Ana Lakota, Melita Jazbec, Janez Levec
Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana,
Aškerčeva 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
 

ABSTRACT

Axial liquid phase dispersion coefficient in a concurrent up-flow bubble column packed with Sulzer structured packing (SMV 16) was measured by means of the stationary method in a region between the homogeneous and heterogeneous hydrodynamic regimes. Column had a 0.14 cm ID and 1.885 m total packing length. Tap water was used as liquid phase and oxygen as gas phase. KCl was used as a tracer. For comparison experiments were also performed in the same column but without packing. The gas holdup was determined simultaneously. An increase in the measured EL values with the gas velocity was observed in both packed and non-packed columns, while the liquid flow rate only slightly raised the axial dispersion coefficient when the column was packed. The presence of structured packing reduced the liquid axial dispersion coefficient for nearly 50 % at low gas velocities, whereas there was only 20 % reduction found at higher velocities.