ACCELERATION OF MASS-TRANSFER IN GAS LIQUID-REACTIONS BY SONIC VIBRATIONS - FAT HYDROGENATION AS A TEST REACTION

A method for increasing the mass transfer in gas/liquid-reactions by application of sonic vibration is described. The operating frequencies have been chosen such that the surfaces of the gas bubbles vibrate in resonance. At these operating frequencies (up to 1000 Hz), the damping of sound waves by the bubbly liquid is low, which is important in large-scale applications. Hydrogenation of soybean oil in a bubble column has been carried out as a test reaction. An increase in mass transfer from dispersed bubbles to the liquid in terms of k(L) a(G) of up to 36% has been effected by a relatively small amount of sonic power.