Investigation of the two phase flow in trickle-bed reactors using capacitance tomography

Investigations of fluid dynamic properties of two-phase flows in regular and irregular packings of trickle-bed reactors require a detailed knowledge of the flow phenomena inside the packing. A visual observation of the flow from the outside of the column does not yield the desired information, especially for large-scale pilot-plant reactors. Therefore, new measurement techniques are required to obtain the necessary information for the physical description of the flow, especially for scale-up calculations. In this paper, the possibilities of tomographic imaging of the two-phase flow in trickle-bed reactors using capacitance tomography are discussed. The current state of the art of this new measurement technique is discussed and the details of the system used by the authors are described. The principle of the measurement technique is explained and the possibility of obtaining new information pointed out. Preliminary results of this new imaging technique are presented. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.