Liquid Flow Texture in Trickle-Bed Reactors: An Experimental Study

Modeling of trickle-bed reactors requires the knowledge of liquid flow texture. A dye-adsorption method was employed to study the liquid flow texture in the bed. Pictures of cross sections of the dismantled bed at different depths were taken. The texture in prewetted and nonprewetted beds of glass beads (nonporous) and alumina particles (porous) of different sizes was studied. To supplement the visual observation, exit liquid distribution and pressure drop were measured. The liquid flow texture was deduced from the visual observations and exit liquid distribution. The present study revealed several unexpected features. The behavior of a bed of porous particles was strikingly different from that of nonporous particles. The interpretation of the previous work on the hysteresis of pressure drop, gas−liquid and liquid−solid interfacial areas, and the implications of the observed liquid flow texture on modeling of trickle-bed reactors are discussed.