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Pergamon

Chemical Engineering Science, Vol. 51, No. 10, pp. 1703--1713,1996 Copyright 1996Elsevier Science Ltd Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved S0009-2509(96)00029-2 0099-2509/96 $15.00 + 0.00

L i q u i d c i r c u l a t i o n , b u b b l e size d i s t r i b u t i o n s , a n d s o l i d s m o v e m e n t two- and three-phase bubble columns S. Grevskott B.H. Sann~es M.P. Dudukovid* K.W. Hjarbo t

in

H.F. Svendsen

Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Trondheim, N-7034 TRONDHEIM, Norway

A b s t r a c t - One two-phase bubble column and two three-phase slurry reactors have been experimentally characterised with special emphasis on bubble size distribution, liqmd circulation and solids movement. The measurements in the two phase bubble column were based on a five point conductivity probe method and on a steady state heat tracer technique. For the solids movement, the CARPT technique was used. By numerical simulations using a two fluid model, new models for bubble size distribution and solids presence have been tested. The new bubble size model is found to improve the size distribution predictions compared to prior models, but. is still not satisfactory. Temperature profiles were well predicted by the model. For the solids movement, two circulation cells were found experimentally in the reactors tested. This has also been verified by numerical simulations. The formation of secondary cell structures of magnitude approximately equal to the eohunn diameter, are indicated by the experimentally determined Reynolds stress patterns'. INTRODUCTION Slurry bubble columns are presently being used for a wide range of catalytic reactions in both the bio- and petrochemical industry. The flow patterns of liquid, gas, and solids in these reactors are very complex, and the basic principles governing tbe flow phenomena are not yet fully understood. C o m p u t a t i o n a l fluid dynamics is an important tool in the investigation of multidimensional two-phase flow. Phenomenological models have been widely used to describe such flows, but these models are not well suited for scale-up and design iu general, since they require prior knowledge of the flow structure. By introducing more fundamental models for the internal flow variables, a tool that can be used for a variety of multi-phase systems and conditions may be obtained. Recently, several papers that describe advanced models for two phase flows in reactors have appeared. Among these are Sokolichin and Eigenberger (1994) who use a dynamic Euler-Euler formulation with no consideration of turbulence. Lapin and Liibbert (1994a) use an Euler-Lagrangian approach where they track the motion of individual bubbles or bubble clusters in an Eulerian liquid. Recently, they extended their model to inclnde 3 dimensional effects (Lapin and Liibbert 1994b). Hillmer et.al. (1994) used an Euler-Euler approach to model slurry bubble columns by treating the liquid and solid phases as a pseudo-homogeneous phase with axially varying density and viscosity fields based on a sedimentation-dispersion model. A fundamental time averaged model for the prediction of local flow structures in bubble columns has been developed during the last years (Torvik and Svendsen 1990, Svendsen et.al. 1992, Jakobsen et.al. 1993). The model is shown capable of predicting liquid phase velocity profiles and void profiles for limited variations in gas-liquid systems, superficial gas velocity and column diameter. Literature shows that an accurate description of the inter-phase m o m e n t u m exchange terms is important to the accuracy of the fundamental models. In bubble columns the transversal and drag forces are of particular interest, since they have great influence on the void profiles and the gas holdup. The correct determination of bubble size distributions is important to the modelling of bubble columns as it is an integral part of the parameter complex determining circulation and void fraction profiles. The movement of the individual bubble, in particular laterally, depends on its size and interacts with the turbulent eddy structures of the column through m o m e n t u m transfer and the bubble breakup and coalescence processes. Previously (Jakobsen et.al. 1993), a simple model where the local bubble size was assumed proportional to the turbulent length scale, was used. This model has been found unsatisfactory, and a new model has been developed depending directly on turbulent kinetic energy. The model has been tested for several gas-liquid systems through bubble-size distributions and void fraction profile measurements performed using a five point conductivity probe method (Buchhotz and Steinemann 1984). The solids concentration profiles in slurry bubble columns have traditionally been simulated using sedimentation-dispersion models. These models are limited in their ability to reproduce experimental data (Saxena and T h i m m a p u r a m 1992), but are able to provide quantitative information about the axial concentration profiles of the solids. The rate of reaction taking place on a suspended catalyst will depend on the composition of, and the mass transfer from, the fluid phase in contact with the particle. It is therefore important to be able to predict, not only the solids concentration profiles, but also the movement of the solid particles.
* D e p a r t m e n t of C h e m i c a l E n g i n e e r i n g , W a s h i n g t o n University, Saint Louis, Missouri, USA ? S I N T E F Division for A p p l i e d C h e m i s t r y , 7034 T R O N D H E I M , N o r w a y

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S. GREVSKOTr al. et

The two fluid model is presently being extended to include a suspended solid phase. For three phase model verification, experimental results from the CARPT (Computer Automated Radioactive Particle Tracking) facility at Washington University have been used. The CARPT technique has previously been used to map liquid movement in bubble columns, using a fully wettable solid radioactive particle with density close to the liquid density. In the mapping of solids movement a particle closely matching the size, shape, and density of the solids was used. Since the similarity between the tracer particle and the solids used was very good, it is expected that the solids movement is well determined with this technique, and possibly better than for liquid movement.
MODELLING

The mathematical model used for both the two and three phase systems is a two fluid model, with the two fluid phases treated in an Eulerian frame of reference. Time averaged conservation equations in cylindrical coordinates of pressure, velocities and volume fraction of both phases are solved. In addition a k - e model for turbulence is used (Launder and Spalding 1974), with source terms of bubble generated turbulence (Svendsen et. al 1992). We assume equal pressure for both fluid phases, no mass exchange between the phases and a spatial averaging larger than the scale of the dispersed phases. The inter-phase momentum exchange terms modelled between the fluid phases are steady inter-facial drag, added mass force and lift force. The lift force is only considered in the radial direction, since the drag force is dominating in the axial direction. If the void fraction is not small compared to the total volume considered, the inter-phase momentum exchange terms have to be multiplied by the liquid fraction (Johansen 1990), and this is used in the model. The drag force formulation used is given as

F~ = "~lo~gpz--~ ul - ugl(ul,i - ug,i)

CD

(1)

where i can mean both the axial and radial direction. For the drag coefficient, a curve has been fitted to experimental data for bubble movement in pure water (Gaudin 1957), giving 5.645
CD1.0 (2)

~go + 2.385

where Eo is the EStvSs number, dependent on the surface tension. The bubble size will have an important effect on the drag force through the drag coefficient, and therefore on the circulation pattern in general. The new model still assumes that the bubble size is proportional to the turbulent length scale (Jakebsen 1993), but in addition the Sauter Mean Diameter coefficient depends on the local turbulent kinetic energy, giving:

k3/2
ds : C S M D , C S M D ---- ark a~

(3)

The coefficients al and a2 are to be considered empirical parameters. The added (virtual) mass force is expressed by (Auton 198l):

DuLi F~ = c~lc~gpzfy( Dt

Dug,i Dt )

(4)

where the added mass coefficient fv is set to 0.2. The transversal lift force can be expressed to include non-linear turbulent drag effects in the radial direction (Jakobsen 1993), giving

Fr

3I~I,tCDCr/~, 4 (1--~

~(u,,~--u,,z)~---~(uz,~)

(5)

where C~ is an empirical coefficient. The fL in equation (5) is the conventional lift force coefficient and set equal to 0.5 (Thomas et.al. 1983). As a first approach to the three phase model, the two fluid model developed was used to determine the flow patterns. The viscosity and density of the liquid phase were modified to account for the presence of solids. The drag coefficient was modified from equation (2) to include a formulation for the drag on small bubbles, giving 5.645 1o 2 , d~ > 2.0ram Cv = ~ + .385 (6) 8 2 5 " ( 1 - c ~ g ) , d~ < 2 . 0 r a m It has been assumed that the solids are uniformly suspended in the column. Accordingly, the density of the slurry, flrn, was adjusted to

1
P,~

- - -

cw,~
P~

Cw,l
Pl

(7)

Two- and three-phase bubble columns The viscosity was calculated according to an empirical correlation (Thomas 1965) Prel - 1 + 2.5as + 10.05c~ + 0.00273 exp(16.6ct,)

1705

(8)

where ct~ is the volume fraction of solids. The boundary conditions for velocities and void fraction at the inlet are specified in accordance with the experiments they are to be compared with. The kinetic turbulent energy at the inlet is assumed to be generated mainly by the gas bubbles entering the reactor, and the kinetic energy in the gas itself, giving:

1 A~ K pg,ug kei,~ = ~A,Ag ( a + ~)~-[ug

(9)

where Ka scales the kinetic energy generated by the bubbles. The profiles are assumed flat at the inlet, and no diffusion is allowed at the boundary. At the outlet,the pressure is set equal to the ambient pressure, and the outlet mass flows become a part of the overall solution. The radial gradients of all variables are set to zero at the s y m m e t r y axis, except for radial velocities, which are set to zero themselves. These boundary conditions ensure zero flux over the symmetry axis. At the wall a single-phase logarithmic wall function is used. The partial differential equations are diseretized using a finite volume technique with staggered grid and upwind differencing in a two-dimensional cylindrical polar mesh with 15 radial and 30 axial grid cells. A further expansion of the grid was found not to change the results. The finite volume equations are solved iteratively using the S I M P L E S T and IPSA algorithms (Spalding 1977) as implemented in the P H O E N I C S code.
EXPERIMENTAL WORK

Two phase experiments


The gas-liquid experiments were performed in a column with inner diameter 0.288 m and height 4.25 m. The system used was air/water, and the superficial velocity was varied in the range 0 . 0 2 - 0.18 m / s for gas, and in the range 0.006 - 0.02 m / s for liquid. The temperature variation range was 120 C - 700 C. The gas distributor was a perforated plate with 250, 1 nam diameter holes. The liquid entered through 19 holes of diameter 28 rnm. Bubble size distributions were measured at positions 0.3 m and 2.0 m above the gas inlet. Steady state heat tracer experiments were performed by adding steam through a system of three concentric rings. This provided a radially evenly distributed influx of energy at a well defined axial position. A position 2 m above the gas inlet was used in the experiments. Temperatures were measured at five to six axial positions and five radial positions. Three phase experiments The m o v e m e n t of 110-180 # m glass beads (density 2950 k g / m 3) in an air-water system was studied in 0.14 m and 0.26 m inner diameter columns. The static heights of the suspensions were 0.99 m and 1.34 m in the two columns, respectively. Water and glass beads were batch fed, and the superficial gas velocity was varied from 0.05 m / s to 0.14 m / s . The gas distributor was a perforated plate with a porosity of 0.05 %. Solids loading was varied from 7 wt-% to 20 wt-%. A radioactive 150 # m Scandium particle (density 2890 k g / m 3 was used as tracer. Its activity was approximately 600 #Cu. Column diameter Static height Solids loading 7% 0.26m 0.14m

14

20 %

1.33m 0.97m Superficial gas velocity 0.05 m/s 0.02 m/s 0.08 m/s 0.08 m/s 0.11 m/s 0.14 m/s 0.14 m/s 0.05 m/s 0.05 m/s 0.08 m/s 0.08 m/s 0.11 m/s 0.14 m/s 0.14 m/s 0.05 m/s 0.05 m/s 0.08 m/s 0.08 m/s 0.11 m/s 0.14 m/s 0.14 m/s

Table 1: List of all runs performed for the slurry system

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The C A R P T facility Up to 32 scintillation detectors containing NaI crystals were placed around the column. During each sampling interval the number of hits for each detector was registered and transferred to a computer. Intensity vs. distance data were established for each detector by in-situ calibrations performed ahead of the experiment. When one run of 5-7 hours was finished, the instantaneous positions were calculated from the pre-established intensity vs. distance curves and the intensity data for each detector through a linear regression scheme (Devanathan 1990). The column was divided into calculation cells for treatment of the data. The instantaneous velocities were calculated from the instantaneous positions as

U(im,Jm, ]era) = r(n + 1) -- r(n) At

(10)

and assigned to the calculation cell (ira, jra, kin) containing the midpoint of the two positions. Time (ensemble) averaged velocities were calculated by summing up all velocities assigned to a certain cell and dividing by the number of velocities in that cell. The number of registrations in each cell divided by the cell volume gave the occurrence density of the particle in the cell. Stagnant regions of the column can be found by examining the instantaneous velocities of the particle. If the instantaneous velocity was small in one cell compared to other cells, this cell was considered stagnant for the current registration. Time (ensemble) averaging gives the percentage of stagnant registrations in each cell. For the 0.26 m diameter column the transition velocity from stagnant to active status of a registration was set to 1 m/s. The transition velocity was chosen so as to give approximately the same number of stagnant and active registrations. The fluctuating velocities were calculated as Ufluct(i, j, k) = Uinst (i, j , k) - uav(i, j, k) and the Reynolds stresses (both shear and normal) were calculated as NVEL (11)

u~ut (i, j, k) =

m=l

NVEL(i, j, k)

s, t = r, O, z

(12)

The turbulent kinetic energy was calculated as j, kturb(i, j , k) = 1 (u-7-U-7(i, k) + ~ ( i ,


RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

j, k) + u-7~(i, j, k))

(13)

T w o phase conditions The new bubble size distribut )n model was tested by comparing with experimental data. An example is given in Figure 1 at inlet gas and liquid superficial velocities of 11.0 cm/s and 1.0 cm/s respectively. The simulated results show how changes in the two parameters al and a2 affect the size distribution, and we concentrate on the value of these since the turbulent intensity levels have previously been found to be in good agreement with experimental (Svendsen et. al. 1992). It is found that a 1 just acts as a scaling parameter. This is not an obvious dependency, since the interactions between bubble size and level of turbulent energy are complex. It is seen that a increase in the exponent a2 gives an decrease in bubble size. This was expected since the turbulent kinetic energy is usually < 1 m2/s 2.
The choice of parameter values also affects the change in radial bubble size profile with superficial gas velocity. An increase in the exponential parameter a~ increases the shift in predicted bubble diameter with superficial gas velocity. In Figure 2 is shown the predicted and experimental radial bubble size profiles as function of gas superficial velocity. For all velocities the magnitudes of the predictions are quite good. The predictions also show the correct increase in bubble size with increasing superficial velocity. However, the experimental profiles are flatter than the predicted ones. It would be possible also to make the predicted profiles flatter by adjusting the parameters al and a~. However, the shift in bubble size with superficial gas velocities would then become to small. This indicates that the present modification of the bubble size model still is too simple, and that it may be difficult to account for the changes in bubble size with superficial gas velocity with a model based only on the local flow properties and that coalescence/breakup based population balance models are needed. For the heat tracer experiments the inlet values for gas- and liquid superficial velocity were 10.0 cm/s and 1.2 cm/s respectively. In Figure 3 are shown experimental and predicted temperature profiles at dif-

Two- and three-phase bubble columns


SAUTER MEAN DIAMETER Im]

1707

.....

2iii

......

0.C06
%

,... " -..~o.,

0.

006

0.004 !
Solid l i n e :
o. 0 0 2 circles a ! = 0 06, al=0.06,

a2=0.25
~2=0.20

/:-:/:ill::: :i=o.os,
: Experimental

a2=o ~o
data

o.o00

i o.oo

I o.05

\
o.lo
0.15

Figure 1: The Sauter Mean Diameter, as function of radial position, system air/water, Ug,superficia I = 11.0 cm/s, 'Ul,superficia I = 1.0, axial position 2.0 m above inlet
SAUTER MEAN DIAMETER (ml

o.o12

]
I

I
O.OLO ~-

0.006
0.004 [~
H o l i d l i n e : superficial .......... : ~uperficial . . . : superficial

" -.'. * ~ q.- o ~

) ~3

0.802

~
i

Squares:
circles: Di~onds:

gas velocity = 0 , 0 8 m/s gas velocity = 0 . 1 1 m/s gas v e l o c i t y = 0 . 1 6 m/s Experimental data 0.08 m/s Experimental data O.ll m/s Experimental data 0 16 /

o.o0o

o.~o

oc5
[

o. Io

Figure 2: The Sauter Mean Diameter as function of radial position for three superficial gas velocities at 2.0 in above inlet. System air/water, al = 0.06 and as = 0.25

ferent values of the bubble size model parameters al and a2. Generally the predictions agree well with the experimental data, although the temperature decrease below the steam feed point is predicted steeper than experimentally found. This indicates that the recirculation of liquid in the bubble column is well modelled, a fact that is supported by earlier simulations of liquid velocity profiles (Jakobsen et.al 1993). It is noteworthy that the relatively large shift in predicted bubble size, caused by changing the parameters in the model, does not influence the circulation profiles to a large extent.This is somewhat surprising, as a shift towards larger bubbles in the centre of the column would be expected to give higher circulation rates. The explanation is that the void fraction profiles become flatter (not shown), such that the volumetric gas velocities in the centre section remain almost unchanged. In Figure 4 the experimental and predicted radial temperature profiles at a position 0.3 m above the gas distributor are shown. The results are characteristic also for the positions further up. The general trend is that the predictions seem to overestimate the radial temperature variations and this indicates that the radial mixing is somewhat underestimated. However, is should be noted that the variations in temperature observed experimentally are small, and that the experimental accuracy is in the range of +O.IC. Changing the bubble size distribution has negligible effect on the trend in the radial temperature profiles given above. Three phase experiments Solids movement: Two circulation cells were found for all experiments, one lower cell that was approximately one diameter high, and one upper cell extending to the top of the column. In the lower cell the solids were ascending at the wall and descending in the centre. The upper cell showed the opposite circulation pattern. Figure 6 shows

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LIQUID 12 TEMPERATURE (C)

S.

GREVSKOTT

et

al.

solid line: a l = 0 . 0 6 , .......... : al=0.06, . .._._.: al=0,05, circles: EXperimental

a2=0.25 a2=0.20 a2=0.20

data

J
1

I 2
Ax~ PosiTio

I ~
t~l

i 4

Figure 3: Axial temperature 2.8 cm from centre of column


LIQUID 9.6 T~pE~RE (C)

9.4

9.2

9.0

a.S

S6

/ i

/
-

~ . .

~ * "

..

Soli d line: a1=0,06, . ......... : al=0,06,


_. . . . . . . : al=O.05,

a2=0.25 a2=0,20
a2=0.20

8.4

Circles:

Experimental

data

g.2

i
o.oo
0,05 ~I~ 0.10 POSlTIOS {m~
0,15

Figure 4: Radial temperature at 0.3 m above inlet (b)

the measured flow fields for two different experiments. The left plot is for the 0.14 m diameter column, and the middle plot is for the 0.26 m diameter column. In both experiments the solids loading was 7 %-wt and the gas superficial velocity was 0.08 m / s . This flow pattern is observed for low gas superficial velocities also in two phase bubble columns, whereas for high gas superficial velocities the smaller cell at the bottom of the column disappears, leaving only one cell extending to the top (Devanathan et.al. 1990, Dudukovi~ et.al. 1991). For the three phase system the interface of the two circulation cells was at an angle, as opposed to the interface of liquid circulation cells in bubble columns, where the interface is approximately horizontal. The m a x i m u m axial solids velocity was found to increase with column diameter and with gas superficial velocity, and to decrease with solids loading. This decrease was most pronounced at the lower gas superficial velocities. The occurrence density was found to decrease with height above the distributor as can be seen in Figure 5. As far as the occurrence density can be used as a relative measure for solids concentration, this indicates a decrease in solids concentration qualitatively in accordance with the sedimentation-dispersion models. For high solids loading, a peak in the occurrence density at the top was seen. This peak was most noticeable at high gas superficial velocities and may be caused by the high gas fractions and low solids retentions in the disengagement zone, thus channelling the solids directly below this zone. The occurrence density was higher around position r/R = 0.7 than at the centre or along the walls. This coincides with the position of flow reversal in slurry reactors. For 14% and 20% solids loading, a region without occurrences was found at the gas distributor. The size of this region increased with solids loading and with gas superficial velocity. aust above this region a peak in occurrence density was found, but no stagnant zone at this point could be visually observed. An explanation for this observation has not yet been found. The occurrence density was more uniform throughout the column for higher solids loadings except for the peak near the bottom.

Two- and three-phase bubble columns


t 5O / r=035 cm .... r=2 4 c m r=45 cm r --6.6 c m .... r=4.55 cm r = 8 4 5 crn r = 0 . 6 5 c=m

1709

=o100

~70o
1

r=72.35 can

8 =

~,-~

20

40

60

80

100

20

40

60

80

100

?20

140

160

axial position [cm]

axial posit ic~ [cm]

Figure 5: Axial occurrence density profiles for the 0.14 m (left) and 0.26 m diameter columns with 7 %-wt solids and 0.08 m/s gas superficial velocity. There were no regions that were considered stagnant. A comparison of the instantaneous velocities in the two columns showed larger velocities in the large column when solids loading and gas superficial velocities were equal. When the transition velocity for the larger column was used for the smaller one, most registrations were considered stagnant. The Reynolds stresses varied both axially and radially in a way that suggests the existence of secondary circulation cells in the column. These cells were each approximately one diameter high as can be seen in Figure 8, and evenly distributed along the vertical direction. These "cells" may be caused by recurring transient cells in these specific positions. This conclusion is still subject to further experimental studies of long duration to provide better statistics.

Wavelet t~ltering
The gamma radiation from the tracer particle fluctuates randomly. This causes the particle to be detected up to 5-10 mm away from the true position. This, in turn, causes the instantaneous velocities to be calculated as larger than they really are. Through the averaging procedure this evens out for parameters calculated from time averaging of one fluctuating or instantaneous velocity, and thus does not affect the results. For correlations of two or more fluctuating velocities the "spurious" effects, however, do not average out. For the stagnancy, which is determined from the size of the instantaneous velocity, these "spurious" effects are also not averaged out. A mathematical filter based on wavelets has recently been developed at Washington University (Degaleesan 1995). By this technique the instantaneous positions of the tracer particle is adjusted based on knowledge of the noise characteristics in the signal due to the fluctuations of the radioactivity. The "spurious" effects have been shown to almost completely disappear after the filtering procedure, and the fluctuating velocities are reduced. The filter uses routines from the WavBox 4@ software (Taswell 1995). Figure 7 shows that the mean velocities are not significantly changed by the filtering, as expected. The turbulent kinetic energy level is seen to be significantly reduced, but the profiles are retained. Similar results are obtained for all Reynolds stresses, and for the stagnancy as welt.

Numerical simulations for three phases


Figure 6 shows measured and simulated flow fields for the 0.26m diameter column with 7%-wt solids and 0.08m/s superficial gas velocity. The middle plot in the figure clearly shows the two measured circulation cells as mentioned earlier. The right plot in the figure shows that the model predicts the two circulation cells observed experimentally, and also positions the cells in good agreement with the measured data. Note that the measured flow field is for the solids, while the simulated flow field is for the slurry and does not allow for relative velocity between the solids and the liquid. The measured velocities vary more with axial position than the simulated velocities, but they show the same trend. The predicted slurry velocities are higher than the measured solids velocities in the up-flow region. This is reasonable considering the difference in densities and relative velocities between solid and liquid. Similarly, in the down-flow region near the bottom the solids velocities are larger than the slurry velocities. The shift in angle of the interface between the two circulation cells observed in experiments when going from two phase to three phase flow, can also be seen in Figure 6. The changes in the flow due to changes in viscosity as described in equation 8 are negligible for small solids loadings (e.g. 7%-wt). The viscosity changes due to higher solids loadings (e.g. 20%-wt.) clearly affect the flow in the column.

17 lO

S. GREVSKOIT et al.

160
lftt,,-,H,
tttt,,. '~1

'tttf,

100

~ tt,...Uj
t t t h . ,*~1 I~lm, ,11

ttt,

......

t
140
%,. ,,,,,, ,,,,,, %*. '% '

tm,, i:!1 tttt "~1 ~otttt,,'.'.'.~ tTttt,, ;'1 ttt,,,, itl ttt,,.i'.'. I ttt,,..;tl ~ ttttt,..'.~1
tttt,,, i,I tfttt,, "1 ttth,,..il
8 r t t h .... t t m , , ,I
tfttt,, .ii trYSt,, I
60 rt'tttt, tt~ttl,
tt~lt,.

fl~ll,..,i I llt~I,,.i; I fltl~,.,li j

Il

"'~4 "4 '*4

120

ifJ,i, %*. m,r, ~.

80

btr'"'r~
,~tft. 'ill

ttfh, '~ll Itth....l j

i00

Hl~r, ~.

"4

ltt,,, .,d tth,. ',ll 60 ~41,,...,~


l f l t l , ',~11

%~.

*'4

80

~ltft,

',lJ '~zl

H,,/,

ttttl, 40

Itth..,~Z I

~ll~,.,~
,~d

I I
I

60

~tffh, 'Ill ttth.

Hll,, ~+.
"V

ltl~,,.,,i I Itth '"Ill

40 ?,,~1~I,.

40
[77t~.

20 L'"" ,,~ 20T~ ', .,,,,-~

20

llJH'" ....

0P

,\\\\..~r.
"~ -~

0 5 radius [crn]

o lO radius [crn]

lo

Figure 6: Measured average flow fields in 0.14m (left) and 0.26m (middle) diameter columns with 7 %-wt solids and 0.08m/s gas superficial velocity. Simulated (right) average flow field for the 0.26m diameter column with 7 %-wt solids and 0.08m/s gas superficial velocity. The scale of the velocity vectors is the same in all three figures.

~
e

0.25

o.1

~
u

0.2

~0.15

:2 o.1
.....
- -

Unflllered data Rltemd data O Radial posiUon [mJ 0,05 0,1

-0.1

-0.05

Radial position {m]

0.05

0.1

-0.1

~).05

Figure 7: Filtered and unfiltered results for axial mean velocity and turbulent kinetic energy Taking into account t h e simplifications m a d e in the modelling of the slurry m o v e m e n t , the a g r e e m e n t between predicted a n d m e a s u r e d velocities is considered satisfactory.

Two- and three-phase bubble columns

1711

150

1 O0

80

1O0

~g
o 6O

& =o

3ooi i
4O
50 20

20

-10

-2G

-30 0 -5 0 5 radius [cm] 0 -10 0 10 radius [cm]

Figure 8: Reynolds stresses for the 0.14m (left) and the 0.26m diameter column with 7 %-wt solids loading and 0.08 m/s gas superficial velocity.

Further modelling
A full three phase model is being developed based on the two fluid model. The solids will be included as a sub-phase of the liquid phase. There will be no direct interactions between solids and gas. The solids will interact with the liquid and through this be affected by the presence of the bubbling gas. This will be accomplished by using an algebraic slip model for the interaction between solids and liquid, instead of a full inter-phase slip algorithm (IPSA). The gas will interact with a slurry phase that is denser and more viscous than the pure liquid phase, and relations similar to equations 7 and 8 will be used locally to determine the density and viscosity of the slurry interacting with the gas. CONCLUSIONS One two-phase bubble column and two three-phase slurry reactors have been experimentally characterised with special emphasis on bubble size distribution, liquid circulation and solids movement. The d a t a have been compared with simulations based on a two fluid model using a new sub-model for bubble size, and also taking into account the presence of solids. The new bubble size model, based on the bubble induced turbulent length scale and the local turbulent kinetic energy level, is found to give improved predictions compared to the model based on length scale alone. Bubble sizes in the same range as the experimental ones are obtained in the heterogeneous flow region, and a correct shift in bubble size with superficial gas velocity is found. The radial size profiles are, however, too steep. It is concluded that in order to obtain a satisfactory description of bubble size distributions in bubble columns, a model based on local conditions alone is inadequate. Thus, a population balance based model taking into account coalescence and breakup mechanisms must be implemented. In the heterogeneous flow region, cbanges in bubble size distributions are found to have only moderate effect on liquid circulation rates. These are therefore well predicted without an accurate determination of

1712

S. GREVSKOq'retal.

the bubble size distribution. In the three phase flow experiments, the existence of two primary solids circulation cells has been established for the column sizes used. Analysis of the Reynolds stress patterns indicates the existence of a secondary cell structure extending from the bottom of the upper primary circulation cell and almost to the top of the dispersion layer. The cell size in this region is in the order of the column diameter and at an angle with the horizontal. Numerical simulations give flow structures very similar to the ones observed experimentally and the two primary circulation cells are predicted in correct positions, indicating that the simplified approach used, may be viable. NOMENCLATURE sub- and superscripts Latin letters drag coefficient r radial Co Sauter Mean Diameter of bubble z axial d, added mass coefficient t turbulent fv lift force coefficient T transversal IL velocity component D drag U velocity vector m midpoint or mixture(i.e, slurry) U transversal drag coefficient l liquid cT particle relaxation time s solids tp particle Reynolds number g gas Rep weight fraction rel relative ew indices for calculation cells fluct fluctuating i,j,k time indice; 1st to last registration inst instantaneous n At time between registrations av average turb turbulent NVEL # velocities in a calculation cell position vector r EStv6s number Eo scaling factor for bubble generated kinetic energy Ka empirical coefficients of the bubble size model a l ~a 2 inlet turbulent kinetic energy ]ein

Greek letters a volume fraction p density

p rL

laminar viscosity Lagrangian time scale

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

One of the authors (M.P. Dudukovi~) is grateful for the Department of Energy contracts and grants (DOEFC 22-95 PC95051 and DE-PS22-95PC95200) and to the industrial supporters of the Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory (CREL) that made his contribution possible. Two of the authors (B.H. Sannms and S. Grevskott) are grateful for the financial support of STATOIL.
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