chemical reactions, and biological wastewater treatment processes. Liquid mixing in the riser and downcomer of two- and three-phase internal loop airlift reactors as well as the overall liquid mixing were studied. Tracer was injected into the airlift reactors, and pH sensors were employed to measure the variations of tracer concentration in the riser, downcomer, top, and bottom sections. The Bo number in individual sections of the airlift reactors were obtained by time domain analysis of these concentration variations. It was found that the degree of mixing in the riser was higher than that in the downcomer. Moreover, mixing in the two-phase system was superior to that in the three-phase system, and the degree of mixing of the calcium alginate system was lower than that of the polystyrene system. Minimum values of the overall axial dispersion coefficient existed in the relationship between the overall axial dispersion coefficient and solids loading.

• OSTI ID: 6842788
• Journal Information: Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research; (United States), Journal Name: Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research; (United States) Vol. 33:9; ISSN IECRED; ISSN 0888-5885
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320303* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Industrial & Agricultural Processes-- Equipment & Processes
CHEMICAL REACTORS
DESIGN
ENERGY CONSERVATION
FLUID FLOW
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRODYNAMICS
MECHANICS
MIXING
MULTIPHASE FLOW
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
TWO-PHASE FLOW