PARTICLE-LIQUID MASS-TRANSFER IN 3-PHASE SPARGED REACTORS - SCALE-UP EFFECTS

A systematic study of the effect of scale-up on particle-liquid mass transfer in a three-phase sparged reactor is reported. The results indicate that: (i) the basic dependence of particle-liquid mass transfer coefficient, k(SL), on the particle size is unaffected by scale-up, (ii) k(SL) increases in relation to the column diameter (D(c)) [as (D(c))0.29]; and (iii) at higher gas volocities, k(SL) approaches a constant value for high-viscosity liquids. Rational explanations have been given for these observations and a comprehensive correlation which accounts for the effect of system properties and equipment dimensions is proposed.