(494j) Dynamic Liquid Level Effect on Bubble Properties in Industrial Bubble Column without Internal By Using Four-Point Optical Fiber Probe Technique

Dynamic
Liquid Level Effect on Bubble Properties in Industrial Bubble Column Without
Internal by Using Four-Point Optical Fiber Probe Technique

Hayder Al-Naseri, Joshua P. Schlegel²
and 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) is the type of the
multiphase reactor which has wide applications
in the industry, biochemical, and petroleum including the production of
alternative clean fuel via Fischer-Tropsch (F-T)
synthesis. In industry, the actual aspect ratio (height/diameter) of bubble
column reactor (H/D) is usually at or lower than five due to the large diameter of the column. The previous
studies on bubble column were conducted at hydrodynamic liquid 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 aspect ratio (H/D =5,4
and 3) on the bubble properties (local gas holdup, chord, and interfacial area) and fully development flow regime in
three velocities of gas (0.2, 0.3 and 0.45 m/s). The experimental work was
carried out in a 24 inch inside diameter and 152-inch height of bubble column
for an air-water system. 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 the 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, 4 and 3