Hydrodynamics and mass transfer in a tubular reactor containing foam packings for intensification of G-L-S catalytic reactions in co-current up-flow configuration

Abstract Stainless steel open-cell solid foams of various linear pore densities (20, 40, 60 PPI) are wash-coated with a commercial catalyst and are evaluated as internals for G-L-S reactions in co-current up-flow configuration. Hydrodynamics parameters such as liquid mean residence time, axial dispersion and pressure drop have been determined for an air/water system with superficial velocities between 0.8 mm/s and 25 mm/s for liquid and between 100 and 900 mm/s for gas. A generic piston-dispersion model represents well the liquid hydrodynamics and is used to estimate axial Peclet number and mean residence time for this phase. The Peclet number appears to increase with liquid velocity and foam linear pore density (5  Pe Pe Pe ɛ L −1 were obtained at low Re numbers, which is one order of magnitude higher than in up-flow fixed beds. A set of correlations is derived for the calculation of the gas/liquid and liquid/solid contributions to external mass transfer and allows explaining the unique bell-shaped Re dependence displayed by the overall mass transfer coefficient.