EFFECTS OF SOLID MASS AND SIZE ON GAS HOLDUP AND OXYGEN MASS-TRANSFER COEFFICIENT OF A 3-PHASE AIRLIFT REACTOR

We investigated the effects of sand mass and size on gas holdups and oxygen mass transfer coefficients of a pilot-scale three-phase air-lift reactor. Both gas holdups and the mass transfer coefficients decreased with the increase in sand concentration, but increased with the superficial gas velocity. Previous empirical correlations for three-phase bubble column reactors either over- or under- predicted the actual gas holdups and the mass transfer coefficients of our air-lift reactor. The sizes of sand ranging from 0.2 to 1.4 mm did not affect the mass transfer coefficients.