ENHANCEMENT OF GAS-LIQUID MASS-TRANSFER USING OSCILLATORY FLOW IN A BAFFLED TUBE

We report experimental data on the effect of oscillatory flow in baffled tubes on the mass transfer of oxygen into water. Gas bubbles are sparged into a vertical tube and the kinetics of the liquid oxygen concentration followed. Fluid oscillation in the absence of internal baffles has little effect on the measured k(L)a values; however, if both the baffles and oscillations are present, an up to sixfold increase in k(L)a is reported. Trends in the mass transfer measurements are consistent with the fluid mechanics observed within the tube, and power density calculations suggest that the system is more energy-efficient than gas-sparged stirred tanks.