TITLE: Heat transfer investigations in a slurry bubble column. Final report: Volume 1.

AUTHOR: S. C. Saxena;   N. S. Rao;   R. Vadivel;   S. Shrivastav;   A. C. Saxena.

INST.  AUTHOR: Illinois Univ. at Chicago Circle. Dept. of Chemical Engineering.

SPONSOR: Department of Energy, Washington, DC.

LANGUAGE: English

PUB.  TYPE: Technical Report

PUB.  COUNTRY: United States

SOURCE: Department of Energy [DE],  Feb 91,  239p.

NTIS ORDER NO.: DE91016810INW

ABSTRACT:

Slurry bubble columns, for use in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, have been investigated. Two bubble columns (0.108 and 0.305 m internal diameter) were set up and experiments were conducted to determine gas holdup and heat transfer coefficients. These columns were equipped with either single heat transfer probes of different diameters, or bundles of five-, seven-,or thirty-seven tubes. the experiments were conducted for two- and three phase systems; employing for gas phase: air and nitrogen, liquid phase: water and Therminol-66, and solid phase: red iron oxide (1.02, 1.70 and 2.38 (mu)m), glass beads (50.0, 90.0, 119.0 and 143.3 (mu)m), silica sand (65 (mu)m), and magnetite (28.0, 35.7, 46.0, 58.0, 69.0, 90.5, 115.5 and 137.5 (mu)m). The column temperature was varied between 298--523 K, gas velocity between 0--40 cm/s, and solids concentration between 0--50 weight percent. The holdup and heat transfer data as a function of operating and system parameters were employed to assess the available correlations and semitheoretical models, and to develop new correlations. Information concerning the design and scale-up of larger units is presented. Specific research work that need to be undertaken to understand the phenomena of heat transfer and gas holdup is outlined so that efficient gas conversion and catalyst usage may be accomplished in slurry bubble columns. 28 refs., 102 figs., 42 tabs.

REPORT  NUMBER: DOE/PC/90008-T8-VOL.1

CONTRACT  NUMBER: AC22-86PC90008