In the 1950’s, the slurry reactor (powdered catalyst as suspended solid in a heavy

oil) was developed by Germany. In the begining, this kind of reactor has been
proposed for Fischer-Tropsch operation in the wax plant.

Any other commercial use of slurry bubble column reactor :

 Fatty oil hydrogenation (with catalyst suspension)

 Gas scrubbing with lime
 Waste water treatment
 Ethylene oxychlorination
 Etc

In the other previous experiment, it claims slurry reactor has ability to convert the
low ratio of H2 and CO as syn gas (for ratio 0,7 or less) into liquid hydrocarbon
(plus CO2) as the main product with an iron based Fischer-Tropsch catalyst.

Reaction, Main Equipment and Operating Conditions

Reaction :

CO + (1+(m/2n) H2  (1/n)CnHm+H2O (1)

Figure 1. Slurry bubble column reactor for fischer tropsch liquid hydrocarbon
 Operating Conditions

No Parameters Unit Value

1 Operating temperature 0C 250
2 Operating pressure atm 99
3 Stoichiometric ratio - 2
4 Slurry concentration wt% 35
5 Gas holdup % 25
6 Diameter of reactor m 4,8
7 Straight length of bed m 12,6
8 Weight of catalyst kg 52138,6
9 Catalyst loading kg/m3 243,1

Data Parameter

No Parameters Unit Value

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Operational Analysis of Slurry Bubble Column Reactor
For making the analytical model of this slurry bubble column reactor, we have to
state the following condition,information and also assumptions.

About the following conditions and informations of reactor :

 Flow in the reactor follows the churn-turbulent flow regime.
 Using cobalt-supported catalyst.
 The gas is sparged at the bottom of the reactor through a multiple orifices
gas distributor.
 The slurry is moving upward.
 Using saturated water flowing in a bundle of cooling tube as reactor cooler.

The model was also based on the following key assumptions:

 The mass transfer resistance in the bulk gas-phase and liquid– solid
interface are negligible when compared with that in the liquid film.
 The slurry superficial velocity is constant.
 The slurry temperature is constant.
 The catalyst suspension behavior follows the sedimentation-dispersion
model
 The reactor is operating in a steady-state.

1. Mass balance
The mass balances in the liquid and gas phases over a differential element of the
reactor :

𝑑 𝑑𝐶𝑖,𝐿 𝑑(𝑈𝑆𝐿 𝐶𝑖,𝐿 ) ∗

[(1 − ɛ𝐺 )𝐷𝐿 ]− + 𝑘𝐿 𝑎𝑖,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 (𝐶𝑖,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 − 𝐶𝑖,𝐿 )
𝑑𝑧 𝑑𝑧 𝑑𝑧
∗
+ 𝑘𝐿 𝑎𝑖,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 (𝐶𝑖,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 − 𝐶𝑖,𝐿 ) + (1 − ɛ𝐺 )𝑟𝑖 = 0
𝑑 𝑑𝐶𝑖,𝐺,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑑(𝑈𝐺,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝐶𝑖,𝐺,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 )
[(ɛ𝐺,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 )𝐷𝐺,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 ]−
𝑑𝑧 𝑑𝑧 𝑑𝑧
∗
+ 𝑘𝐿 𝑎𝑖,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 (𝐶𝑖,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 − 𝐶𝑖,𝐿 ) = 0

𝑑 𝑑𝐶𝑖,𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝑑(𝑈𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝐶𝑖,𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 )

[(ɛ𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 )𝐷𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 ]−
𝑑𝑧 𝑑𝑧 𝑑𝑧
∗
+ 𝑘𝐿 𝑎𝑖,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 (𝐶𝑖,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 − 𝐶𝑖,𝐿 ) = 0

Mass balance of catalyst particles :

𝑑 𝑑𝐶𝑠 𝑑
[(1 − ɛ𝐺 )𝐷𝑠 ] + [((1 − ɛ𝐺 )𝑈𝑃 − 𝑈𝑆𝐿 )𝐶𝑆 ] = 0
𝑑𝑧 𝑑𝑧 𝑑𝑧

2. Heat Balance

𝑑 𝑑𝑇 𝑑(𝜌𝑆𝐿 𝐶 𝑝𝑆𝐿 𝑈𝑆𝐿 𝑇

[𝜌𝑆𝐿 𝐶 𝑝𝑆𝐿 (1 − ɛ𝐺 )𝐷𝐿 ] + ( )
𝑑𝑧 𝑑𝑧 𝑑𝑧
+ 𝑈𝐻𝑒𝑎𝑡 (𝑇 − 𝑇𝑐𝑜𝑜𝑙 ) + (1 − ɛ𝐺 )(−𝛥𝐻𝐹𝑇 𝑟𝐹𝑇 ) =0

3. Boundary condition for the gas, liquid, slurry follows Danckwertz type
 at the bottom of reactor (as inlet)
𝑑𝐶𝑖,𝐿
𝑈𝑆𝐿 𝐶𝑖,𝐿 − (1 − ɛ𝐺 )𝐷𝐿 =0
𝑑𝑧

𝑑𝐶𝑖,𝐺,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙
𝑈𝐺,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝐶𝑖,𝐺,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 − ɛ𝐺,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝐷𝐺,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 = 𝑈𝐺,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝐶𝑖,𝐺,𝑖𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑡
𝑑𝑧

𝑑𝐶𝑖,𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒
𝑈𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝐶𝑖,𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 − ɛ𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝐷𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 = 𝑈𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 𝐶𝑖,𝐺,𝑖𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑡
𝑑𝑧

𝑑𝐶𝑆
(1 − ɛ𝐺 )𝐷𝑆 + ((1 − ɛ𝐺 )𝑈𝑃 − 𝑈𝑆𝐿 )𝐶𝑆 + 𝑈𝑆𝐿 𝐶𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 = 0
𝑑𝑧
 𝑑𝑇
𝑈𝑆𝐿 . 𝜌𝑆𝐿 . 𝑇 − 𝑝𝑆𝐿 (1 − ɛ𝐺 )𝐷𝐿 = (𝑈𝑆𝐿 . 𝜌𝑆𝐿 . 𝑇)0
𝑑𝑧

 at the top of reactor (as outlet)

𝑑𝐶𝑖,𝐿
=0
𝑑𝑧

𝑑𝐶𝑖,𝐺,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙
=0
𝑑𝑧

𝑑𝐶𝑖,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒
=0
𝑑𝑧

𝑑𝑇
=0
𝑑𝑧

For Pressure profile are :

𝑑𝑃
+ [(1 − ɛ𝐺 )𝜌𝑆𝐿 + ɛ𝐺 𝜌𝐺 ]𝑔 = 0
𝑑𝑧

4. Hydrodynamics and mass transfer correlations

At table 1, we can see all of the correlation that can affect some variables,
such as : liquid/solid properties , operating condition, reactor diameter , gas
distributor type, number/size of nozzles, catalyst loading ,foamibility in
product and so on.
All of those variables can change the hydrodynamics and mass transfer
characteristic in the slurry bubble column reactor.

Table 1. Gas holdup, sauter mean bubble diameter and mass transfer
coefficient correlation used in model
Total gas holdup
𝜌𝐿0,42 𝜌𝐺0,18 0,55 𝑃𝑇 0,2
𝐷𝐶 −0,12 0,05
ɛ𝐺 = 4,94. 10−3 ( ) 𝑈𝐺 ( ) ( ) Г exp(−2,23𝐶𝑉
µ0,17
𝐿 𝜎𝐿
0,27
𝑃𝑇 − 𝑃𝑆 𝐷𝐶 + 1
− 0,16 𝑝𝑃 𝑑𝑝 − 0,24 𝑋𝑊
 Gas holdup for large gas bubbles
𝜌𝐿0,97
ɛ𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 = ɛ0,84
𝐺 (1 − 3,04. . 10−6 . 𝑒 4,5𝑋𝑤−4,49𝐶𝑣 ) = ɛ0,84
𝐺 (𝐹)
µ0,16
𝐿

Gas holdup for small gas bubbles

25
If ɛ0,84
𝐺 > 𝐹( 4 )  ɛ𝐺,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 = ɛ𝐺 − ɛ𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒
25
If ɛ0,84
𝐺 < 𝐹( 4 )  small gas bubbles doesn’t exist

Sauter mean bubble diameter for large gas bubbles

𝑑𝑆,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 = 𝑑𝑆0,96 (1 − 10−5 𝜌𝐿0,22 µ0,03 8,6 0,04 2,37 2,74
𝐿 𝜎𝐿 𝑈𝐺 ɛ𝐺 ɛ𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒 )

Sauter mean bubble diameter for small gas bubbles

ɛ𝐺,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 ɛ𝐺 ɛ𝐺,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒
= −
𝑑𝑆,𝑠𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑑𝑆 𝑑𝑆,𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒

Mass transfer coefficient

0,4
𝑘𝐿 𝑎 𝜌𝐿0,26 µ0,12
𝐿 ɛ1,21
𝐺 𝐷𝐴𝐵0,5
𝐷𝐶
= 6,14. 104 ( 0,52 0,06 ) ( 0,12 0,05 ) ( 0,68 )( ) Г0,11
1 − ɛ𝐺 𝜎𝐿 𝜌𝐺 𝑈𝐺 − 𝑑𝑆 𝑇 𝐷𝐶 + 1

As we can see on the table 1