HYDRODYNAMIC MODELING IN AN AIRLIFT-LOOP REACTOR

A simple hydrodynamic model is proposed for use in the design, scale-up and characterization of external loop air-lift reactors. The approach is based upon a momentum balance for the flow loop coupled with a drift-flux equation for the reactor riser and establishes a rational basis for a predictive model relating gas throughput to induced liquid flow and gas hold-up in a range of air-lift reactors. The effective resistance of the reactor, k, defined in terms of the total loss coefficients of the reactor and the aerated height of the two-phase riser, was identified to allow for the quantification of the influence of reactor design on the hydrodynamic variables. An extensive body of data for the air-water system, collected on two reactors with active volumes of 0.055 m3 and 0.3 M3, is presented and used, in conjunction with literature data encompassing a wide range of reactor geometries and flow conditions, to define a unique relationship between flow behaviour and reactor configuration. The model, which accounts for the prevailing flow regime in the reactor, provides a direct method of predicting hydrodynamic behaviour in relatively non-viscous systems.