Mass Transfer of Ozone in a Novel In Situ Ozone Generator and Reactor

A porous tubular reactor that also served as an electrode for ozone generation was studied in this research to determine the effects of in situ ozone generation on mass transfer and reaction rates. Experimental data over a range of gas flow rates and ozone generation rates gave KLa values in the range 0.77–1.14?min?1. These values are more than double the values typically reported for bubble columns, and about 30% higher than that for packed beds. The specific power requirement for the laboratory-scale in situ reactor is an order of magnitude lower than that for bubble columns and stirred tank reactors that are used for ozone dissolution. A compartments-in-series fluid flow model was developed to describe the reactor system, and this model provides a good comparison to the experimental data for dissolved ozone and off-gas concentrations in the reactor. Sensitivity analyses indicate that the dissolved and off-gas ozone profiles are most sensitive to the gas–liquid partition coefficient and the overall mass transfer coefficient.