Effects of the gas solids distributor on the local and overall solids distribution in a downer reactor

In the last few years, the downer has been proposed as a new reactor for gas/solids reactions. Compared to state-of-the-art riser reactors,the cocurrent downflow of gas and solids should lead to a more uniform flow structure, close to plug flow. Experimental studies showed, that the gas/solids distributor at the top of the reactor is significantly influencing the flow pattern in a downer reactor. Local information about the solids concentration is indispensable for a thorough characterization of the flow structure in gas/solids flows. To obtain this information, x-ray computed tomography has been used for the experimental investigations.