Liquid-Solid Mass Transfer in a Three-Phase Stationary Catalytic Basket Reactor

Measurements of the liquid–solid mass transfer coefficient kS were performed in a three-phase multiple impeller and stationary catalytic basket reactor, called a Robinson–Mahoney reactor. Local coefficients were determined using naphtol particle dissolution in water and n-heptane with or without gas flow. Experiments have shown that local coefficients kS loc depend on the particle position in the basket, agitation speed, and liquid properties. A correlation linking kS to liquid velocity was established in a reactor simulating hydrodynamics in a piece of catalytic basket. Liquid velocity values were validated using a particle image velocimetry technique in a Robinson–Mahoney reactor, using water. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2005