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CO-CURRENT
(DOWNFLOW)
OPERATION*
1 m. AND 15 m
METAL PALL RINGS AND CERAMIC INTALOX
SADDLES.
MULTIFILAMENT
GAUZE PACKINGS IN 20 cm AND
38 cm I.D. COLUMNS
of Chemical
Technology, Umverslty
(Recewai
of Bombay,
400019, India
19 February 1979)
Abstract-The
theory of gas absorption
accompamed
by fast pseudo-mth
order reaction was used to obta,n
values of effective mterfaclal area, a, m 20 and 38 cm I d packed columns which were operated co-currently
(downflow)
Values of a were obtamed for 1 m and 15 m metal Pall rmgs. 1 m stamless steel Pall rmgs, havmg
length (height) to diameter ratlo of 1 0, 0 75, and 0 5. 1 m and 1 5 m ceranuc ItaIox saddles, and stamless steel
muMlament
wue gauze type packmg over a wrlde range of gas and hqurd superticutl veloclttes The gas superficial
velocity was vaned from 30 to 255 cmlsec m the 20 cm I d column and 14 to 73 cmlsec m the 38 cm I d column
The hquld superficial velocity was vaned from 0 2 to 3 cmlsec m the 20 cm Ld column and 0 2 to 1 cmlsec m the
38 cm I d column Merent
flow regunes. namely, tnckle flow (film flow), pulse flow and transItion from pulse to
disperse flow, were covered The values of a were found to be m the range of 0 6 to 2 cmz/cm3 for the tickle Row
(film flow) regme, and 2 4-5 cm2/cm3 for the pulse Aow remme In the case of multifilament wye gauze packmg
(MFWGP) remarkably high values of a up to 16 cm/cm were obtamed m the pulse to drsperse Row regune
INTRODUCTION
physuxl
absorption
the
counter-current
mode
of
IS usually
adopted
as
THlWJRETK!AL CONSIDERATIONS
AND
METHODOF ANALYSIS
The system used to obtam values of effective mterfacial area, a, was au oxidation of alkahne aqueous
solutions of s&urn dithlomte Jhavert and Sharma[3]
have stu&ed the kmetics of tlus system It was observed
that for sodium dlthlomte concentrations below 0 08 x
lo- g mole/cm3, the reaction IS zero order wth respect
to oxygen and iirst order with respect to &tbomte The
change m partml pressure of oxygen, when very high
flow rates of SUTwere used, was msdcant
Thus, It IS
not necessary to use a ngorous expressron takmg mto
account the change m the partml pressure of oxygen over
the length of the column A materud balance over a
d&renti
element of he&t, dh, mves
L g
941
= ad(2m*B)
(1)
942
V V
MAHAJANI
and M M
SHARMA
=0&S) - t/(&d)
SHX2M*)
A schematlc *am
of the expenmental set-up IS
shown m Fig 1 Two perspex columns of 20 cm I d and
38 cm I d were used A umform hqmd dlstrrbution over
the packmgs was ensured by usmg arm type of dlstnbutors The distibutor for the 2Ocm I d column was
provided Hrlth 182 holes of 2mm dia and 136 hoIes of
1 mm dia , the dlstnbutor used for the 38 cm I d column
was provided mfh
147 holes each of 3mm dla
(- 1300 pomts/m2) The gas and ltqmd were introduced
from the top of the column and were taken out from the
bottom
An was supphed through an air blower (centifugal
type) and the flow rates were measured through precalibrated rotameters
The liquid absorbent (0 5 x
lo- g mole/cm3 NaOH solution contammg Na2S20rl) was
pumped from a stamless steel tank and was metered
through a pre-cahbrated rotameter The columns were
packed and operated m accordance with the standard
procedures Table 1 lists the charactenshcs of packmgs
employed m this work The height of packmg m the
20 cm 1 d column was between 3 and 6 times the column
diameter and that m the 38 cm 1d column was about 4
times the column diameter It was ensured that the
contibution due to end effects was minimum and m all
probabdlty did not exceed 10%
The gas and hqmd phases were assumed to flow
through the column m the plug flow manner The maxlmum level of conversion m the hqmd phase was 40% and
it IS most unhkely that any departure from plug flow
behaviour of the liquid phase would cause an error of
more than 2 to 3% m the values of a, m the case of the
gas phase, the % conversion of O2 was msrgmficant
-TS
AND DISCUSSIONS
Rg 1 Expenmental set-up 1 packed column, 2 hquld samplmg device. 3 rotameter for bquld. 4 rotameter for gas
5 hquld dlstnbutor. 6 gas distnbutor
Table 1 Packmg charachenshcs
Column
cm,ld
20
20
20
38
20
38
20
Packmg density
Number of
pieces
X lO+lper m3
Type of packmg
1m s s Pall rmgs
502
1 in dta x 0 75 m height
67 5
(length) s s Pall rings
1 m dia x 0 50 m herght
1136
(length) s s Pall rings
I 5 in mild steel Pall rings
14 9
1fn ceramic Intalox saddles
814
1 5 in ceramic Intalox saddles
255
Multifilament wue gauze paclung
4 uluts
(stamless steel 304)
SWG
=41
Number of filaments
= 12
Density of packmg
matenal
= 432 kg/m3
Voidage
hameter
Height
-095
= 20cm
= 16cm
SUPERFICIAL
0.5
I
VELOCITY * 1 ,ccn/ac
1-o
I
LIQUID
SUPERFICIAL
l-5
I
I
3-O
I
25
I
20
2.
943
05
VELOCITY ,$,cm/s8c
Rg 2 Effect of gas and llquld superlic~al velocity on effective mterfaclal area for WIOUS packmgs Curve A (0)
V, = 2W cm/see, Curve B (0) V, = 255cm/set For 1in s s Pall rings m the 20 cm I d column Curve C (0)
V, = 200 cm/set, Curve D (0) V, = 255 cmlsec For I m ceranuc Intalox saddles in the 20 cm I d column Curve
E Cn Vc = 14, 53,73 cm/set For 15 m m s 8 Pall rmgs m the 38 cm 1d column Curve F (V) Vo = 73 cmlsec,
Curve G (v) Vc = 53 cm/set, Curve H (A) VC = 14cm/sec For 1 5 in ceranuc Intalox saddtes m the 38 cm I d
column
O-61
Da
01
LIQUID
02
03
SUPERFlClAL
06
VELOCITY,
V, ,cm
Oh
o-5
07
06
/SW
FK 3 Effect of llquld supeticlal velocity on effective mterfaclal area for stamless steel pa11rings having the same
1d but d&rent &tit
to duuneter rat10 m the 20 cm I d column The gas supe&aa~ velocity was ~0 cdsec
Curve A (0) he%W&ameter = I, Curve E (0) hetgbt/dlameter = 0 75, Curve C (Cl) helght/dlameter = 0 5
ratlo would be really attractive for the range of V,J and
VL covered III thrs work
The vanatlon III a values as a functton of gas and
hquld superkal velocity m the fdm (tnckle) flow regme
IS shown m Table 2 for 1 III dla and 0 5 m length s s
Pall rmgs (Data for these packmgs and some other
packings reported later show sunk trends as III Fu 2
._ - - - -
._.___
Packtng
_-_
_ _
5 I m ceraaucIntalox
saddles
6 15mceraauc
I&lox saddles
3 lm XO75m
(he&t)s s
Psllrings
4 15m ms Pallnags
1 lm ss Pallrmgs
2 lm xO5m (he@)
s s Pallnngs
No
.~-I_
Tnckle
(film)
flow
Tnckle
(film)
flow
Pulse
14-73
200-255
14-73
57-200
ii?
Tackle
E;)
velocity,
velocity,
VG,
cmlsec
20&255
32-200
superfhal
SUphI
0349
18-32
0 17-086
011-156
18-31
008-124
cmlsec
VL,
Rangeof
bqmd
Rangeof
gas
Pulse
Tnckle
Flow
regune
(observed)
0 769
0 265
1168
0 835
0146
085
Table2 Correlation
of a data a = CVL*VJ
__
0397
0874
0 382
0462
06
0446
0081
0 32
0 033
0115
052
0115
OoOl5
00016
00011
00037
0 0010
00044
0 955
0%2
0983
0971
0982
0976
Coetliclent
ofmulhple
ViUlanCe detemunation
94s
No
1
2
3
Packing
I In X I in
height s s
Pall rmgs
Im xO75m
height s s
Pall rings
Im XOSm
height s s
Pall rings
Range of
gas
superticlat
velocity,
Range of
hquld
superlicial
velocity,
VG.
VI_,
cm/ set
cmlsec
200-255
18-3
6 28
95 5-200
16-3
471
95 S-200
I 7-3
3 14
4b
4 05 x to-2
-0243
Vanance
Coefficient
of multiple
determmatlon
0 817
0 0616
0005
0 895
(3)
VG = gas
V
LIQUID
02
04
I
and M M
SUPERFIC1AL
0.6
I
LlflUlD
superlic~al velocity
tn the 20 cm
%MRMA
VELOCITY,
10
I
D-6
I
y,cm
1-2
I
/..c
IL
I
SUPERFICIAL
on effectwe
VELOCITY,
rnterfacud
V, = 83
16
I
1
3-o
1
25
1
2.0
16
MAI-IAJANI
y,
cm /SW
wre
regrmes, respectrvely It IS generally accepted that provrded the dtameter of column, T, IS more than 8-10 trmes
the nommal srze of packmgs, d,,, we should expect nearly
the same value of a for any specified Vc and VL
Experrmental data obtamed m our laboratory from 20 cm
and 38 cm I d columns wrth 1 m nommal stze ceramic
Intalox saddles (Shende and Sharma[ 1], Hon[6]) show
that for the tnckle flow regime we get practically the
same values of a These values of a were further
confirmed in the present work Expenmental
data
obtamed from the 38 cm dra column for 1 m ceramic
Intalox saddle were at the most 15% lower than those
obtamed from 20 cm I d column under otherwise umform condltlons Thus, there ts very good conststency in
the data obtained by different workers from 20cm and
38 cm I d columns
CONCL.USIONS
(1) Metal
Pall rmgs, despite poor wetting by water,
give higher values of a, for the tnckle flow regrme,
compared to the same nommal size ceramic Intalox
saddles, under otherwlse umform condltlons
(II) In the case of stamiess steel Pall rings, no
slgmficant Improvement m a values for the trickle flow
regtme was observed when he&t (length) to diameter
ratlo was vmed from 1 to 0 5 m the range of VO and VI_
covered IRthis work
(III) In the pulse flow regtme, the values of a varied
from 2 3 to 4 1 for 1 m ceramic Intalox saddles and from
3 2 to 5 for 1 m s s Pall nngs There was a substantral
effect of Vc on a values
(IV) The values of effective mterfaclal area offered by
s s MFWGP pachng are very high compared to those
offered by the conventional packings under otherwise
slmdar condltlons and values of a as high as 16cm*lcm
were obtamed
947
m
P
ReT
kc;
t
V
mass velocity,
constant defined
gmlcmsec
by eqn (4)
constant defined by eqn (4)
constant defined by eqn (4)
Reynolds number for liquid phase, d.UpL
Reynolds number for gas phase, dsGlpo
area of packmg, cm*
column diameter, cm
superiicial velocity, cmlsec
Greek symbols
a constant defined by eqn (3)
$ constant defined by eqn (3)
y constant defined by eqn (4)
t#~ shape factor, s/d,*
p viscosity, gm/cm set
Subscripts
1 at mlet
0 at outlet
G gas phase
L hquld phase
REFERENCES