Investigation of hydrodynamics and mass transfer in an internal loop airlift slurry reactor integrating mixing and separation

Based on newly invented internal loop airlift slurry reactor integrating mixing and separation, hydrodynamics and mass transfer under different solid loadings and superficial gas velocities were systematically investigated, and mixing and mass transfer characteristics were studied. Additionally, some empirical models for these critical parameters are proposed. A phenomenon of internal fluid relay circulations in the riser of the internal loop airlift reactor at the high superficial gas velocity was firstly discovered by visual observation and was then verified both by the picture sequences and theoretical analysis, and some new thoughts for structural optimization were also proposed. It was found that the axial solid concentration deviation can be more than 30% and the solid particles were inclined to exist near the wall. Surprisingly, the particle size distributions were found to be the same in the whole reactor. This slurry reactor will be popular in industry with a further structural optimization.

Automated summary

The study systematically investigated the hydrodynamics and mass transfer of a newly invented internal loop airlift slurry reactor under different conditions, proposed empirical models for critical parameters, and discovered an internal fluid relay circulation phenomenon in the riser at high gas velocities. Structural optimization ideas were suggested based on visual observation, picture sequences, and theoretical analysis. The reactor was found to have axial solid concentration deviations, particles inclined to the wall, and consistent particle size distributions throughout, indicating its potential for industrial use with further optimization.