LOCAL PARTICLE-LIQUID MASS-TRANSFER FLUCTUATIONS IN MIXED-PHASE COCURRENT DOWNFLOW THROUGH A FIXED-BED IN THE PULSING REGIME

An electrochemical technique was used for measurement of local, instantaneous mass transfer coefficients in gas-liquid cocurrent downflow through a fixed bed under pulsed flow conditions. The results suggest that complete wetting of the pellets occurs upon transition to the pulsed-flow regime. The time averaged local coefficients are not very different from the volume averaged results reported by other investigators. The root mean squares of the mass transfer rate fluctuation was about 38% of the average. While the spectral density functions of the pressure and mass transfer coefficient fluctuations are similar, the time traces of the two random signals have different shapes. © 1979, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.