Gas Flow in a Multiliquid-Inlet Rotating Packed Bed: Three-Dimensional Numerical Simulation and Internal Optimization

A novel multiliquid-inlet rotating packed bed (MLI-RPB), compared to the conventional RPB, was demonstrated to result in higher gas liquid mass-transfer in our previous studies (Chu et al., Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2014, 53, 18580-18584). A comprehensive understanding of the fluid flow inside the MLI-RPB is significant for the internal optimization. In this work, the gas flow in a MLI-RPB was investigated by three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulation. The simulated gas pressure drop was validated by the experimental data, within a deviation of +/- 15%. Simulation results reveal that the MLI-RPB has special features in the hollow annular zones among packing rings. Five types of internal combinations were designed to improve the turbulence of the gas flow in the hollow annular zones. The tangential slip velocity, turbulent kinetic energy, and ratio of turbulent kinetic energy to overall gas pressure drop of the MLI-RPB with these internal combinations were 1-2, 1-4, and 1-4 times those of the original MLI-RPB, respectively.