Effect of ring sparger diameters on hydrodynamics in bubble column: a numerical investigation

Abstract

This paper applies the Eulerian–Eulerian approach to study the effect of ring sparger diameter on the gas and liquid dynamics in a cylindrical bubble column reactor. The distribution of the gas hold-up and liquid flow pattern using different ring sparger diameters ( i.e., 0.07, 0.14 and 0.20 m) are investigated. In addition, the influence of different bubble sizes and interfacial force models on the accuracy of numerical results are examined. The results show that the size of ring sparger affects the amount of gas in the column and the position of the liquid phase recirculation (upward and downward liquid flow direction). Furthermore, the appropriate selection of bubble size, and interfacial force models results in accurate liquid velocity and gas hold-up in the bubble column reactor.