Liquid distribution in horizontal axially rotated packed beds

✍ Scribed by T.D Karapantsios; N.A Tsochatzidis; A.J Karabelas

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1993
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 997 KB
• Volume: 48
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0009-2509
• DOI: 10.1016/0009-2509(93)80049-v

✦ Synopsis

This work is concerned with the distribution of the liquid phase in a partially filled horizontal packed bed. Liquid dispersion can be achieved by the rotary motion of the bed, acting in combination with gravity and surface tension forces. A conductance probe technique is employed to identify gross liquid distribution patterns. The technique involves specially designed parallel ring electrodes which arc Rush mounted on the bed wall to avoid packing disturbance. Steady-state experiments are conducted at several angular velocities and at various liquid fractions. Transient tests are also performed by keeping constant the angular acceleration rather than the angular velocity. For comparison, tests at the same liquid fractions are carried out in a conventional trickle bed setup using the same test section and probes. Conductance measurements, corresponding to nearly uniform distribution, from the above three configurations are in fair agreement. These data are also compared with the available theoretical expressions. Under steady rotation, there is a narrow range of small angular velocities favoring liquid dispersion. It is concluded that nearly uniform liquid distribution can be easily achieved in a horizontal axially rotated packed bed, over the entire range of liquid fractions of practical interest.