COMPARISON OF THE SINGLE-BUBBLE-CLASS AND MODIFIED 2-BUBBLE-CLASS MODELS OF BUBBLE-COLUMN REACTORS

Gas phase conversions and product selectivities predicted by the singl e-bubble-class and modified two-bubble-class models of bubble column r eactors are compared for a multistep gas-liquid reaction involving ser ies/parallel steps. A situation is considered where the first reaction step is fast and occurs in the interfacial region while the other rea ction steps are slow and occur only in the liquid bulk. Equivalent hyd rodynamic and transport parameters provide a common basis for the comp arison. The differences in the gas phase conversions predicted by thes e models are insignificant. However, the two models predict very diffe rent values of selectivities for the intermediate products. This analy sis enables us to judge the range of applicability of the single-bubbl e-class model in design and scale-up of bubble column reactors.