The influence of bubble shape and the thickness of the wetting film on the incremental electrical resistance caused by the presence of a single bubble in Hall-Héroult cells

Bubbles play an important role in the transport phenomena existing in an electrolysis cell. They increase the total ohmic resistance of the electrolyte but their contribution is still not well quantified. During their movement under the anode, the bubbles are separated from the solid by the so-called wetting film, that is by a thin liquid layer. In order to develop a mathematical model to compute the increment of the electrical resistance of the electrolyte due to the presence of several bubbles under the anode, the effects of the bubble shape and the thickness of the wetting film for a single bubble must be quantified a priori. In this first paper, these effects are computed using the finite element method (FEM). The results have shown that the influence of the bubble shape and that of the wetting film is small, about 5% and 2%, respectively.     

Gas–liquid mass transfer in rotating solid foam reactors

Three-phase reactor designs based on rotating solid foams for the application in the fine chemical industry are developed. The aim is to use solid foams both as a catalyst support and stirrer in order to mix the gas and liquid phases and create fine gas bubbles. Gas–liquid mass transfer data are presented for different solid foam stirrer configurations and compared to an optimized Rushton stirrer. Solid foam stirrers were developed in a blade and a block design. Both foam reactor designs work at stirring rates below 600 rpm. Using the foam blade design, gas bubbles are mainly created by the turbulence at the gas–liquid interface. Large bubbles are broken up by the foam blades. Using a foam block design, rotation leads to the structurization of the reactor volume into sections strongly differing in gas holdup, flow behavior and bubble size distribution. This results in a gas–liquid mass transfer, which is 50% higher than the Rushton stirrer used as comparison. The foam stirrer designs can be easily used in ordinary three-phase reactors and show a high potential for further optimization of the gas–liquid flow pattern and therefore for further increase of the rate of mass transfer.     

COALESCENCE BETWEEN SMALL BUBBLES: EFFECTS OF SURFACE TENSION GRADIENT

1 INTRODUCTIONThe rate of coalescence between bubbles is important to the stability of foams,the mo-bility control in tertiary oil recovery,and a broad class of operations in which gas orvapor is the dispersed phase.Therefore,it is very important that the mechanism of thecoalescence process be understood,so that the effects of the physical properties oncoalescence can be assessed.     

表面粘度对小气泡聚并的影响

对2个小气泡间的聚并过程进行了动力学分析,着重考虑界面粘度的影响,得到气泡聚并所需时间与气泡直径、流体主体和界面性质的关系。     

CFD simulations to portray the bubble distribution and the hydrodynamics in an annulus sparged air‐lift bioreactor

Air‐lift bioreactor (ABR) are applied in the pharmaceutical industry for those processes of low‐oxygen demand. The characteristics of the air bubbles in an ABR are important since they influence the overall performance of the bioreactor. In this article, two‐dimensional CFD simulations are carried out to portray the flow characteristics in an annulus‐sparged ABR with a low‐aeration rate, which is a scaled geometry of a 200 m³ annulus‐sparged ABR for the L ‐ascorbic acid manufacturing. VOF model is applied firstly to capture the flow behaviour of the bubbles in the bioreactor, and the distributions of the bubbles and local mean bubble sizes are approximately obtained. With the local mean bubble size distribution, Eulerian model is adopted to investigate the performance of the bioreactor. The liquid velocity and the gas holdup are further discussed. The results show the existence of the local back mixing as well as the mal‐distributions of the velocity and the gas holdup along the radial direction in the annulus‐sparged ABR.     

ON THE PERMEATION OF SOME GASES THROUGH THE LAMELLAE OF STATIC FOAMS. A PRELIMINARY APPROACH

Basing on the capillary method for the determination of foam bubble size, a method was proposed for establishing values of permeability coefficients of several gases. The permeability coefficients of He, Ar, H₂, N₂, CH₄ through the lamellae of static foam bubbles were preliminarily determined using this method.

A rough dependence of the N₂ permeability coefficient through the lamellae of static foam bubbles on the foam wetness and surfactant concentration was also found.

The results obtained lead to the conclusion that the Princen-Mason diffusion model of gas permeation through an isolated soap film was inadequate in the case of permeation through lamellae of bubbles forming a static foam.

A hypothesis that the gas permeation through the lamellae of a static foam is primarily caused by liquid convection in the lamellae core was put forward.     

间歇法夹心板聚氨酯泡沫芯气泡成因分析

从工艺方面分析了间歇法聚氨酯泡沫保温夹心板中泡沫表面与上层面材之间的气泡、泡沫内部孔洞、垫块附近气泡等各种泡孔形成的原因,提出了解决措施。     

鼓泡破泡一体化高效精馏塔盘流动特性与CFD模拟

就痕量精馏中塔板传质效率低、需强化气液传质的问题,研究者提出了新型鼓泡破泡一体化高效精馏塔盘,通过在筛板上泡沫层高度范围内设置一层破泡装置,打破大气泡,减小气泡体积,强制界面进行更新,从而提高传质效率。采用双欧拉模型分别对鼓泡破泡一体化塔盘和筛板进行了气液流场的数值模拟,并对模型进行了验证。对比两种塔板的计算结果可以看出：在相同操作条件下,破泡装置将大气泡破裂成无数小气泡,使高气含率区域面积较普通筛板进一步增大,且气含率梯度变化更均匀;增加破泡装置后,在相同气速条件下气泡上升速度下降,气体在液层中的滞留时间延长,使鼓泡层高度增加,可显著提高传质效率,且降低了气体雾沫夹带量;破泡装置还明显改善了气相的纵向分布,气含率由塔板底部向上逐渐增大且存在明显分界;破泡装置附近湍动较剧烈,气泡破碎喷出的气体会进一步撕裂液膜,气体破碎作用会抑制气泡聚并,促进界面的快速更新更有利于传质过程的进行。研究结果可对工业塔板设计和优化提供指导。     

Effects of Orifice Orientation and Gas-Liquid Flow Pattern on Initial Bubble Size

In many gasliquid processes, the initial bubble size is determined by a series of operation parameters along with the sparger design and gasliquid flow pattern. Bubble formation models for variant gasliquid flow pat terns have been developed based on force balance. The effects of the orientation of gasliquid flow, gas velocity, liquid velocity and orifice diameter on the initial bubble size have been clarified. In ambient airwater system, thesultable gasllquid flow pattern is important to obtain smaller bubbles under the low velocity liquid crossflow con ditions with stainless steel spargers. Among the four types of gasliquid flow patterns discussed, the horizontal orifice in a vertically upward liquid flow produces the smallest initial bubbles. However the orientation effects of gas and liquid flow are found tobe insgnifican whenliq.uid velocity is.higher than. 3.2 m;sa or theorifice diameter is small enough.     

Gas holdup,bubble size distribution,and mass transfer in an airlift reactor with ceramic membrane and perforated plate distributor

The airlift reactor is one of the most commonly used gas–liquid two-phase reactors in chemical and biological processes. The objective of this study is to generate different-sized bubbles in an internal loop airlift reactor and characterize the behaviours of the bubbly flows. The bubble size, gas holdup, liquid circulation velocity, and the volumetric mass transfer coefficient of gas–liquid two-phase co-current flow in an internal loop airlift reactor equipped with a ceramic membrane module (CMM) and a perforated-plate distributor (PPD) are measured. Experimental results show that CMM can generate small bubbles with Sauter mean diameter d₃₂ less than 2.5 mm. As the liquid inlet velocity increases, the bubble size decreases and the gas holdup increases. In contrast, PPD can generate large bubbles with 4 mm < d₃₂ < 10 mm. The bubble size and liquid circulation velocity increase as the superficial gas velocity increases. Multiscale bubbles with 0.5 mm < d₃₂ < 10 mm can be generated by the CMM and PPD together. The volumetric mass transfer coefficient k_La of the multiscale bubbles is 0.033–0.062 s⁻¹, while that of small bubbles is 0.011–0.057 s⁻¹. Under the same flow rate of oxygen, the k_La of the multiscale bubbles increases by up to 160% in comparison to that of the small bubbles. Finally, empirical correlations for k_La are obtained.     

Bubble growth in secondary foams

When mechanical foambreakers are used in chemical engineering processes to control an undesired primary foam, a secondary foam is often produced. Secondary foams consist of small bubbles, have a high liquid hold-up, and cannot be condensed further by mechanical foambreakers. Secondary foams can be converted into liquid and gas in a coalescence column by drainage, diffusion, and breakage of the lamellas. This paper presents a new model to determine the velocity of bubble growth and the time of coalescence of secondary foams. The experimental investigations have been carried out with surfactants in aqueous solutions.     

垂直惰性阳极铝电解槽内的析气行为

垂直惰性阳极铝电解槽内,析气行为会影响氧化铝浓度分布和电流效率。利用新设计的透明电解槽进行了电解试验,观察了大尺寸惰性阳极气泡的析出及逸出过程。试验结果表明：在阳极底掌下,气泡进行周期性的生长、长大、并聚和脱离,但大尺寸阳极上气泡的滑动和并聚过程与小尺寸阳极上的不同。阳极工作面上则形成了气泡群,新形成的气泡迅速脱离。紧贴着阳极的气泡运行速度慢,外层的气泡运动速度快。所有气泡最终都经液面逸出,大部分气泡到达液面时立即逸出,少部分未及时逸出的气泡随着电解质做一段水平运动后才逐步逸出。测量到的惰性阳极的气泡运动速度为0.006~0.445 m·s^-1,底部的气泡运动速度分布范围宽,然而,受电解质的限制,中上部的范围窄。     

Electrolyte effects on recirculating dense bubbly flow: An experimental study using X-ray imaging

In this work, the effect of an electrolyte (up to 2 M of NaCl dissolved in water) on a homogeneous dense bubbly flow, in an airlift bubble column, is studied using nonintrusive techniques. X-ray and high-speed imaging are used to investigate the bubble size distribution, the local and the global gas-fraction profiles. The major effect of the electrolyte is the bubble size distribution at the fine-pore sparger, which is a consequence of the bubble coalescence inhibition promoted by the electrolyte. The bubble plume widening, the increase in overall gas fraction, and the onset of bubble recirculation in the column can all be explained by the bubble size reduction at the fine-pore spargers. As a result of the bubble size reduction, the overall role of the electrolyte is in a reduction of the driving force for the liquid recirculation. Furthermore, an accumulation of the small bubbles causes a layer of foam at the free surface, which is dynamic in nature and induces additional bubble recirculation.     

SEBS高黏度溶液气液鼓泡塔的流体力学研究

针对SBS加氢反应器开发与设计，以SEBS-1650己烷溶液为液相，采用差压法和床层塌落法研究了气液鼓泡塔中高黏度溶液的流体力学行为，考察了黏度对低表面张力溶液的气含率、大小气泡气含率、大小气泡上升速度和比表面积等因素的影响。结果表明，随黏度增加，大气泡增多，气含率明显降低，塔内流型处于湍流区；由床层塌落曲线确定鼓泡塔内存在三种类型的气泡：大气泡、小气泡及细小气泡，随黏度增加，小气泡与细小气泡逐渐减少；黏度对大小气泡的上升速度略有影响，比表面积随黏度增加而明显降低。根据实验结果给出了大小气泡气含率与平均气含率的计算公式。     

小气泡或小液滴之间的聚并

对2个小气泡或小液滴之间的聚并进行了动力学分析,并考虑范德华力的影响,得到了界面无切向运动时气泡或液滴聚并所需时间与气泡直径、流体主体和界面性质的关系。     

气泡聚并机理模型

对气液二相体系中气泡间凸面状薄液膜内以及气液界面上动量和质量传递行为进行了分析,建立了气泡聚并时间模型,考虑了范德华作用力以及双电层作用力对液膜变薄过程产生的影响.模型值与文献实验值吻合较好.     

微通道内气-液弹状流动及传质特性研究进展

气-液弹状流,又称Taylor流,是一种以长气泡和液弹交替形式流动的流动形态。微通道内气-液弹状流因其气泡与液弹尺寸分布均一、停留时间分布窄、径向混合强等优点,是一种适于强化气-液反应的理想流型。本文首先介绍了微通道内气泡的生成机理、气泡和液弹长度,以及气泡生成阶段的传质特征。其次系统综述了主通道中弹状流动及传质过程的研究进展,包括气泡形状与液膜厚度、液弹内循环和泄漏流特征、气-液传质系数的测量与预测,以及物理与化学吸收过程中的传质特性等方面内容。最后阐述了当前研究的不足并展望了气-液弹状流的研究方向。     

装配水平筛板的气升式反应器中气液传质特性的数值模拟

利用Turbulent–Lehr组合模型对装配水平筛板的气升式反应器进行了计算流体力学(CFD)模拟，研究水平筛板对气含率、气泡直径、体积传质系数(kLa)和气液流速的影响。结果表明，筛板对气相的囤积作用和对液相的阻碍作用增加了反应器的整体气含率。筛板对气相的二次均布作用减弱了筛板和液面之间区域的气泡聚并过程，筛板筛孔对气泡的破碎作用产生了大量小于初始直径的气泡，增加了气泡比表面积(a)；筛板对液相的阻碍作用提高了筛板附近的气–液相流动速度差，从而提高了该区域的液膜传质系数(kL)，强化了反应器内的气液传质效果。     

Experimental investigation of interfacial mass transfer mechanisms for a confined high‐reynolds‐number bubble rising in a thin gap

Interfacial mass transfer is known to be enhanced for confined bubbles due to the efficiency of the transfer in the thin liquid films between them and the wall. In the present experimental investigation, the mechanisms of gas–liquid mass transfer are studied for isolated bubbles rising at high Reynolds number in a thin gap. A planar laser induced fluorescence (PLIF) technique is applied with a dye the fluorescence of which is quenched by dissolved oxygen. The aim is to measure the interfacial mass fluxes for pure oxygen bubbles of various shapes and paths rising in water at rest. In the wakes of the bubbles, patterns due to the presence of dissolved oxygen are observed on PLIF images. They reveal the contrasted contributions to mass transfer of two different regions of the interface. The flow around a bubble consists of both two thin liquid films between the bubble and the walls of the cell and an external high‐Reynolds‐number in‐plane flow surrounding the bubble. Mass transfer mechanisms associated to both regions are discussed. Measurement of the concentration of dissolved oxygen is a difficult task due to the nonlinear relation between the fluorescence intensity and the concentration in the gap. It is however possible to accurately measure the global mass flux transferred through the bubble interface. It is determined from the fluorescence intensity recorded in the wakes when the oxygen distribution has been made homogeneous through the gap by diffusion. Assuming a reasonable distribution of oxygen concentration through the gap at short time also allows a measurement of the mass fluxes due to the liquid films. A discussion of the results points out the specific physics of mass transfer for bubbles confined between two plates as compared to bubbles free to move in unconfined flows. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 2394–2408, 2017     

垂直管内弹状气泡上升中壁面传递的实验研究

垂直管内弹状流壁面传递是诸多工业应用中需研究的重要问题之一。今用极限扩散电流技术,对弹状气泡上升时瞬时壁面剪应力和传质系数进行了测定,结果显示:当基于表观气速的Froude数FrG < 0.74时,壁面剪应力随弹状气泡和液塞的到来呈现方向相反的交替变化,壁面传质系数亦相应变化;而当FrG > 0.74时,剪应力方向一直向下,说明液膜向下流动,且弹状气泡和液塞的到来对壁面传质系数的影响很小。这说明下落液膜射流穿透了液塞段,控制了整个壁面传递过程。研究还对下落液膜区、尾迹区及液塞段的不同传递特征及机理进行了分析, 并结合气泡塔熔融结晶器中弹状气泡上升时的传热,对结晶操作条件的合理选择进行了讨论。