(234u) The Impact of Slurry Concentrations on Bubble Properties in Pilot Scale Bubble Column with Industrial Heat Exchanger Internals Structure for Fischer-Tropsch (FT) Synthesis | AIChE

(234u) The Impact of Slurry Concentrations on Bubble Properties in Pilot Scale Bubble Column with Industrial Heat Exchanger Internals Structure for Fischer-Tropsch (FT) Synthesis

Authors 

Schlegel, J. P., Missouri University of Science and Technology
Al-Dahhan, M., Missouri University of Science and Technology

The Impact of Slurry Concentrations
on Bubble Properties in Pilot Scale Bubble Column with Industrial Heat Exchanger
Internals Structure for Fischer-Tropsch (FT)
Synthesis

Hayder
Al-Naseri, Joshua P. Schlegel2, Muthanna Al-Dahhan1

1Multiphase Reactors
Engineering and Applications Laboratory (mReal)

Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering,
Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 65409-1230. USA

2Mining and Nuclear
Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla,
MO,65409-1230. USA

Email:
haa6y6@mst.edu

Abstract

The bubble columns (BC) and slurry bubble columns
(SBC) are kinds of the multiphase reactors which have wide range of using in
the industry, biochemical, and petroleum including the production of
alternative clean fuel via Fischer-Tropsch (F-T)
synthesis. Most of the application of bubble/slurry bubble columns involve high
catalytic and exothermic reaction. Therefore,
the internals (heat exchanging tubes) are used to keep the reaction at desired
temperature, but it also effects on the bubble dynamic properties. As well, in
industry, the actual bubble column height to diameter (H/D) is usually at or
lower than five due to large diameter of the column. The previous studies on
bubble column are made at hydrodynamic level (H/D) more than five. Hence there
is knowledge gap about bubble properties in region H/D equal or less than five. Therefore, the aim of this work is to study
the effects of different slurry concentrations which is mimicking to the
catalyst on the axial and radial profile of bubble properties (local gas holdup,
chord and interfacial area) in presence heat exchanging tubes that occupying 23.25%
of column cross sectional area. The
experimental work was carried out in a 0.6 m inside diameter and 3.65 m height of
bubble column for an air-water-solid system. The slurry with an average size of
150 µm and density 2500 kg/m3 was used as the solid/fines phase with
9.1 and 25 % by volume. The superficial gas velocity applied based on the free
cross section area available for flow varied from 0.2 to 0.45 m/s which can
cover the churn turbulent flow regime. The effects of these parameters are
discussed and analyzed by using four-point
fiber optical probes technique.  The uniqueness of this work is the bubble dynamic
properties are studied in industrial scale and bubble column height to
diameter H/D = 5.

Keywords:
Slurry concentration, slurry bubble column; Internals; Churn turbulent flow