GAS-LIQUID MASS-TRANSFER IN TRICKLE-BED REACTORS - GAS-SIDE MASS-TRANSFER

New data of gas-liquid mass transfer for cocurrent downflow through pa cked beds of non-porous particles are presented. Mass transfer paramet ers for air/carbon dioxide/water and air/carbon dioxide/sodium hydroxi de systems were evaluated by least squares fit of the calculated CO2 c oncentration profiles in the gas phase to the experimental values. The dependence of k(G)a on gas and liquid flow rates is caused by the dep endence of gas-liquid interfacial area, not by the gas-side mass trans fer coefficient k(G). In the case of the absorption of dilute carbon d ioxide the gas-side resistance is considerably smaller than the liquid -side resistance. In the pulse flow regime, gas-liquid interfacial are a calculated from k(L)a and k(L) values obtained by physical, respecti vely, chemical absorption are lower than the gas-liquid interfacial ar ea evaluated from the measurements under reaction conditions.