Mass Transfer Studies in Multiphase System – A Review

Abstract

Three phase systems are vital part of chemical industry, as reactions involving gas, liquid, and solid are often encountered in chemical process industry, of these, reactions in hydroprocessing industry, catalytic oxidation and hydration reactions are most common. The performance of such systems is controlled by the transport of mass between various phases. For the successful design and operation of especially three-phase system, requires through knowledge of interphase mass transfer. Indeed, the mass transfer depends on interfacial area and mass transfer coefficient. Many researchers have carried out study of such phenomena since last thirty years. Different methods have been used for the determination of interfacial area and mass transfer coefficient. Use of fiber optic probe is encouraged due to its accurate measurement of interfacial area. The interfacial area is found to be a strong function of gas superficial velocity. Physical and chemical methods were adopted for the determination of mass transfer coefficient. Chemical methods were much followed as it dose not require knowledge of flow regimes and accurate analytical method. Simultaneous measurement of interfacial area and mass transfer coefficient is beneficial as it give values of these at same hydrodynamic and physico-chemical conditions. The mass transfer coefficient increases with gas superficial velocity but a weak function of liquid superficial velocity. The mass transfer in phenol degradation increases with Reynolds number and phenol feed concentration.