Modelling the three‐phase flow in a pilot‐scale airlift internal‐loop reactor for wastewater treatment

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The airlift internal‐loop reactor for wastewater treatment (AILRW) has an efficient performance due to the efficiently mixed flow of three phases: gas, liquid and solid. Basalt with density of 2760 kg.m‐3 and diameter of 0.245 mm was used as carrier material and tested in a low range of solid fraction in the circulation (less than 4%). Three fractions (solid mass in the circulation zone Wc, solid mass in the settling zone at the top Wo and sediment mass at the bottom WB) which contribute to the total loading solid mass Wt are estimated on experiments and described with dimensionless models. The presence of carrier material causes a non‐linear shift in the relationship between pressure difference at the bottom Dhb and squared liquid velocity in the downcomer vd 2. However, no obvious influence of the loading of carrier on the gas holdup and oxygen transfer has been found in this study.