Pergamon Chemical Enclineerim d Science, Vol. 53, No. 3, pp.

495 5(13, 1998

1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved
Printed in Great Britain
PII: b01109-2509197)00320-5 0oo9 250998 $19.00 ~-o.l~)

Mass transfer in wetted-wall columns:

Correlations at high Reynolds numbers
Christian H. E. Nielsen, Soren Kill, Henrik W. Thomsen and Kim
Darn-Johansen*
Department of Chemical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Lyngby,
Denmark

(Received 11 April 1997; accepted 14 August 1997)

Abstract--The rate of gas- and liquid-phase mass transport in a pilot-scale wetted-wall column
with an inner diameter of 3.26 cm and a length of 5 m was investigated. Empirical correlations
for the physical liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient (k°) and the gas-phase mass transfer
coefficient (kG) were determined. In dimensionless form, the correlations are given by
ShL = 0.01613 Re °664 Re °426 Sc~)5
Sh~ = 0.00031Re~ °5 t~et,n0.207 ~c~;"o.
and are valid at gas-phase Reynolds numbers from 7500 to 18,300 and liquid-phase Reynolds
numbers from 4000 to 12,000, conditions of industrial relevance. To our knowledge, no
correlations for ShG have been reported in the literature which are valid at such high Reynolds
numbers. The wetted-wall column was equipped with six intermediate measuring positions for
gas and two for liquid samples, giving rise to a high accuracy of the obtained correlations. Our
data showed that ShL and Sh~ both depend on Rea and ReL due to changes in the interfacial
area at the high Reynolds numbers employed. The presence of inert particles in the liquid-phase
may influence the rate of mass transport, and experimental work was initiated to study the effect
on k~. A decrease in ka of up to 15% was seen at solid concentrations ranging from 0 to 30 wt%,
though the observed effect could not be correlated. ,,~' 1997 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd

Keywords: Wetted-wall column; mass transport: correlation; inert particles; transport area.

INTRODUCTION Jepsen et al, (1966) and Portalski and Clegg (1971),

The falling film principle (i.e. wetted-wall column) is
used in many different industrial applications for mass
transfer between fluids, e.g. sulphonation of organic
products and cleaning of flue gasses (Elvers et al.,
1992). The rate of mass transfer in wetted-wall col-
umns has been extensively investigated because this
type of equipment is simple in design and the falling
liquid film is assumed to have a fixed and known
interfacial area. The latter is the case for most laborat-
ory-scale columns using a laminar liquid film without
waves or ripples, but in studies employing pilot- or
full-scale columns with turbulent and wavy liquid
films, the interfacial area is unknown and the sub-
sequent data analysis becomes more complex.
Transport area
A number of investigators, e.g. Stirba and Hurt
(1955), Brauer (1956), Tailby and Portalski (1960),
* Corresponding author. Tel.: 4545 25 28 45;
fax: 45 4588 22 58; e-mail: kd@kt.dtu.dk.
495
have studied the increase of the interfacial area due to
waves on the liquid film. The extent to which the
interfacial area increases is in dispute. Brauer (1956),
for instance, observed a 0.5 to 3% increase, whereas
Tailby and Portalski (1960) found an increase of up to
50% for water films (Re L ~ 200-2000 and no gas flow).
Attempts to describe the formation of waves and
incorporate the effect on the rate of mass transport
have been conducted by Barrdahl (1988), Wasden and
Dukler (1989, 1990) and Yoshimura et al. (1996). High
gas flow rates may also influence the wave formataon
on the liquid film, as will be shown in this work.
Gas-phase mass transfer coefficient, k~
The rate of gas-phase mass transport in wetted-wall
columns has been examined by a large number of
investigators, of which the best-known study is per-
haps that of Gilliland and Sherwood (1934). A com-
prehensive review is given by Spedding and Jones
(1988), who summarized 31 mass transport studies in
wetted-wall columns published prior to 1978. Table 1
shows some of the more important studies on
gas-phase mass transport available in the literature.
496 C. H. E. Nielsen et al.
Gilliland and Sherwood (1934) found that the gas-
phase mass transfer coefficient is pressure-indepen-
dent in the investigated range from 0,145 to 3.06 atm,
but dependent on R % . The liquid flow was kept
constant (Re L ~ 1000) and so the dependency of Sh e
o
on Ret~ was not investigated. Using the Reynolds
o
number calculated relative to the column wall, R % ,
t~
rather than the Reynolds number relative to the liquid
film surface, Rear, they found it feasible to correlate
both countercurrent and cocurrent mass transfer data
with just one correlation. Kafesjian et al. (1961), on
the basis of their own measurements and data from
I the literature, including those of Gilliland and Sher-
wood (1934), determined a dimensionless correlation
for Sh G with a dependency on both Re a and Re L. The
dependency on S % was not investigated and no ex-
perimental temperature was provided in the paper,
6 preventing recalculation of the correlation with Sc °5G '
e-q which is the correct dependency on S % as reported
8 recently by Dudukovi6 et al. (1996). They showed that
the relative errors of the Gilliland and Sherwood
N (1934) and Barnet and Kobe (1941) data are reduced
when the theoretical Schmidt number exponent of 0.5
.=_ for gas/liquid mass transport is used rather than the
theoretical exponent of 0.33 for gas/solid mass trans-
port or an experimental value for the exponent of 0.44
found by Gilliland and Sherwood (1934). Braun and
0
Hiby (1970) studied the effect of humidity, H, on Sh G.
They found Sh e to be independent of H for H > 80%,
but dependent on the column height, L, and R% and
r¢,2
Re L. However, the correlation is only valid for
0
L i d i < 35, making it unsuitable for use on pilot- and
industrial-scale columns. Thus, published correlations
4 for She are valid at low liquid-phase Reynolds num-
bers only. There seems to be no correlations available
-6 for the design of columns employing liquid-phase
g eq
Reynolds numbers of 5000 or higher. It is one of the
'.~ aims of this work to determine an empirical correla-
Q .=_ tion for She, valid at industrially relevant flow condi-
,2 E tions (i.e. high Reynolds numbers).
f
d~ X
Physical liquid-phase mass transfer coefficient, k °
0 ~+ -~ The rate of liquid-phase mass transport has also
[-.,
g been investigated by a large number of researchers,
e~ '~ some of whom are listed in Table 2. The pressure
¢5 =o dependency of k° was studied by Yoshida and
II II II
Arakawa (1968) in a stirred autoclave. They absorbed
O 2 into distilled water and found that k° is pressure-
~ independent up to 4 atm. Lamourelle and Sandall
(1972) studied absorption in wetted-wall columns
with heights from 91 to 188 cm. Their data showed
.~ that Sh L depends on Rec and S % raised to the power
1.506 and 0.5, respectively. No dependency on Re¢;
was found because no gas flow was applied. Henstock
and Hanratty (1979) investigated absorption in
0
0
a cocurrent wetted-wall column and found that Sh L
.= .-= "7- depends on both R % and Re L. They correlated their
data by assuming that the absorption is controlled by
eddies in the liquid film. Yih and Chen (1982) studied
absorption of 0 2 and CO 2 in a wetted-wall column
and showed that Sh~ depends on Re L and Sc L raised
 Mass transfer at high Reynolds numbers 497

° o

I I F

~ -

"7-
~X -
~
~ r"-
~ ~
x
• ~ t~

II "~ + II

e,
O

e-,

±
<
498 C. H. E. Nielsen et al.
to the powers of 0.6804 and 0.5, respectively. Palen
et al. (1994) derived a semi-empirical model for the
interactive heat and mass transfer phenomena in
a wetted-wall column and found Sh L to be a function
of Re L and Sc °5. Thus, though most investigators
agree on the Sc number exponent, inconsistencies
among the reported exponents for Re L and R % are
now clear. In this work, we demonstrate a new empiri-
cal correlation for Shi, based on three measuring posi-
tions in the column.
Inert particles
The effect of inert particles in the liquid phase on
the rate of mass transport may be important in the
design and modelling of industrial processes employ-
ing three-phase slurry reactors (Ramachandran and
Chaudhari, 1983; Beenacker and Van Swaaij, 1993).
Beenackers and Van Swaaij (1993) published a com-
prehensive review on the subject and it appears that
more work has been conducted to determine the effect
on kL° than on k~. For bubble columns and stirred
tanks, it has been shown that the effect of inert par-
ticles on the rate of mass transport depends on the
size, concentration and type of particles. The observed
effect is, in most cases, a reduction in the rate of mass
transport, but enhancement has also been measured
at low solid concentrations, typically less than
10 Vol%. To our knowledge, no similar investigations
have been conducted in wetted-wall columns despite
the relevance to industry. Part of this work involves
some initial investigations in the field.
Objectives
The first objective of this work was to determine
empirical correlations at high Reynolds numbers for
the dimensionless mass transfer coefficients, Sho and
Sh L, in a pilot-scale wetted-wall column. The correla-
tions can be used in design of industrial falling film
columns due to the validation at high Reynolds num-
bers. The second objective was to examine the effect of
inert particles present in the liquid phase on the gas-
phase mass transfer coefficient, k~.
THEORY
A dimensional analysis (Bird et al., 1960) was con-
ducted on the setup to predict the dimensionless
groups in terms of which Sh a and Shl~ may be corre-
lated. It was assumed in the analysis that the liquid
film is plane. The analysis showed that, theoretically,
S h L depends on Re~. and SCL, whereas Sh G depends on
R % and Sc~ for L/di>>l. The latter criterion was
found to be valid for all measurement positions in the
applied column. The dimensional analysis does not,
however, provide any information on the functional
relationship of the dimensionless groups. It will be
shown later that experimental data suggest that Sh~
also depends on Re L and Shr. on Rea. The reason for
this is probably the formation of waves or ripples on
the liquid film at high Reynolds numbers which alter
the interracial area and cause more turbulent fluid
flow. Upon correlating the mass transport data, it was
found that the well-known form, given by eq. (1),
describes the data well.
Sh = klRe• k 2Rel)k Sc k4 . (1)
As mentioned earlier, the correct value for constant k4
has been shown theoretically and experimentally to be
0.5 in correlations for both Sh L and Sh~. There exists,
to our knowledge, no theoretical basis for choosing
the functional form ofeq. (1) to correlate mass transfer
data. Thus, the functional relationship of dimension-
less groups in eq. (1) is purely empirical.
EXPERIMENTAL SETUP
The experimental setup is shown in Fig. 1. All pipes
and vessels are made of PVC, glass or stainless-steel
coated with Teflon. The main components are the
wetted-wall column, the holding tank, and the film
distributor (pictured in Fig. 2). The column is a verti-
cal, transparent PVC tube, 5 m in length, and with an
inner diameter of 3.26 cm. The holding tank is made
of PVC and it holds a volume of 110 1. The tank is
equipped with four baffles, a stirrer, an air spiral with
nozzles, and a flow loop allowing measurements of
temperature, pH and the 0 2 concentration in the
liquid phase. The film distributor is made of glass and
has an inner diameter of 10 cm and a coated stainless-
steel bottom plate. The distributor ensures a uniform
liquid film on the inner surface of the column tube.
The L-pipe mounted in the bottom plate of the dis-
tributor yields a rotating liquid flow and a liquid cone
rises as illustrated in Fig. 2. The gas flow is supplied
by a compressor and the liquid is recycled by a hose
pump. The fluid temperatures are controlled by three
heat exchangers, A water nozzle is mounted at the top
of the gas heat exchanger to ensure humidification
(exceeding 80%) of the gas phase.
Probes
Gas and liquid samples can be withdrawn from the
column by two types of probes, both of which are
illustrated in Fig. 3. The gas probes are made of
stainless-steel (~6") and designed to cause minimal
disturbance of the liquid film. The cuvette (liquid
probe) for the insertion of the oxygen electrode is
made up of transparent PVC and fitted with a hole to
ensure a steady liquid flow through the cuvette. The
cuvette was removed from the column when not in use
to avoid disturbance of the liquid film. The gas
samples were analyzed successively on-line at six posi-
tions in the column tube (½, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 m from the
column top) and at the gas inlet. The liquid samples
were analyzed successively on-line at two intermedi-
ate positions (2 and 4 m measured from the column
top) and at the liquid inlet.
Calculation methods
A differential mass balance over the gas phase for
the absorbed component produces the following
 Mass transfer at high Reynolds numbers 499

" 'SO~_
Heat ' HzO
Film distributor

Atr m
Gas probe
Compressor

Liquid probe\

Wetted-wall column

Gas

Gas analyzer

Hold tank

/
Flow loop for N2 Hosepump
measuring pH ect.

Fig. 1. Experimental setup of pilot-scale wetted-wall column.

/
Gas inlet
1
Gas probe Liquid probe

\ Liquid out

cone

Oxygen electrode
Volt signal to PC

Wetted-wall column

Corm, cting piece

for Pt 100
L-pipe
J
/
Absorber tube t
Liquid inlet Gas to sample train
¢m

Fig. 2. Schematic illustration of the liquid film distributor. Fig. 3. Schematic illustration of the gas and liquid probes.
500 C. H. E. Nielsen et al.
equation for calculation of k G Table 3. Experimental parameters and dimensions

Q~ In(CG'') Liquid flow, QL 3.6-101/min

k a = z(di _ 26L)RAL \CG,out/ (2) Gas flow, Qc,, at 50°C and 1 atm 20~4001/min
Temperature, T 50~C
where R A is the ratio of the interfacial area in the Pressure, P 1 atm
presence of waves to the plane interfacial area. The Particle mean diameter, dp 5, 110, 180 #m
Solid concentrations, 4,, 5, 10, 20, 30 wt%
liquid film is not plane at high Reynolds numbers
Height of column, L 5.0 m
yielding R A > 1, and a correction factor, a C, is intro- Inner diameter of column, d~ 3.26 cm
duced and defined as

( di - 26L~R A. (3)
ac = \ di ] Table 4. Physical parameters at 50'C
Equation (2) is rewritten by the use of eq. (3) and the Water density, p* 988.04 kg/m a
following expression is obtained: Dry air density, p* 1.0928 kg/m 3
Water viscosity, p~ 546.8 x l0 -6 kg/ms
Q G l n ( C~'in ~ = kGacL. (4) Air viscosity,/~ 19.6x10 6kg/ms .
~di \CG,ouJ Diffusion coefficient for 1.22 x 10- s mZ/s
SO2 in air, Ds*o2
In this way, all uncertainties concerning the interfacial Diffusion coefficient for 3.93 x 10 9 m2/s
area are lumped into the final data, expressed as kza~. 02 in water, D~o:
The modified gas-phase mass transfer coefficient, Henry constant for 02, H °* 32.94 x 10- 3 atm l/mg
kza ~, is calculated as the slope of a straight-line fitted
to the seven successive on-line measurements and the *Dean (1992) and Weast (1986).
column height. All slopes are determined by the *Andrussow et al. (1969).
*Harvey (1996).
method of least squares with a confidence level ~>0.95.
An equation for k ° is obtained in a similar way

QLln(CL,i = CL,o,.,t) = kOa~L. (5) sidered negligible as verified theoretically for

rcdi \ CL.i -- CLAn//
The calculation of k°a~ is based on three successive
on-line measurements. The concentration at the inter-
phase, CL, u in eq. (5) is calculated using Henry's law
P
Cl~,i - HO.
pH > 11.3 by the criterion for an instantaneous irre-
versible reaction (Levenspiel, 1993)
o
k~Pso 2 <<,kLCNaOH (7)
where k ° and k~ were calculated from the correlations
presented in this paper and at experimentally fixed
(6) conditions with pH values ranging from 11.6 to 13.2.

The partial pressure of the absorbed gas, p, is obtained
from the gas-phase measurements and the Henry con-
stant, H °, is calculated by the semi-empirical correla-
tion presented by Harvey (1996). H ° is assumed
independent of the humidity level of the gas phase. All
the experiments were conducted at 50°C and the pres-
sure in the column tube was maintained at 2 to 5 cm
of H 2 0 above ambient pressure to prevent a leakage.
Experimental parameters and dimensions are listed in
Table 3 and the physical parameters in Table 4.
CHEMICAL SYSTEMS
The most accurate way to determine k~ in
gas/liquid systems is to eliminate the liquid-phase
mass transfer resistance while measuring k~ and vice
versa for k °. This can be done by choosing a suitable
chemical system as shown below.
The 02/H20 system
Data for k ° was obtained by absorbing 0 2 from air
into distilled water with a low concentration of 0 2.
The O 2 in the feed water was removed by blowing N 2
through the air spiral in the bottom of the holding
tank. The gas-phase mass transfer resistance was as-
sumed to be negligible because O z has a low solubility
in water and the 0 2 concentration in atmospheric air
is as high as 20 Vol%. According to Astarita et al.
(1983), the gas-phase mass transfer resistance is negli-
gible if
ko
--<<1. (8)
H°k6
A worst-case calculation, using the correlations of this
work, showed that the criterion was met in all the
cases considered.

The S 0 2 / N a O H system RESULTS

To obtain data for k~, a system in which lean SO 2
( ~ 1000 ppmv) was absorbed into a strong N a O H Entrance and exit effects
solution (pH > 11.9) was used. In this system, the During the experiments, no exit effect was observed
liquid-phase mass transfer resistance can be con- in the column and the effect of the liquid cone in the
 Mass transfer at high Reynolds numbers 501
film distributor was accounted for as an additional 5s 1
height added to the physical column height. x ReL=12000
a ReL= 9500
Correlation for kGa~ 45 • ReL= 7000
The modified gas-phase mass transfer coefficient, -- o ReL= 4700
k~a~, was investigated at different gas and liquid flow
rates and calculated by eq. (4). Experimental data and
the fitted correlation, given by eq. (9), are compared in
Fig. 4, in which Sh~/Sc °5 is plotted against Re~ for //." x: /
four different values of ReL. The correlation is based
on 97 data points and predicts the experimental data
with a mean deviation of 2.7%:

Sh~; = O.O0031Re~°SRe°2°TSc °5. (9)

15
The correlation is valid for Re~ ~ [-7,500; 13,500] and 7000 9000 11000 13000 15000
Ret~ [4,700; 12,000] at 50='C. It can be seen that ShG is Reo
a function of both ReG and ReL. The dependency on
ReL is probably due to changes in the interfacial area Fig. 4. Experimental gas-phase mass transfer coefficient
and increased turbulence of the fluid phases. The data data (symbols) compared with fitted correlation eq. (9) (solid
line).
were also correlated by using Reynolds n u m b e r cal-
culated relative to the liquid film, Re~,. In this way,
the influence of the liquid flow is built into the gas-
700 ¸ I
phase Reynolds n u m b e r and the Ret term can be * R%= 18300
omitted in eq. (1). However, in agreement with the
work of Kafesjian et al. (1961), this correlation 600 ~_ × Re~-=12200. *
o R%= 9900 ,, i*
method gave no satisfactory results, and eq. (9) is Re~= 7600 *j - - Y~," / x
recommended. It was not possible to find any suitable 500
correlations in the literature for comparison with
eq. (9) is recommended. It was not possible to find any 400
suitable correlations in the literature for comparison o ~
O']
with eq. (9) because earlier investigations were con- 300
ducted at lower Reynolds numbers than those used in
this work. 200 I!

Correlation Jor k°ac

The modified physical liquid mass transfer coeffi-
cient, k~)ja,.,was measured for four gas and five liquid
flow rates. The 115 data points are compared with
eq. (10) in Fig. 5.
Sh L = O.Ol613Re°664Re°"*Z6Sc °s. (10)
Equation (10) predicts the experimental data with
a mean deviation of 12.1% and is valid for
Retr[4,000; 12,000] and R e ~ [ 7 , 5 0 0 ; 18,300] at
50 C. Fig. 5 shows the effect of Re~ and ReL on
ShL::ScI~'2. Here, the experimental data are more scat-
tered than those obtained for k~ (Fig. 4). The reason
for this is that ShL/Sc 1:2 is based on liquid-phase
concentrations which (due to small variations in the
liquid flow) cannot be obtained with as high an accu-
racy as the gas-phase measurements. The increase in
the rate of mass transport with increasing liquid flow
can be explained by increased liquid film turbulence
and interfacial area. It has not been possible to separ-
ate the two effects. The exponent of ReL (0.426) in eq.
(10) is smaller than those reported previously in the
literature, e.g. 1.506 (Lamourelle and Sandall, 1972)
and 0.6804 (Yin and Chen, 1982). The exponents
found by Lamourelle and Sandall (1972) and Yin and
Chen (1982) should be the same because their type of
100
3000 5000 7 0 0 0 9000 11000 13000
ReL
Fig. 5. Experimental physical liquid-phase mass transfer
coefficient data (symbols) compared with fitted correlation
eq. (10) (solid line).
experiment and setups are almost identical. No ex-
planation for this inconsistency could be found. Figs 4
and 5 both show that the effect of increasing Re~ is to
enhance the rate of mass transfer. This is probably due
to more gas-phase turbulence and/or an increased
interfacial area. It is apparent that k~ac has a stronger
dependency on Ret. at high values of Re~ than at low
values. In Fig. 6, eq. (10) is compared with the correla-
tion given by Henstock and Hanratty (1979). It can be
seen that the correlation of Henstock and Hanratty
(1979) predicts a physical liquid-phase mass transfer
coefficient significantly higher than eq. (10) at all
values of Ret. and has a stronger dependency on Rea.
The Henstock and Hanratty correlation suffers from
the disadvantage of having a strong dependency on
the falling liquid film thickness. An increase in the
liquid film thickness of as little as 0.2 m m reduces the
502 C. H. E. Nielsen et al.
CONCLUSIONS
1500
-- Present work The gas- and liquid-phase mass transfer coeffi-
1300 Rec,= 18000 cients, koa,. and k°a~, were measured for a broad
.... Henstock and
Hanratty (1979) / ~, ~" range of gas- and liquid-phase Reynolds numbers in
1 IOO a pilot-scale wetted-wall column at atmospheric pres-
sure and 50~C. Two empirical dimensionless correla-
~ 900 /t'
0
/.J
tions which describe the experimental data with mean
j 700 .-~ R%= 7500 deviations of 2.7 and 12.1% were found. The correla-
/ tions are valid at high Reynolds numbers, conditions
5OO 000 of industrial relevance. It was shown that the in-
creased interracial area and turbulence, due to waves
300 R%= 7500
on the liquid film, are of significant importance. The
effect of inert (sand) particles present in the liquid-
100 , , , i , , , , , , , i , , , i , , ,
phase on kGac was investigated at solid concentrations
3000 5000 7000 9 0 0 0 11000 13000 ranging from 0 to 30 wt%. At high solid concentra-
Re L tions, the effect was seen as a reduction in koa,. of up to
15%. The data obtained at low solid concentrations,
Fig. 6. Comparison of fitted correlation eq. (10), with the however, were too scattered for the results to be
dimensionless correlation of Henstock and Hanratty (1979). correlated. More work needs to be done to clarify and
correlate the effect of inert particles on the mass trans-
fer coefficients in wetted-wall columns.

predicted values of k° by the Henstock and Hanratty

Acknowledgements
correlation to almost the same level as predicted by
our correlation. Also, the dependency on ReG turns This work was carried out as a part of the CHEC (Com-
bustion and Harmful Emission Control) research pro-
out to be the same as for our correlation. A compari- gramme.
son of correlations, reported in the literature, for
prediction of falling liquid film thicknesses reveals
deviations of up to 0.4 mm in the range of liquid- NOTATION

phase Reynolds numbers applied in this work. As ac correction factor for the interfacial area,
a consequence, the applicability of the Henstock and RA(di - 2;)L)/di
Hanratty correlation seems questionable. In fact, this C concentration, kg/m 3, ppmv
is the case for all empirical mass transfer correlations di inner diameter of the column tube, m
having a dependency on the liquid-film thickness at dp mean particle diameter, m
high liquid-phase Reynolds numbers. D diffusion coefficient, mZ/s
F modified Martinelli parameter, m/Re °9,
Inert particles (~L/~G)(P~/PL) ° s
The effect of inert particles present in the liquid 9 gravity, 9.82 m/s 2
phase on the rate of gas-phase mass transport was H humidity
investigated. The particle type used was sand with H° Henry's constant, atm m3/mol
three different mean diameters, 5, 110 and 180pm. kG gas-phase mass transfer coefficient, m/s
The applied solid concentrations were 0, 5, 10, 20 and k° physical liquid-phase mass transfer coeffic-
30wt%; the initial liquid volume in the system ient, m/s
was kept constant at 30 1. Also, the gas and slurry k~-k4 dimensionless empirical constants
flows were kept constant at Rea = 11,000 and L height of column tube, m
QL = 7.9 l/rain. The results showed a reduction of m dimensionless liquid film thickness,
about 15% in koa,. at the high solid concentrations. At (0.4203Re~/2s + 2.796Re~'2s) °4
low solid concentrations, however, both reduction p partial pressure, atm
and enhancement of koa,. was observed, preventing Q volumetric flow, m~/h
correlation of the data. No explanation could be RA ratio of the interfacial area in the presence of
found for the scatter of the data, and the above con- waves to the plane interfacial area
clusions are strictly qualitative. A number of investi- ReG gas-phase Reynolds number, 4Q~p6/gdi#G
gators (e.g. Joosten et al., 1977; Oztiirk and Schumpe, Rear relative gas-phase Reynolds number,
1987) have examined the effect in bubble-column 4Qarpc,/7~diPG
slurry reactors. Their results are somewhat similar to ReL liquid-phase Reynolds number, 4QLPL/~diPL
ours, with enhancements of ka at low solid concentra- ScG gas-phase Schmidt number, t~G/D~P~
tions and reductions at high. It is thought that the ScL liquid-phase Schmidt number, #L/DLPL
change in k~ a~ is due to a dilution and/or stabilization Shc, gas-phase Sherwood number, k6acdi/D G
of the liquid film by the solid particles. However, more ShL liquid-phase Sherwood number, k°acdi/DL
work needs to be done in this important field before T temperature, K
the data can be correlated. X dimensionless height, L/d~
 Mass transfer at high Reynolds numbers
Greek letters
6L mean liquid film thickness, m
c,, solid concentration, wt%
I~ viscosity, kg/m s
q) relative absorption rate, 1 -- (1 -- H)";
a = 1.8X°'33Re 0"0625
p density, kg/m 3
Subscripts
G gas phase
i interface
in inlet
L liquid phase
out outlet
r relative to the liquid surface
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