Abstract
Gas-liquid upward flow experiments have been performed in • two bubble columns of different diameters (0.10 and 0.29 m,) using air as gas phase and several liquids: water, aqueous solutions of ethanol and glycerine, kerosene, and a solution of a surfactant in kerosene. The main goal of the study is the analysis of foaming systems, including the comparison of their behavior with respect to non-foaming systems. The gas holdup was determined experimentally as a function of the gas and liquid superficial velocities in bubbling, churn-turbulent and foaming regimes. It was found that, for foaming systems, semi-batch operation enhances foam formation, yielding higher holdups than those obtained in continuous operation at very low liquid velocities. Opposite to what is observed in non-foaming systems, the liquid superficial velocity affects the gas holdup appreciably in foaming systems. An increase in column diameter results in a decrease in gas holdup for all the systems studied. In aqueous foaming systems, this trend is more drastic since foam is inhibited as the column diameter increases.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 155-175 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Chemical Engineering Communications |
| Volume | 89 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 1990 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Bubble column
- Foaming
- Gas holdup
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemistry
- General Chemical Engineering