Experimental interfacial area measurements in a bubble column

Gas holdup, bubble diameter and gas-liquid interfacial area were measured in a bubble column, during the absorption of CO(2) in DEA solutions in batch conditions, as a function of column height, operating time, gas flow rate and amine concentration. The experimental measurements of bubble diameter were carried out using a video technique combined with image processing. The gas flow rate was varied in the range 10-25 L/h, and the amine concentration between 0.05 and 1 M. The results show that the interfacial area is influenced with the amine concentration and gas flow rate through the column. Additionally, an empirical equation is proposed to relate the interfacial area to time and column height for each system. Furthermore, a generalized correlation based on dimensionless groups for the prediction of gas holdup in homogeneous regime was proposed and found to be in good agreement with available data. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.