Modeling ozone contacting process in a rotating packed bed

The process of the ozone dissolution with decomposition in a rotating packed bed (RPB) is studied for model establishment. The RPB, which provides a high gravitational force by adjusting the rotational speed, is taken as a novel ozone contactor because of its high mass-transfer coefficient. It has a high potential to improve the ozonation performance or reduce the ozone contactor volume by applying RPBs. The objective of this study is to investigate and model the dynamic ozone dissolution process with decomposition in a RPB with oxygen mass transfer. In addition, the empirical correlations between the system parameters (including liquid holdup, liquid film thickness, specific area of the gas-liquid interface alpha, and mass-transfer coefficient k(L)(0)) and operating conditions are presented. Furthermore, the variations of gas and liquid ozone concentration profiles are predicted to illustrate the dynamic behavior of mass transfer in a RPB. The validity of the model is demonstrated by comparing the predicted results with experimental data, indicating good agreement. As a result, the present model is useful and referable for the proper description of ozone contacting in a RPB system.