Mass Transfer in Multiphase Reactors

A special issue of Fluids (ISSN 2311-5521).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2024) | Viewed by 4309

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute of Chemical Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
Interests: mass transfer; hydrodynamics; mixing; turbulence; nonlinear chaos theory; information entropy theory
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mass transfer is the most important process in multiphase reactors. In many applications in the chemical industry, the mass transfer time determines the operational time of the multiphase reactors. The successful prediction of the volumetric liquid-phase mass transfer coefficients under various operating conditions is a challenging task. The effects of various parameters (including pressure and temperature) should be taken into account. The applicability of the classical mass transfer theories to newly proposed chemical reactors needs to be validated. A possible correction should be considered. The effects of turbulence and catalyst particles on the enhancement of mass transfer should be better characterized. Last but not least, the presence of a chemical reaction (especially a complex one) changes the mass transfer conditions and the bubble shape and behavior (in the case of bubbling) in the multiphase reactors and the process should be well modeled. Especially interesting are multiphase reactors operated with foaming systems (for instance aqueous alcohol solutions), electrolytes (salts), and surface active substances. Manuscripts dealing with these scientific problems are welcome in this new Special Issue.

Prof. Dr. Stoyan Nedeltchev
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • liquid-side mass transfer coefficient
  • classical mass transfer theories
  • correction factors
  • bubble shape effect
  • dilute alcohol solutions
  • electrolytes
  • surface active substances
  • local isotropic turbulence theory
  • new and classical multiphase reactors

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4096 KiB  
Article
Gas–Liquid Mass Transfer Intensification for Selective Alkyne Semi-Hydrogenation with an Advanced Elastic Catalytic Foam-Bed Reactor
by Mohamad Fayad, Maïté Michaud, Han Peng, Vincent Ritleng and David Edouard
Fluids 2024, 9(6), 132; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids9060132 - 1 Jun 2024
Viewed by 905
Abstract
The Elastic Catalytic Foam-bed Reactor (EcFR) technology was used to enhance a model catalytic hydrogenation reaction by improving gas–liquid mass transfer. This advanced technology is based on a column packed with a commercial elastomeric polyurethane open-cell foam, which also acts as a catalyst [...] Read more.
The Elastic Catalytic Foam-bed Reactor (EcFR) technology was used to enhance a model catalytic hydrogenation reaction by improving gas–liquid mass transfer. This advanced technology is based on a column packed with a commercial elastomeric polyurethane open-cell foam, which also acts as a catalyst support. A simple and efficient crankshaft-inspired system applied in situ compression/relaxation movements to the foam bed. For the first time, the catalytic support parameters (i.e., porosity, tortuosity, characteristic length, etc.) underwent cyclic and controlled changes over time. These dynamic cycles have made it possible to intensify the transfer of gas to liquid at a constant energy level. The application chosen was the selective hydrogenation of phenylacetylene to styrene in an alcoholic solution using a palladium-based catalyst under hydrogen bubble conditions. The conversion observed with this EcFR at 1 Hz as cycle frequency was compared with that observed with a conventional Fixed Catalytic Foam-bed Reactor (FcFR). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mass Transfer in Multiphase Reactors)
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27 pages, 18300 KiB  
Article
Statistical Analysis of Bubble Parameters from a Model Bubble Column with and without Counter-Current Flow
by P. Kováts and K. Zähringer
Fluids 2024, 9(6), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids9060126 - 28 May 2024
Viewed by 817
Abstract
Bubble columns are widely used in numerous industrial processes because of their advantages in operation, design, and maintenance compared to other multiphase reactor types. In contrast to their simple design, the generated flow conditions inside a bubble column reactor are quite complex, especially [...] Read more.
Bubble columns are widely used in numerous industrial processes because of their advantages in operation, design, and maintenance compared to other multiphase reactor types. In contrast to their simple design, the generated flow conditions inside a bubble column reactor are quite complex, especially in continuous mode with counter-current liquid flow. For the design and optimization of such reactors, precise numerical simulations and modelling are needed. These simulations and models have to be validated with experimental data. For this reason, experiments were carried out in a laboratory-scale bubble column using shadow imaging and particle image velocimetry (PIV) techniques with and without counter-current liquid flow. In the experiments, two types of gases—relatively poorly soluble air and well-soluble CO2—were used and the bubbles were generated with three different capillary diameters. With changing gas and liquid flow rates, overall, 108 different flow conditions were investigated. In addition to the liquid flow fields captured by PIV, shadow imaging data were also statistically evaluated in the measurement volume and bubble parameters such as bubble diameter, velocity, aspect ratio, bubble motion direction, and inclination. The bubble slip velocity was calculated from the measured liquid and bubble velocities. The analysis of these parameters shows that the counter-current liquid flow has a noticeable influence on the bubble parameters, especially on the bubble velocity and motion direction. In the case of CO2 bubbles, remarkable bubble shrinkage was observed with counter-current liquid flow due to the enhanced mass transfer. The results obtained for bubble aspect ratio are compared to known correlations from the literature. The comprehensive and extensive bubble data obtained in this study will now be used as a source for the development of correlations needed in the validation of numerical simulations and models. The data are available from the authors on request. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mass Transfer in Multiphase Reactors)
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13 pages, 4017 KiB  
Article
Characterization Data for the Establishment of Scale-Up and Process Transfer Strategies between Stainless Steel and Single-Use Bioreactors
by Vincent Bernemann, Jürgen Fitschen, Marco Leupold, Karl-Heinz Scheibenbogen, Marc Maly, Marko Hoffmann, Thomas Wucherpfennig and Michael Schlüter
Fluids 2024, 9(5), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/fluids9050115 - 16 May 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1981
Abstract
The reliable transfer of bioprocesses from single-use bioreactors (SUBs) of different scales to conventional stainless steel stirred-tank bioreactors is of steadily growing interest. In this publication, a scale-up study for SUBs with volumes of 200 L and 2000 L and the transfer to [...] Read more.
The reliable transfer of bioprocesses from single-use bioreactors (SUBs) of different scales to conventional stainless steel stirred-tank bioreactors is of steadily growing interest. In this publication, a scale-up study for SUBs with volumes of 200 L and 2000 L and the transfer to an industrial-scale conventional stainless steel stirred-tank bioreactor with a volume of 15,000 L is presented. The scale-up and transfer are based on a comparison of mixing times and the modeling of volumetric mass transfer coefficients kLa, measured in all three reactors in aqueous PBS/Kolliphor solution. The mass transfer coefficients are compared with the widely used correlation of van’t Riet at constant stirrer tip speeds. It can be shown that a van’t Riet correlation enables a robust and reliable prediction of mass transfer coefficients on each scale for a wide range of stirrer tip speeds and aeration rates. The process transfer from single-use bioreactors to conventional stainless steel stirred-tank bioreactors is proven to be uncritical concerning mass transfer performance. This provides higher flexibility with respect to bioreactor equipment considered for specific processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mass Transfer in Multiphase Reactors)
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