Pressure Drop and Holdup in Two-Phase Cocurrent Trickle Flows through Beds of Small Packings

Correlations were developed and tested for predicting the hydrodynamic performance of cocurrent trickle bed reactors packed with small particles (0.5-1.85 mm). Such reactors show a multiplicity of hydrodynamic states dependent on the past flow history. In general, the existing correlations proved adequate although the parameters differed from those developed for larger packings and an appropriate factor was needed to account for the flow history effect. A channelling flow model was developed which gave a satisfactory explanation of the multiplicity of hydrodynamic states.