EFFECTS OF ALCOHOLS ON GAS HOLDUP AND VOLUMETRIC LIQUID-PHASE MASS-TRANSFER COEFFICIENT IN GEL-PARTICLE-SUSPENDED BUBBLE-COLUMN

The effects of alcohols, column dimensions, gas velocity, physical pro perties of liquids, and gel particles on the gas holdup epsilon(G) and the volumetric liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient k(L)a in a gel- particle-suspended bubble column under liquid-solid batch operation we re studied experimentally. It was shown that addition of alcohols to w ater generally increases epsilon(G). However, k(L)a values in aqueous solutions of alcohols became larger or smaller than those in water, ac cording to the kind and concentration of the alcohol added to water, I t was also shown that the presence of suspended gel-particles in the b ubble column reduces values of epsilon(G) and k(L)a. Based on these ob servations, empirical equations for epsilon(G) in the transition regim e in an ethanol solution, for epsilon(G) in the heterogeneous flow reg ime applicable to various alcohol solutions and for k(L)a in both flow regimes were proposed.