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A Correlation of Flooding Velocities in Countercurrent Gas Liquid Contactor of Column Type
A Correlation of Flooding Velocities in Countercurrent Gas Liquid Contactor of Column Type
1, APRIL, 1967
and
Kozo FUJITA
1. Introduction
In recent years, cJnsiderable works have been
done to determine the operating capacity of a
countercurrent gas-liquid contactor. Each investigator has generally correlated his own data
and compared his results with that of other investigators without attempting a general correlation of all the existing data. Furthermore,
there is no study on the analogies of maximum
allowable liquid and gas velocities in these contactors of countercurrent type.
In this work, the upper limit of operating
regions, which corresponds with the flooding
velocity in the countercurrent contactor of column type, will be compared with each column
(packed column, wetted wall column, bubble
cap column, perforated plate column. and turbo
grid column). Moreover, the correlations among
these flooding velocities are discussed, in order
to obtain the analogies of these columns.
2.
As the flow mechanisms of flooding phenomenon are quite different in each column, it is
difficult to strictly define the flooding phenomenon and to determine the true flooding point
experimentally.
For a packed column or a wetted wall column,
Preprint of Osaka meeting of Soc. of Chern. Eng.
(Japan), (1966), 10.
43
44
T. TAKAHASHI
and K.
breaks at two points in the log-log plot of pressure drop vs. gas velocity, as shown in Fig. 1.
For this reason, the flooding point in a turbo
grid column has been defined as the upper break
point in the plot mentioned above.
3. Previous work
1) Packed column
In the classical study on the flooding of a
packed column, there is a correlation by Sherwood, Shipley, and Holloway!). They presented
the correlation curve by plotting previous experimental data in the following log-log coordinates.
y =
u~ ~ h
g
(;)
o1
~.-
tI
':0.'
~1..
"- "-
~I~
,.
K
~
'V'
,,;fi.
o 05
"':[bIl
ln(
..
....
o 01
Transformer oil-air
B-100 oil-air
10-C oil-air
Oil No.1-air
Oil No.1-CO,
Oil No.l-H,
Oil No.2-air
Oil No.2--CO,
Oil No.3-air
-,
<:
l:l
~~ ~~
1'1
l~
p 6.1\. ~."
V
(
."
0005
H,o-a
H,Q-CO,
Glycerol-air
Butyric acid - air
Cl{,()H - air
Turbine oil-air
;>
'q
A
~ .)
H,Q-air
/:<..
~fI:~
T
o
~,.,
<'
0001
001
005
Of
0.510
ln( ~
Wg
(1)
PI
2.
f----~
...
"I ~
Wg
SYMBOL SYSTEM
~~
!J. . I~ e
~t
'"0::1.
I2 , X=~(J!L)05
PI
1.0
o5
(Vol. 2,
FUJITA
10
(J..'L)O'l\ )
Pi
1967)
45
Packing factor
-~---
Type of packing
Materials
-I ::3280
I
- - Raschig rings
II
1/32in. wall
// 1/16-in. wall
II
1/8-in. wall
Intalox saddles
Bar! saddles
Pall rings
Pall rings
Ceramic
Metal
Metal
Metal
Ceramic
Ceramic
Plastic
Metal
-----------'----
1/4
3/8
1970
1/2
1112
1 1/4
2950
5/8 3/4
477 322
560 361
318
170
233
157
312
214 121
272
187 105
125
131
148
82
66
170
214
105
92
-------
10
Concerning the effect of liquid physical prop-erties on flooding phenomenon, Sherwood et a1.
5
showed liquid surface tension had a negligible '"
ci
:::::----;
effect on flooding velocities within the range of
26 to 73 dynes/em, but Newton, Mason, MetcaI !
lfe, and Summers4J , using surface active agents, <:ll~
showed the effect of surface tension experimen. ;;;---" 1
.
~
tally: they corrected the original correlation by ci
.o 05
introdu~ing the term of (awla)3 as a factor into
the abscissa in the original relation (1).
-----::I
"
For the reason of above different results, it
may be considered that the foaminess of liquid
001
o 003
0 01
0 05
0 1
0 5
is the factor which affects the flooding velocities.
a 1"0~2 )0.5
The original correlation curve shown in Fig. 2
Ul ( tag
has been represented in a mathematical equation
Fig. 3 Correlation of flooding velocity in packed
by various investigators. But, because of its
column by Zenz and Eckert 5)
complexties, solution for design purpose reo
quires computers.
diameter of the column, because the original
In 1961, Zenz and Eckert 5J showed the new correlation has terms of gas velocity in both
chart. They rearranged analytically the original coordinates.
coordinates (1) of Sherwood et aI., as follows;
2) Wetted wall column
y = ( u/ ..!.3 J!..L flO. 2 )0.5
Few investigations on the flooding of a wetted
g
e PI
wall column have been done, in spite of its being
a matter of great importance to industrial
=
5J [ U
J!.L fl. 2JO. 5
operation. Comparison of any flooding correlaWg PI
g e PI
tions shown by various investigators gives quite
different result. Perhaps, this may be considered to be due to the difference of various experi.
mental mechanisms by each investigator.
(2)
In the flooding correlations of a wetted wall
column, Koyanagi and Katayama6J investigated
experimentally, using the steel pipes of length
This correlation shows Fig. 3.
from 100 to 500 mm, and inner diameter from
The correlation of (2) means essentially a plot 12.6 to 60 mm, with air-water, machine oil (visof gas velocity vs. liquid velocity. Fortunately, cosity 18 2 c. p.), and heavy oil (360 30 c. p.),
this simplified flooding correlation eliminates the plotted the experimental result in the coordinanext tedious manipulation: it requires a trial tes (1) of a packed column, and gave the same
and error to desire the gas velocity for a known tendency as that of a packed column. In this
=$+f
:::G
~~
x [!!!i_(J!..L)0.
g2 ...t;_
:illUsj.l\"f
T. TAKAHASHI
46
Y=~
X=~(J!L)O.5 (3)
g D PI
Wa PI
Moreover, they represented the corre'ation
curve in the following mathematical equation.
PI
1. 58 X
and K.
(Vol. 2,
FUJITA
*"
J!L l16 = 10
gdF 2 PI f
Ua
exp
'"
~
-~\_100~~~
~
50 t --t--t-
t-+++tit-
30 '--_.l...-.J-.L-L..L.LLLL_--L--.J--L---L.JLLL.LL_-'
o 01
005
~
Wu
0 1
05
10
20
(---.f!.L)O.5
pI
)1/4(- Pa )l/B}
{-4 (-WI
Wu
PI
(6)
4. Discussion
As mentioned before, it is clear that various
correlations of the flooding velocities in each
countercurrent gas-liquid contactor of column
type have similar functional forms, except a
1967)
bubble cap column and a perforated plate column. From this, in order to compare each correlation as a countercurrent type, it is convenient
in general to use the gas-liquid separated coordinates (2) of Zenz and Eckert for a packed
column.
For a wetted wall column, the correlation (3)
of Koyanagi and Katayama, as well as the rearrangement of Zenz and Eckert, can be rearranged as follows;
y= (~-- A
PI I
l2)O.0
[!!lL (A)o.oJ
[~ -- h Il Jo.0
PI
g D Pi
X=
Wa
that is,
_ (4
X-Ut
!tQ.2)o.
--
D g
(7)
Ua
Xo=
-.:..
.......
-----
'"
~I
"-"-
-----
0.1
_
(Pa
Y--u
a -
X=UI
g,
p,o. 2) 0. 0
(9)
(-g
36"
I 24"
18"
r-
___
*:!l
II~
~I
12&' 1
Ii
0 01
=
=
o 003
o 0003
~I~
~f~
i
III
o 00 r
I I
II i
a C05
aOI
o 05
Ut (p.;.2/5
:II
0004
005
-----0.01
)0.0(ll )0.5
-
TRAY SPACING
'"
:II
005
(8)
X=UI
o I
'---"
ci
0.0
)
Apparently, the form of coordinates (9) is similar to the coordinates (2) of a packed column.
By replotting the original correlation curve
shown in Fig. 4 in above coordinates, Fig. 6 is
obtained.
:--\
"- "-
_t
'"
Y= U a ( _Pa
Pt
ci
"'"
pt
!F
~:G
. +:)
( Jl-.L )
that is,
ci
10
0.5
Y=
Pt
(4
_ (Pa
)0.0
Ito. 2)0.0
Y-u
-~-a Pt
D g
'"ci
47
005
o 01
4
UI
o6
o1
p.o. 2)0. 5
[)g
III
48
T. TAKAHASHI and
_ a (Pa
Y-u p;
1 /I 2 )0.5
.dP2 g
)0.5(
_ ( 1 /'1.. 2).5
X-Ul --~
(11)
dP2 g
'"
---~I~
~--'"
o5
........
'"
l!
o1
001
005
Ut
01
In
05
1
FJ-0. 2 )0.5
( dF2g
o10_~m
'"o
__
-,.=--=,,-~
-""-
--- ~
t-+-t~;::;mi~~< ,~I'a,
'"
o
\-f=:
a1
foos
\r-
PACKED COLUMN
\ '--
I'-t--H-ttt--t----, \\
& PERFORATED
PLATl-; COLL'!lt1'
- - - - TL'R80 GRID roLVM1'i
O. 01 ~L..L.L.LLLL_~---,--l.--LJ...u.l.L_---L--L---LJ
0.003
001
0.05
01
o5
Ul (
altO. 2)0.5
E3g
K.
FUJITA
(Vol. 2,
1967)
curve.
_ g (pg
Y-U
PI
)O.5( So_fl.O.2)O.5
g,
ItQ.2)O.5
X=Uz ( 5
g
0
- -
Nomenclature
a:
D:
d:
F:
g :
H:
u:
w:
[rn2/rn3]
[rn]
[rn]
[- ]
[rn/hr2]
[rn]
[rn3/rn2hr]
[Kg/rn2hr]
fractional voids
liquid viscosity
(J: liquid surface tension
p:
density
subscripts
g: gas
I: liquid
w: water
E:
1-':
49
[- ]
[c. p.]
[dynes/crn]
[Kg/rn3]
References
1) T. K. SHERWOOD, G. H. SHIPLEY, and F. A.
L. HOLLOWAY: Ind. Eng. Chern., 30, (1938) 765.
2) W. E. LOBO, L. FRIEND, and F. A. ZENZ: Trans.
A. 1. Ch. E., 41, (1945) 693.
3) J. S. ECKERT: Chern. Eng. Progr., 59, (1963)
No.5, 76.
4) W. M. NEWTON, J. W. MASON, T. B. METCALFE,
and C. O. SUMMERS: Petrol. Refiner, 31, (1952)
No. 10, 141.
5) F. A. ZENZ and R. A. ECKERT: Petrol. Refiner,
40, (1961) No.2, 130.
6) T. KOYANAGI and T. KATAYAMA: Chern. Eng.
(Japan), 18, (1954) 104.
7) J. R. FAIR and R. L. MATTHEWS: Petrol. Refiner,
37, (1958) No.4, 153.
8) J. R. FAIR: Petro / Chern. Engineer, 33, (1961)
No. 10, 45.
9) A. G. KASATKIN, J. I. DITNIERSKII, and S. U.
UMAROV; Chirn-Prorn., 3, (1958) 166.
10) P. FOLDES: Brit. Chern. Eng., 5. (1960) 498.