Mass transfer without and with chemical reaction in particulate fluidized beds

Abstract

This paper presents the results of an experimental investigation of the mass transfer between the column wall and fluidized bed without and with fast, irreversible chemical reaction. Experiments were performed in the column 34 mm in diameter with inner channel filled with benzoic acid. The inert, spherical, glass particles with diameter of 1.94 mm were used as fluidized bed and the fluidization medium was aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide. In order to obtain a clear result of the impact of particles on the intensity of the mass transfer, experiments with and without chemical reaction are also done in systems without particles. The value of the enhancement factor of the mass transfer coefficient due to the presence of chemical reactions was found using experimental results. It was shown that the influence of the particles presence and the effect of chemical reactions have additive character on the mass transfer. The chemical reaction in systems without particles increases mass transfer coefficients 20 times, while the presence of fluidized particles increases the mass transfer coefficients 28 times. Obtained results showed good agreement with literature correlations. In order to establish analogies between momentum and mass transfer in a fluidized bed, with chemical reaction, experimental results are also presented.