Gas and liquid distribution in the monolith film flow reactor

The gas-liquid distribution in a monolith film flow reactor is investigated in the scope of this work. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and a customized liquid collection method have been successfully applied to determine the liquid distribution over the monolith cross-section. Using a well-positioned spray nozzle liquid distributor, very uniform distributions are found which address the needs for applications that require high single-pass conversions. Due to the lack of radial convective flow in monoliths, the initial distribution propagates through the reactor. With a correct positioned spray nozzle distributor, a far more uniform distribution than the "natural" one for trickle beds is obtained. MRI, applied to study the local gas-liquid distribution in a monolith channel, clearly shows the accumulation of the liquid in the corners of the individual channel with an arc-shaped gas-liquid interface. Differences in local liquid holdup over the channel corners were found, which is described as channel scale nonuniformities. The experimental results are in good agreement with a fundamental hydrodynamic model based on the Navier-Stokes equations. The average liquid saturation is conveniently described with an engineering correlation beta(L) = 6.6 . (Fr-Ls(2)/Re-Ls)(0.46), as a function of the liquid phase Reynolds and Froude number.