Hydrodynamics of gas-liquid flow in 2D packed/unpacked rectangular reactor

Experimental data is reported on two-phase flow parameters in a 2D packed/u npacked rectangular reactor. This was obtained by different techniques of i maging, laser velocimetry, and pressure drop dynamics, in a 2D transparent rectangular column of large aspect ratio and 2 mm gap size. The column was operated in upflow pas-liquid flow with and without packing placed in a str uctured way. For the imaging studies, a simple-processing technique has bee n developed, which allowed direct simultaneous measurements of gas volume f raction, liquid-gas interfacial area and bubble size parameters. The time-a veraged liquid velocity field, turbulent intensity, and Reynolds stresses w ere obtained by an LDV technique for two-phase flow in bubbly regime and re actor with and without packing. The experimental results show that the use of packing results in better phase distribution, it increases the range of gas flowrates at which bubbly flow occurs, and decreases backmixing by glob al recirculation. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.