Phase Distribution in a High Pressure Slurry Bubble Column via Computed Tomography

Ashfaq Shaikh, Novica Rados, Muthanna Al-Dahhan

Chemical Reaction Engineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Campus Box 1198, 1 Brookings Drive, Washington University St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 USA

ABSTRACT

Due to their numerous advantages, Slurry Bubble Column Reactors (SBCR) are gaining wide importance in petroleum, petrochemical, and chemical industries. Most previous literature studies regarding fluid dynamic parameters in SBCR are limited to low superficial gas velocity and/or atmospheric pressure. Moreover, the presence of a solids phase poses difficulties in probe measurement techniques and ‘see through’ measurement techniques such as Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV). Single source γ-ray Computed Tomography (CT), which is a technique to measure cross-sectional phase holdup distribution in two-phase systems, has been used in the current work. Using a single source γ-ray CT, a new methodology (CT/Overall gas holdup) has been developed, based on sound assumptions, to calculate phase holdups of all three moving phases. The effects of superficial gas velocity (8 - 14 cm/s) and operating pressure (0.1 - 1 MPa) on time- and cross-sectionally averaged phase holdups has been investigated in a laboratory scale (diameter 0.162 m) SBCR using air-water- (150 µm) glass beads and air-Therminol LT- (150 µm) glass beads systems.

Keywords Computed tomography, slurry bubble column, high pressure, gas holdup