Heat Transfer and Hydrodynamics in a Three-Phase Slurry Bubble Column

The instantaneous and time-averaged heat transfer coefficients in the regions near the wall and at the center and average gas holdups were measured in a 0.28 m diameter slurry bubble column for the air−water and air−water−glass beads (35 μm) system. The effects of high gas velocities (up to 0.35 m/s) and high solids concentrations (up to 40 vol %) were investigated. Gas holdup decreased with increasing slurry concentrations; the rate of decline was rapid at high gas velocities. The instantaneous local heat transfer measurements were analyzed to study the bubble behavior in the regions near the wall and at the center for different solids concentrations. Larger bubbles were detected in the wall region in slurry systems compared to the solid-free system. The average heat transfer coefficient decreased with increasing slurry concentrations. The heat transfer coefficient was always lower at the wall than at the center.