An experimental study of bubbly flow in high‐viscosity liquid in a pseudo‐ 2D bubble column equipped with mesh using high‐speed imaging

Wire mesh is an effective internal component in a bubble column reactor to solve the efficiency decreasing problem due to bubble coalescence. In relevant studies, compared to low‐viscosity systems, high‐viscosity systems have rarely been investigated. This paper conducts a study of an aqueous glycerol solution‐nitrogen system with a high viscosity of 1.982 Pa·s. The hydrodynamic behavior of gas–liquid two‐phase flow is investigated by high‐speed imaging. To extract as much information as possible from the high‐viscosity system prone to generate and accumulate small bubbles, corresponding experimental and image processing methods are developed tailored for bubbles with different sizes. Different bubble cutting behaviors are observed and examined. The crucial hydrodynamic parameters under meshes with different structures are compared quantitatively. The gas–liquid interfacial area is calculated, and the enhancement of the mesh on the mass transfer process is discussed.