A Mechanistic Hydrodynamic Model For Pressure Drop Prediction In Trickle-bed Reactors

Résumé: A mechanistic hydrodynamic model was developed for representation of two-phase, gas-liquid concurrent downflow in trickle bed reactors. Starting from the general macroscopic balance equation in a porous media and considering some simplifying hypothesis a set of ordinary differential equations was obtained. Gas-Liquid-Solid interactions were accounted for according to the relative permeability concept. Furthermore, capillary pressure was taken into account using an appropriate correlation available in the literature. Then, the resulting model was integrated step by step from the reactor inlet to its outlet, using a numerical method and MATLAB software for programming. This model, based on the relative permeability concept, provided the hydrodynamic parameters in trickle bed reactors. These parameters were pressure drop, liquid saturation, interstitial gas velocity and interstitial liquid velocity. Next, the case of Hexane-Nitrogen-1.52 mm glass spheres system was studied and leading to the variations of the above mentioned hydrodynamic parameters inside the bed.

Publié dans la revue: Algerian Journal of Engineering Research