LIQUID-PHASE BACKMIXING IN BUBBLE-COLUMN REACTORS - A NEW CORRELATION

Bubble column reactors are widely used in many industrial applications due to their simplicity of operation. Although simple to operate, bub ble columns are difficult to scale-up due to the uncertainties in the estimation of some non-adjustable design parameters. One of these desi gn parameters is the liquid phase backmixing. The present work propose s a new correlation to estimate the liquid phase backmixing in bubble column reactors. The correlation is based on principles originally dev eloped for flow through porous media and uses experimental data obtain ed over a wide range of operating conditions. This correlation is simp le to use and requires parameters which are easily available or can be measured on a small scale apparatus. The proposed correlation shows a significant improvement over available literature correlations and is applicable to three phase systems as well.