VISUALIZATION AND MAXIMUM PERCOLATION VELOCITY OF NONWETTING LIQUID FLOW-THROUGH A 2-D PACKED-BED

A number of studies have been carried out to describe the flow of liqu ids in packed beds but the non-wetting flow of liquid has received rel atively little attention. Non-wetting flow is an important factor in m odelling the flow of liquid iron and slag in the blast furnace lower z one where the liquid iron does not wet the coke. This paper reports re sults of visualisation of the flow of non-wetting liquids through a 2- D array of regularly packed cylinders. A video technique is used to vi sualise the liquid flow patterns through the packed bed. Two major flo w patterns are identified: rivulet and droplet. The flow regimes depen d on liquid fraction, liquid flow rate and height of packed bed. The m aximum percolation velocity at the bottom of the packed bed are also m easured using high speed video analysis. Water, mercury and glycerol a re selected to examine the effect of physical properties on the liquid flow behaviours and maximum percolation velocity. By adding the visua l dimension, this study contributes to better understanding of the flo w behaviours of non-wetting liquid through a packed bed. (C) Munksgaar d, 1997.