Fluid Mechanics and Transport Phenomena

Gas dispersion in air-lift reactors: Contribution of the turbulent part of the added mass force

  1. Rahmani Mohamed Ali1,
  2. Chahed Jamel1,
  3. Bellakhal Ghazi1,
  4. Alain Line2,*

Article first published online: 28 APR 2011

DOI: 10.1002/aic.12539

Issue

AIChE Journal

AIChE Journal

Volume 57, Issue 12, pages 3315–3330, December 2011

Additional Information

How to Cite

Ali, R. M., Jamel, C., Ghazi, B. and Line, A. (2011), Gas dispersion in air-lift reactors: Contribution of the turbulent part of the added mass force. AIChE J., 57: 3315–3330. doi: 10.1002/aic.12539

Author Information

  1. 1

    LMHE, Ecole Nationale des Ingénieurs de Tunis, BP N°37, Le Belvédère, 1002 Tunis, Tunisie

  2. 2

    L1SBP, UMR INSA-CNRS 5504 and INSA-INRA 792, 135 avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse, France

*L1SBP, UMR INSA-CNRS 5504 and INSA-INRA 792, 135 avenue de Rangueil, 31077 Toulouse, France

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 4 NOV 2011
  2. Article first published online: 28 APR 2011
  3. Accepted manuscript online: 29 DEC 2010 02:35PM EST
  4. Manuscript Revised: 21 DEC 2010
  5. Manuscript Received: 3 JUL 2010

Funded by

  • CMCU. Grant Number: 04PRE01
  • Institut Francais de Coopération (IFC) at Tunis

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Keywords:

  • airlift;
  • hydrodynamics;
  • two-fluid model;
  • turbulence;
  • computational fluid dynamics

Abstract

Gas dispersion in an airlift reactor focusing on the closure law on turbulent contribution of added mass is presented. A data bank for bubbly flow in an airlift reactor is presented. The liquid velocity is measured by hot film anemometry and gas fraction and velocity are measured with an optical probe. The sensitivity of numerical simulations of gas dispersion to the modeling of turbulent contribution of added mass is shown. Without the turbulent contribution, the bubbles move toward the region where the turbulence is high and the pressure is low. When the turbulent contribution is introduced, the bubble migration towards the low pressure region is counter-balanced and the void fraction profile is significantly modified. The modeling of the turbulent contribution of added mass is expressed in terms of the turbulent correlations in the gas phase, uGi′uGj′, that can be related to the Reynolds stress in the liquid phase, ui′uj′. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011

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